So, do you remember the Millennium? What an unsettling time. We had unprecedented panic over the prospect of complete technological meltdown, the British public made a cartoon construction worker a successful musical proposition, and some people decided a fitting way to celebrate would be to construct a useless 500m high tent in East London. In a nutshell, something about those strange times made peopleake risks, throw caution windward, act a little outside themselves.

In creative terms, the turn of the millennium also saw Bob Collum wave farewell to his Oklahoma abode, cross the Atlantic and nestle himself comfortably amidst the UK's vibrant, yet relatively underground, Americana music scene.

Having released two albums stateside (1997's 'More Tragic Songs of Life' and 2000's 'Low Rent Romeo'), Bob set about commandeering the tightest rhythm section he could find in Dan Wilkinson (Bass) and Paul Quarry (Drums) to lend his new songs the tougher, propulsive edge they demanded. The Welfare Mothers were born and through extensive gigging, began to build a following both around and outside the UK. The resulting album, 'The Boy Most Likely To..' (2004) garnered the type of reviews normally reserved for Rock's upper echelons, with one going as far as to say that 'this is what the pop charts must sound like in heaven.'

After a few cracked-hearts, frayed guitar strings & many a memorable live show along the way (taking in SXSW, The Borderline, The Cavern & Cambridge Folk Festival), we find ourselves in the present day... 'Set The Stupid Free,' (released in January 2008) marks a consequential turning point, where an able and talented band steps up to command some rare attention with a few well-crafted statements of sonic intent. Warm guitar crashes, hinting at the bands Who-like comprehension of stirring rock dynamics. Playful, crying steel guitar (provided by the legendary BJ Cole). A melodic, Byrds-ian country-edged soul, that is central to Bob & the Mother's new sound. This is just the start of the riches on offer here.

Elsewhere on this emancipation ride, the breadth of Bob's song-writing and the band's natural reach takes in earthy rock grooves (Virgina Mystery), intimate yet universal confessionals (Katie I Agree), haunting tributes (Cemetery Blues) and a hypnotic musing on the likelihood of the second-coming quitting all that sanctity lark and setting up a mobile karaoke unit to save souls instead (Disco Jesus). In short, it's really not your standard issue alt-country album  at all..because frankly, who needs another one of those?

Dave Alvin, Ron Sexsmith, Handsome Family, John Wesley Harding, Robbie Fulks, Hot Club of Cowtown, The Arlenes, Marshall Crenshaw,  Peter Case, Nikki Sudden, Greg Trooper, Alejandro Escovedo, The Deadstring Brothers, Danny George Wilson, Ben Weaver, Amy Rigby,  and Robert Earle Keen.

Cambridge Folk Festival - Cambridge, UK,  South By Southwest - Austin, TX, Borderline - London, UK ,

Beyond Nashville Festival - London, UK , The Cavern - Liverpool, UK , !2 Bar Club, London, UK  Schuba’s - Chicago IL, Fitzgerald’s - Chicago IL, Cain’s Ballroom - Tulsa, OK, The Blue Door -Oklahoma City, OK