Artist: Ted Russell Kamp
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Heart Under Pressure”
Album:Â Walkinâ Shoes
Release Date: March 15, 2019
Label: PoMo Records
In Their Words: “‘Heart Under Pressure’ is an anti-Dear John letter about being there for a friend who is hurting and in need. I read an article about longevity and eating right to have a healthy heart, which got me thinking about the heart literally being a muscle. In music, we often talk about heartbreak as an end-of-the-world kind of feeling and I wanted to write a song about the heart as an actual muscle that can outlast any emotional pain and survive anything we might be going through. I wanted to let the heart and its continual beating be a metaphor for our ability to endure and outlast whatever struggle comes our way.
“I co-wrote this song with an old friend and great singer/songwriter, Mark Webb from Greenville, South Carolina. A few years ago, he originally contacted me and sent me what were the beginnings of a new song of his called ‘Heart Under Pressure.’ I told him about my ‘heart as a muscle’ idea and we then combined them and worked on the lyrics to have them come from the perspective of a friend comforting another friend in need. The world is a pretty overwhelming and confusing place right now and I feel we all need to be reminded that we can make it through the hard times–and that our hearts under pressure really can lead the way and pull us through it all.
“I recorded it at my home studio, The Den, in L.A. with Danny Echevarria (the Countrysiders) on guitar and Aaron Goodrich (Nikki Lane) on drums. Then I played the acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer, Hammond and a little more electric guitar. Then another good friend of mine, Jaime Wyatt, sang harmony on the recording.” — Ted Russell Kamp
Photo Credit: Stacie Huckaba
