There are many kinds of music perfect for fall, but, in our humble opinion, almost none are better suited to the season than bluegrass, old-time, and country. (For instance, check out our playlist of Country Songs For Fall via Good Country.) Being that our latest premiere round-up falls directly between Halloween and the sad end of Daylight Savings Time, it’s apropos and then some that You Gotta Hear This is full of tunes perfect for autumn.
Mandolinist and songwriter Ashby Frank brings his version of “Blue Night,” a jam session classic that he’s performed for decades. Guitar picker Morgan Harris debuts her gorgeous video for a bluegrass and old-time standard, “Lonesome Road,” that has seemingly endless variations and versions out there. Harris’s is a stunner, drawing on a ’60s era recording of Addie Leffew.
Country and Americana singer-songwriter Garrett Owen releases his new album, Memoriam, today, so we’re celebrating the occasion with his track, “Punchline,” a deliciously melancholy and introspective number built on excellent guitar playing. Plus, Boston-based string band The Ruta Beggars “power waltz” through their new song, “Taking My Time,” with a video shot in the woods and ankle-deep in a stream.
To round out our perfectly (accidentally) fall-themed collection of premieres, don’t miss Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light debut their new Traveling Light Sessions series with “Bygone Times” from Sumner’s Heartless Things. And, Nashville country artist and songwriter Gabe Lee continues our AEA Sessions partner series with AEA Ribbon Mics – with special guests Lucciana Costa and Rachel Coats of King Margo.
It’s all right here on BGS… You Gotta Hear This!
Ashby Frank, “Blue Night”
Artist: Ashby Frank
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Blue Night”
Release Date: November 1, 2024
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I’ve been performing ‘Blue Night’ on stage since my Mashville Brigade days and still include it on most shows these days with my own band. It’s a staple song in the jam scene and there have been so many great versions recorded throughout the years since it was written and originally recorded by the great Kirk McGee. When I was doing pre-production for this new record, I started looking for a more traditional sounding up-tempo song, only to realize that I have been performing ‘Blue Night’ for 20 years – and the only recordings of my version are live videos floating around the internet. So it made perfect sense to record it. I am so thrilled about the version we wound up with in the studio. It has a certain in-your-face modern vibe, but also sounds like traditional bluegrass at the same time. I’m so excited for everyone to hear it!” – Ashby Frank
Track Credits:
Ashby Frank – Mandolin, vocals
Seth Taylor – Acoustic guitar
Travis Anderson – Bass
Matt Menefee – Banjo
Morgan Harris, “Lonesome Road”
Artist: Morgan Harris
Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado
Song: “Lonesome Road”
Album: Alone Will Tell
Release Date: November 1, 2024
In Their Words: “This arrangement of ‘Lonesome Road’ takes inspiration from the playing of Addie Leffew, a Tennessee banjo player who was recorded by Peter Hoover in the early 1960s. You can find a million different variants of this song throughout the recorded history of American folk music, but her version hooked me with its stark, ambiguous tonality and the way the usually repeated vocal refrain at the end of each line becomes a purely instrumental echo. Addie’s version became a jumping off point as I moved it over to the guitar (re-tuning to mimic the modal ‘sawmill’ tuning of her banjo) and started exploring the different opportunities that yielded. This performance was recorded live in a friend’s barn in Fort Collins, Colorado.” – Morgan Harris
Video Credit: Erik Fellenstein
Garrett Owen, “Punchline”
Artist: Garrett Owen
Hometown: Kaufman, Texas
Song: “Punchline”
Album: Memoriam
Release Date: November 1, 2024
In Their Words: “In truth, I wish it had nothing to do with my personal experience. I started writing this when I was realizing just how isolated I let myself get, when I’d been taking care of my grandmother as a full-time job and the pandemic had been going on for a couple years. Lyrically, the song looks at the danger of leaning on the comforting words of others. In reality, ‘you’ll be alright’ doesn’t solve problems. Friends are not therapists. And it’s important to be able to self soothe your way through dark, dark feelings because there won’t always be someone available to talk to. Some wounds don’t heal, but feelings usually pass.” – Garrett Owen
Track Credits:
Garrett Owen – Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, rhythm & chord melody electric guitar, piano
Taylor Tatsch – Vocal harmonies, lead electric guitar, shakers, auxiliary rhythm
Daniel Creamer – Keys, piano, bass, drums, organ, synths
The Ruta Beggars, “Taking My Time”
Artist: The Ruta Beggars
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “Taking My Time”
Album: Big Noise
Release Date: November 8, 2024 (single);
Label: Skyline Records
In Their Words: “In bluegrass, there’s a long standing tradition of ‘power-waltzes’ – as we like to call them in The Ruta Beggars. One of our favorites is ‘I Live In The Past’ by Bill Monroe; when we heard it, we knew we needed one of these turbo three-quarter-time tanks in our repertoire. Thus, ‘Taking My Time’ was born. At shows, we often dare our audiences to waltz along to our too-fast-to-be-danced-to tune and leave them huffing and puffing and chuckling with delight.
“But what is the meaning of the song to which these folks dance so gleefully? The third verse of ‘Taking My Time’ makes an allusion to the famous folk song and story of ‘The Oxford Girl’ (also called ‘The Knoxville Girl,’ which is the title by which I came to know the story, via a Louvin Brothers recording). The line in that song, ‘They’re going to hang me up so high, between the earth and sky’ has a haunting beauty to it that we wanted to emulate in the lyrics of our composition. We Ruta Beggars hope that ‘Taking My Time’ can be seen as our nod to the Father of Bluegrass and an exploration of a small corner of the murder ballad’s vast lore.” – The Ruta Beggars
Video Credit: Director and Videography – Adam Hribar
Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light, “Bygone Times” (Traveling Light Sessions)
Artist: Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “Bygone Times” (Traveling Light Sessions)
Album: Heartless Things
Release Date: October 31, 2024 (video); May 10, 2024 (album)
In Their Words: “In May, I released my sophomore record, Heartless Things, containing ten original songs with highly lush studio arrangements (think woodwinds, strings, keys, vibraphone!). However, that’s not how these songs are heard live! When touring, I bring my string trio Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light on the road with Kat Wallace on fiddle and Mike Siegel on bass. We gather ’round a single mic and magic happens as we fill out songs that have many shifting textures and moods with just three instruments and voices. We wanted to capture this magic on film, so we spent one day in the studio re-recording the entire Heartless Things album, but as you’d hear it at a live show. And so the Heartless Things (Traveling Light Sessions) was created! This is ‘Bygone Times,’ a song about the restless moments before sleep when your mind wanders down the dangerous ‘what could have been’ road.” – Rachel Sumner
AEA Sessions: Gabe Lee, Live at AmericanaFest 2024
Artist: Gabe Lee
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Songs: “Drink The River,” “Alright Ok,” “Beverly,” and “Eveline” featuring Lucciana Costa and Rachel Coats of King Margo
In Their Words: “Gabe is a fresh voice with an old soul. Just listening to him is like dropping the needle on an old album at the end of the day. Feels like coming home.” – Julie Tan, AEA Ribbon Mics
Photo Credit: Ashby Frank by Melissa DuPuy; Morgan Harris by Renee Cornue Studio.
