Legendary producer Ethan Johns steps out of the shadows for a Best Fit Session

It’s fair to say that Ethan Johns holds a special place in the hearts of many of us Best Fit folk as as the visionary who breathed life into some of our favourite records – among them Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker, Gold and 29, Kings of Leon’s Youth and Young Manhood, Whiskeytown’s Pneumonia and The Jayhawks’ Rainy Day Music.

As a singer-songwriter, he’s anything but prolific. His new record – the first he’s put out in two decades – sees a unique talent for song-writing emerge. If Not Now Then When? finds Johns melding English folk influences to more modern song structures and the result is a both beautifully melodic and fascinatingly humble. Johns’ father Glyn takes over mixing duties on the album, which features the likes of Laura Marling, Ryan Adams and Danny Thompson – an indication of how both influence and working relationship can be successfully integrated in creating new music.

We took Johns to London’s Red Bull Studios for his Best Fit Session and cut three tracks – the first of which we’re presenting to you is ‘Hello Sunshine’. The new record If Not Now Then When? is released on 5 November. Johns plays a London show this month before embarking on a UK record store tour throughout November – dates below.

October

29 – London St. Pancras Old Church

November

5 – Cardiff Spillers
6 -Bristol Rise Music
8 – London Rough Trade West
9 – Kingston Banquet Records
10 – Lewes Union Record Store
12 – Worcester Rise Music
13 – Cheltenham Rise Music
16 – Marlborough Sound Knowledge
17 – Oxford Truck Records
19 – Letchworth David’s Music
21 – Liverpool The Music Consortium
22 – Newcastle RPM
23 – Glasgow Love Music
24 – Stockton-on-Tees Sound It Out
27 – Wimborne Square Records
28 - Totnes The Drift Record Store
29 – Newton Abbot Phoenix Sounds
30 – Barnstable Solo

Many thanks to Red Bull Studios.