Last summer, flanked by roadside flowers and backgrounded by a softly cooing dove, singer-songwriter Jackson Scribner graced the videographers from I Know We Should with two beautiful, original songs. It’s the latest installment of our Rootsy Summer Sessions series, shot at Rootsy Summer Fest ’23 in Falkenberg, Sweden on the banks of the Ätran.
Scribner, who was born and raised in rural Texas, first performed “Front Porch Rain,” a track from his 2021 self-titled album, with backing vocals by his brother and duo partner, Levi Scribner. Jackson’s voice is soft, but confident as he sings, “Though I see it now/ watch for the weather, wanted to kill it to stay/ it’s a front porch rain…” a striking lyric beneath the summer Swedish sun. There’s certainly a familial quality to the harmonies, though Levi leaves plenty of breathing room, allowing Jackson’s lyrics to come forward.
For his second selection, Jackson performed “Train Song (Early July),” this time solo. “Met my baby on a Mississippi train,” the song begins, as Jackson brings a timeless American roots music tradition – the train song – to Scandinavia, with heaping helping of reality infused into the archetypical lyric. “I’ll be a drifter,” he declares with subdued passion, “I’ll be machinery/ called to remember/ … I’ll be your early July, you’re my late June…”
Both of Scribner’s tracks are simply stellar in their Swedish setting, captured by I Know We Should. Stay tuned for more Rootsy Summer Sessions coming soon right here, on BGS.
Video Credit: Brad Wagner, I Know We Should
Audio Credit: Juan Soria, I Know We Should
