Every Friday, BGS shines a light on some of our favorite new tracks in bluegrass, folk, Americana and beyond. Then we ask the artist about the inspiration behind the music and pass their wise words along to you.

This week, Jack Blocker shares “When the River Runs Dry,” a traditional country song about the open road; the tune started taking shape on his front porch and ended up being a highlight of his brand new album, Big Jefe. Meanwhile, Willi Carlisle puts a healthy dose of humor into one of his own new country songs, “She Only Loves Horses,” from his new album, The Universal Bubba, produced by Tyler Childers.

Fans of country legend Loretta Lynn will want to hear Ana Cristina Cash’s lovely new song, “The Harpeth River,” featuring special guests Alison Krauss and Marty Stuart. And don’t forget to watch a live video for “Reminder,” performed by the Norwegian group Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra. From the canon of American roots music, we’re proud to present Alison Brown and I’m With Her’s moving rendition of “Going Up Home to Live in Green Pastures” from a brand new Stanley Brothers tribute album co-produced by Brown and Garry West.

In addition, we offer Nate Sabat’s illuminating “Dark as a Dungeon,” a classic Merle Travis song about coal mining that carries a much deeper meaning. Then, to hear Sylvie’s “Are You Coming?” is to get lost in a sonic journey, with very cool West Coast vibes. Upstate’s “Adrianne” is a little more mysterious, with a story unfolding through a letter to the song’s namesake. Next up, Sheila Vee’s “Rolls Like Thunder” takes some of its inspiration from time spent in Asheville, North Carolina, a place she still holds dear. And finally, North Carolina duo Wooten Hill asks a question that all couples have wondered at some point: “How Did We Get Here?”

As we say every week, You Gotta Hear This!

Jack Blocker, “When the River Runs Dry”

Artist: Jack Blocker
Hometown: Richardson, Texas
Song: “When the River Runs Dry”
Album: Big Jefe
Release Date: November 6
Label: Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘When the River Runs Dry’ well before I decided to make a concept album. It came together after long stretch on the road over a cup of coffee on my back porch. It started as a recap of my time out on the highway – traveling far as an eagle flies, running on low and counting highs – and then turned into a pretty reflective look at where I truly experience freedom. I love the road; the landscape, the uncertainty, the toil, and the agenda or lack thereof. However, sitting on my porch that morning, I felt more peace than I had at any point on tour. When I started wrapping up the Big Jefe story, that felt like a fitting end to the story I was trying to tell.

“From a nuts and bolts perspective, I always thought the song was painfully simple. I was trying to add form changes and funky turns in order to make it less predictable, but I kept coming back to the original voice memo from that morning on the porch. When my producer Pat (Lyons) and I went to the studio to cut the album, I told him that we had to do this one first so that I could just stop thinking about it. There’s probably a healthy songwriting lesson in there.” — Jack Blocker

Willi Carlisle, “She Only Loves Horses”

Artist: Willi Carlisle
Hometown: The Ozarks
Song: “She Only Loves Horses”
Album: The Universal Bubba
Release Date: November 6, 2026
Label: Signature Sounds

In Their Words: “Horse people are weird, and dating them is weirder. You ever watch someone in a two-thousand dollar outfit shovel the dung of a fifty-thousand dollar animal? Worse, you ever get hollered at over nothing by someone who whispers sweetly to an animal that just tries to kick them in the head? I’m not a good rider, but I do love watching this silly stuff. It’s got good contradictions.” — Willi Carlisle

Ana Cristina Cash, “The Harpeth River”

Artist: Ana Cristina Cash
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Song: “The Harpeth River” (feat. Alison Krauss & Marty Stuart)
Release Date: November 6, 2026

In Their Words: “‘The Harpeth River’ was born as I strummed a melody on my guitar, surrounded by the Tennessee landscape near the river itself in Bellevue,” says Ana Cristina. “My husband, John Carter Cash, and I wrote the song in memory of our dear friend Loretta Lynn, reflecting on loss and cherished moments. In a poignant twist, the river also winds through her home in Hurricane Mills. What makes this release even more special is the heartfelt contribution of my friends, Alison Krauss and Marty Stuart. Their voices added a layer of magic, and I’m truly honored to have them join me on this track.”

“Ana Cristina Cash’s recording of ‘The Harpeth River’ is a beautiful song. It’s like a dream, really. It was a privilege to play on it. Dream on, Ana Cristina…” — Marty Stuart

Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra, “Reminder”

Artist: Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra
Hometown: Oslo, Norway
Song: “Reminder”
Album: HAYDE.
Single Release Date: November 2, 2026
EP Release Date: March 5, 2027
Label: Adhyâropa Records

In Their Words: “This is in some ways a breakup record. While [former partner Joakim Borgen and I] stayed friends and bandmates for a while after that, the general atmosphere in the band had changed. The feeling of having shared passions and collective goals had dissipated. I think everyone felt locked out of the creative process. When we began work on this album, we wanted to show that the strength of the band wasn’t in any one person but in the harmony of the ensemble as a whole. These songs have a freedom, a fun, even a silliness to them that feels so good to be a part of the fabric of the band once again. It felt like throwing a party when the parents are away!” — Rebekka Nilsson, Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra

Alison Brown and I’m With Her, “Going Up Home to Live in Green Pastures”

Artist: Alison Brown and I’m With Her
Song: “Going Up Home to Live in Green Pastures”
Album: Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of the Stanley Brothers
Release Date: November 6, 2026
Label: Compass Records

In Their Words: “‘Going Up Home’ has always been one of my very favorite Stanley Brothers songs. Hearing the best vocal trio in acoustic music sing it was a musical dream come true.” — Alison Brown

“When Alison Brown reached out a few months back to see if we’d be into collaborating on a Stanley Brothers song for a new collection, we were delighted. ‘Going Up Home to Live in Green Pastures’ is a longtime favorite of ours, and we loved bringing it to life with Alison on guitar.” — Aoife O’Donovan, I’m With Her

Nate Sabat, “Dark as a Dungeon”

Artist: Nate Sabat
Hometown: New York, New York
Song: “Dark as a Dungeon”
Album: The Down Deep
Single Release Date: November 9, 2026
EP Release Date: November 20, 2026
Label: Adhyâropa Records

In Their Words: “This song — one that most BGS listeners will know — is the Merle Travis classic ‘Dark as a Dungeon.’ Now, growing up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I’m the first to admit that I know next to nothing about coal mining. But to me, the deeper meaning of this song is in its metaphor, when compared to American life as a whole. The feeling of being stuck in a system designed to exploit our labor… that’s something that most Americans feel every day. The EP this song is a part of is called The Down Deep and each track looks at that feeling of being trapped in one way or another.” – Nate Sabat

Sylvie, “Are You Coming?”

Artist: Sylvie
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Are You Coming?”
Album: New Season
Release Date: November 6, 2026
Label: Ghostly International

In Their Words: “My friend Will Worden sings an amazing lead vocal on the first song of the album. It feels like the beginning of a trip, and it sets the tone for the record. I wanted the album to open with a feeling of discovery, like setting out on a journey without knowing where you’re going to end up.” — Ben Schwab, Sylvie

Upstate, “Adrianne”

Artist: Upstate
Hometown: Manchester, Vermont
Song: “Adrianne”
Album: Abalone
Release Date: November 6, 2026
Label: Royal Potato Family

In Their Words: “‘Adrianne’ began with ambiguity. I had the early inklings of a song; some of the first lyrics had been jotted down in the form of a letter, and I’d written a guitar part. I stewed on both until the characters became more vivid, and brought it to the band where we began to brighten the images of the narrative voice and the woman it’s addressing. The relationship remained ambiguous: it wasn’t a love song, and it wasn’t obvious what the singer is asking of Adrianne.

“It’s addressed from a person unsettled in their life who doesn’t wear it well, writing to a person who’s impressed upon his mind the ease with which she wore her own. Starting to know them both better ended up changing the initial sound and vibe of the song in major ways; it felt like we were all being led as it was written. Melanie (Alanna Glenn), the song’s vocalist, and I ended up rewriting the entire guitar part and melody on the night before we went into the studio.

“A letter felt like the perfect framework for this song because of its incompleteness. We hear only one side of an open-ended conversation — and to listen to ‘Adrianne’ is to wonder how you’d answer the letter. It centered on a realization that you’ve surpassed the number of years you thought it would take for everything to click into place, and you’re left to wonder if it ever will.” – Dylan McKinstry, Upstate

Sheila Vee, “Roll Like Thunder”

Artist: Sheila Vee
Hometown: Branchburg, New Jersey
Song: “Roll Like Thunder”
Album: Ride
Release Date: November 6, 2026
Label: Ampersand Records

In Their Words: “I have deep roots in North Carolina, having lived there as a child and again through college and for several years afterward — about 10 years in total. I still have close friends there and visit often, so Asheville and the surrounding community hold a special place in my heart. I was deeply moved by the community’s response to Hurricane Helene. My friend and fellow bluegrass musician Sav Sankaran of Unspoken Tradition worked tirelessly to bring supplies and help those affected. Sav and his community’s selflessness, along with the devastating loss of another friend and community member to suicide during that same period, inspired me to write ‘Roll Like Thunder.’ I sat down with my guitar and let my sadness flow, while finding hope in the goodness of people coming together during difficult times.” – Sheila Vee

Wooten Hill, “How Did We Get Here”

Artist: Wooten Hill
Hometown: Burnsville, North Carolina
Song: “How Did We Get Here”
Album: How Did We Get Here
Release Date: October 23, 2026
Label: Parker & Yon Records

In Their Words: “‘How Did We Get Here’ is the title track, and it carries the question that hums underneath the whole album. This one is a bit of a memoir: not every line, but many of them, circle back to the same thing — How did we get here? Sometimes the answer is a place, sometimes it’s a feeling, and sometimes it’s something closer to faith. The lyrics are like snapshots from our journal, each verse is a verbal Polaroid. We kept the track loose and unhurried, just like Paulette’s harmonica, which was recorded in one pass and left exactly as it happened. What we hope people take from it is simple. That you can be with someone through all the twists and turns life throws at you and still be happy, still be surprised, still never want to leave.” – Kim Hill & Paulette Wooten

Photo Credits: Alysse Gafkjen (I’m With Her), Lucy Bates (Jack Blocker)