***************************************************
Once upon a time, in the very early noughties, the dot com bubble burst. The companies which best survived were those which had a "brick" foundation. Not so this time. We heard thus week that 18 more ZAVVI music stores are closing, in addition to the 22 announced last week, including Piccadilly Circus, London - the old home of Tower Records. "Clicks" are set to fare better with own and small labels having consolidated their relationship with their gig-going and music-buying fans via email and website for many years.

As we all know, music news spreads quickly via the internet. Young CHANCE McCOY plays the Barbican on Wednesday Jan 21. Who he? "Chance McCoy is one of the brightest young traditional fiddlers to emerge from West Virginia, a state well known for its rich old-time fiddling heritage. He is quickly becoming known as a living master in the art of Appalachian fiddling, a unique style that combines elements of European and African music distilled for centuries in the remote mountains of Appalachia." Chance writes to NetRhythms, "I'm just a guy trying to raise a family in a remote corner of West Virginia. Hardly anybody knows about my music outside the small old time revival happening in the South." Let's see what "clicks" do for him.
Read Roger Young's review of Chance's album, Chance McCoy and The Appalachian String Band, at
http://www.netrhythms.co.uk/reviews.html#chance
Buy the album at
http://cdbaby.com/cd/chancemccoy
Folk America at the Barbican tickets are available from
http://www.barbican.org.uk

Dutch blues label BLACK & TAN tell us that they have lost their UK distribution, but why not buy online direct. Jan Mittendorp writes, "The good news is that prices in my webshop will most likely be lower then the UK shop prices. The new titles are 15 EUR and the older ones are only 12 EUR and shipping is included in these prices. To make it even better... every customer will get a free label sampler with their first order.
http://www.blackandtan-shop.com

FISH RECORDS write that new releases are beginning to come through for February and March. They are taking pre-orders on the excellent Pierce Pettis, Cara Dillon and Bellowhead releases.
http://www.fishrecords.co.uk
Neil Pearson of Fish Records is involved in the organisation of the Shrewsbury Folk Festival. For the past 11 months, he's been organising the Darwin Song Project which takes place in March 2009. Eight artists are coming together for a songwriting residential in March 2009, where they will live together for a week in a beautiful 16th Century Shropshire farmhouse to write new songs that have a resonance and relevance to the life and works of Charles Darwin. The artists involved on the project are Chris Wood, Karine Polwart, Mark Erelli, Krista Detor, Stu Hanna (Megson), Rachael McShane (Bellowhead) Emily Smith, Jez Lowe. The project will be covered by BBC Radio 4 in a documentary that will be aired in late March. Full details coming
http://www.darwinsongproject.com

Chance McCoy and the Appalachian String Band (Appalachian Music Group)
Tom Freund - Collapsible Plans (Continental Song City)
Jayme Stone & Mansa Sissoko - Africa To Appalachia (Jaymestone)
Robin & Linda Williams - Buena Vista (RedHouse)
Griselda Sanderson - Harpaphonics (Waulk Music)
Aidan O'Rourke - An Tobar (Navigator)
John McCusker et al. - Under One Sky (Navigator)
John McCusker - Yella Hoose/ Goodnight Ginger (Navigator)
Judith Owen - Mopping Up Karma (Courgette)
Yonder - Yonder (Rootsy.nu)
Matt Andersen - Second Time Around (Own Label)
The Why & Wherefores - Alright (Dusty)
Aly Bain - The Best Of Aly Bain Volume 1 (Whirlie)
Robin Williamson & His Merry Band - Journey's Edge (Fledg'ling)
Peter Bellamy - Fair England's Shore (Fellside)
Marybeth D'Amico - Heaven, Hell, Sin And Redemption (Own Label)
Various Artists - Transatlantic Sessions 3, Volume 2 (Whirlie)
Mark Erelli - Delivered (Signature Sounds)
Ninepenny Marl & Pennyroyal - Noel Nouvelet (Own Label)
Piroth - Prima Ballerina (Oma Gusti Records)
Joseph Parsons - Heavens Above (Blue Rose)
The Lucksmiths - First Frost (Fortuna Pop)
Jon Airdrie - Unsuitable For Heavy Goods Vehicles (Rock Villa)
Robbie Fulks - Revenge! (Yep Roc)
Steve McCormick - Lowlight And Footnotes (Own Label)
Various Artists - The Free Reed Revival Re:Masters - Series Two (Free Reed)
Fil Campbell - Songbirds (CD and companion DVD) (Glenshee Records)
Alison Krauss - A Hundred Miles Or More Live From The Tracking Room DVD (Rounder/Decca)
Simon Thoumire & David Milligan - Third Flight Home (Footstompin' Records)
Kevin Ayers - Songs For Insane Times: An Anthology 1969-1980 (Harvest)
The Chris McGregor Trio - Our Prayer / Chris McGregor Septet - Up To Earth (Fledg'ling)
The Rawmarsh Mashers - Deliberate Mistake (Own Label)
Various Artists - The Free Reed Revival Re:Masters - Series Three (Free Reed)
Albion Christmas Band - Snow On Snow (Talking Elephant)
Kate Rusby - Sweet Bells (Pure)
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones - Jingle All The Way (Rounder/Decca)
Elvis Presley - Christmas Duets (RCA Nashville/Sony BMG)
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer - American Noël (Signature Sounds)