LISTEN: Luke LeBlanc, “Now”

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Artist: Luke LeBlanc
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Song: “Now”
Album: Fugue State
Release Date: October 28, 2022

In Their Words: “Lyrically, ‘Now’ revolves around the child-parent relationship, from the kid’s perspective. No matter who you are or how old you get, it’s always one of those complicated, ever-evolving things. Now that I’m in my mid-twenties, while I don’t know everything, I’m beginning to learn that even adults are still children at heart, trying their best to figure things out. Musically, I tuned my guitar to a drop-D tuning, the first time I’ve done so on a recording. In the background, Eric Heywood’s pedal steel oscillates between soothing notes to experimental, almost chaotic, low-end tones that reflect the spectrum of emotions the lyrics try to capture.” — Luke LeBlanc

Luke LeBlanc · Now

Photo Credit: Sarah Bel Kloetzke

John Paul White, Paula Cole & Jason Isbell Team Up for Two New Songs

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Supergroup alert! A trio of top songwriters and musicians have joined forces. The collective is made of Paula Cole, Jason Isbell, and John Paul White, who share their talents to create For The Birds. The release features two tracks, this lead single titled “Mother, Son, and Holy Ghost,” and another, more upbeat track titled “Ricochet.” Both tracks are wrought with heart-melting lyrics and velvety harmonies that provide a glimpse into the alternate plane on which great writers like these operate.

“‘Mother, Son and Holy Ghost’ is about a man who has lost his wife and child,” says Cole, a Grammy Award-winning pop artist who released a roots-oriented album titled American Quilt in 2021. “The song describes his lonely landscape, his attempts to fill the void. Of course, a tight grip is futile. He must come to terms with loss in order to be fully alive.”

John Paul White, formerly of the Civil Wars, observed, “I was beyond thrilled to get the note from Paula to collaborate. She’s an enigmatic performer, a brilliant wordsmith, a riveting singer — and an even better human being. So happy to be a small part of her fantastic career, and to be her friend.”

The mutual admiration continues, as Cole adds, “I wrote a song for Jason, John Paul and myself. I sent them a demo. Thankfully, they liked it well enough, and I booked us some time at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville,” Cole says. “I mused upon the lyrical idea of the holy trinity for us as a trio, except I feminized God. Our meeting felt like a reunion, so natural. I had never met Jason or John Paul before, and yet, we felt kindred. I think our collaboration is beautiful. John Paul plays a gorgeous acoustic guitar part, Jason plays iconic slide guitar. They are both tremendous musicians. I play piano. We all sing. It felt like a band, I loved this experience.”

LISTEN: Tommy Alexander, “Something Light”

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Artist: Tommy Alexander
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Something Light”
Album: Feelings
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Label: Fluff and Gravy Records

In Their Words: “I needed one more song for the record and I wanted it to be an easy going country number. The concepts I was working on were all about light and laid back moods but I couldn’t pin down anything specific that kept me interested. Then, thinking out loud, it came out: ‘Something light to lift the mood. Something soft, we’ll get there soon.’ Then we were off to the races. Ironically the song ended up being a narrative about the overall mood of a song I was trying to write. I wanted a song that was about the lighter side of life. I don’t have to tell you twice things can get pretty heavy. So… Here’s a song dedicated to keeping things light (whenever possible). Cheers.” — Tommy Alexander

Photo Credit: C. Bruce

LISTEN: Rosie Thomas, “Fly Little Crow” (Feat. Iron & Wine)

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Artist: Rosie Thomas
Hometown: Livonia, Michigan
Song: “Fly Little Crow” (Feat. Iron & Wine)
Album: Lullabies for Parents Volume 2
Release Date: March 2023
Label: SINGALONG

In Their Words: “I imagine most parents, like myself, have some constant background anxiety of making sure we can impart any/all wisdom we’ve gathered through our lives — to pass along what we’ve learned, and hope to not miss anything. As it happens, when I think about those things, it’s often the same life lessons that are helpful to remind myself of too as an adult to ease my own worry. Plus, as much as we want to say all the right things the right way (impossible), I have to remember they learn the most from just watching us, so I have to try to exhibit those attributes myself most of all. No pressure!

“Volume 2 deals with a lot of those ‘lessons/reminders’ — a lot of the main ideas I want to communicate to my kids: to live wild and free, to be bold and confident in who they are, to be discerning, and not to settle. To treat women with dignity and respect, to stand up for themselves and others. To have empathy, to look out for the overlooked, and let them know they are seen, worthy, and loved. Acknowledging while I may not have all the answers, I will always be there to help them figure it out for themselves. My hope is that wherever they land on the ‘big’ questions of worldview, to always err on the side of love, and treat others how they would want to be treated. Okay, I just got a little angsty again thinking about it all. It’s okay. It’ll be alright ;)” — Rosie Thomas

MIXTAPE: Anthony d’Amato’s Train Songs

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While putting the finishing touches on my new record, At First There Was Nothing, I found myself living beside the tracks of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in southwestern Colorado. Widely considered one of the most scenic train trips on the continent, the jaw-dropping route stretches 45 miles through pristine wilderness, along impossibly narrow cliff ledges, and above roaring river rapids.

Though it was originally constructed in order to haul gold and silver ore from the otherwise inaccessible San Juan Mountains, these days it’s a tourist line beloved by sightseers, backpackers, and whitewater rafters. Even though the cargo has changed, the railroad is still powered by steam engines, just as it was 140 years ago when it first opened, and it’s hard not to fall in love with the sights and sounds and smells that go with it.

When it came time to make a video for the album’s lead single, “Long Haul,” I knew that I wanted to find a way to bring the railroad into it, and fortunately they were gracious enough to let us commandeer a caboose for the finale.

Returning to Durango for the project had me thinking about the strong connections between music and railroads. For as long as there have been trains, there have been train songs: some are joyful celebrations, others, mournful laments. A train whistle can mark a long-awaited arrival or a much-dreaded departure, the start of a new adventure or the end of the good old days. It’s hard to know where to begin when it comes to putting together a playlist of railroad songs, as trains have been written about from nearly every angle in nearly every genre, but here you’ll find some of my favorites, which I hope may inspire you to hit the rails yourself. — Anthony D’Amato

The Band – “Mystery Train”

A cornerstone of American rock and roll, “Mystery Train” has been performed and recorded by just about everyone over the years, but I chose to kick things off with The Band’s version. Musicians use the term “train beat” to refer to a certain kind of basic drum pattern, but Levon goes above and beyond here. There’s a relentlessness and a momentum to his groove that genuinely evokes the feeling of wheels rolling down the track, and it’s utterly mesmerizing.

Howlin’ Wolf – “Smokestack Lightnin’”

Eerie and hypnotic, “Smokestack Lightnin’” is an all-time blues classic. Howlin’ Wolf said the title was inspired by sitting in the country at night and watching sparks fly from the smokestack of passing trains. Close your eyes while you listen and it’s easy to see the red-hot embers dancing in the empty black sky.

The Kinks – “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains”

The through line from Howlin’ Wolf to The Kinks is pretty obvious when you listen to these songs back to back.

The Staple Singers – “This Train”

There are a whole host of versions of this song to choose from, but I’ve always loved The Staple Singers’ take on it, which blurs the lines between gospel and blues. The train is a potent symbol not just in 20th century music and art and literature, but in religious expression, as well, and this is a prime example.

Bruce Springsteen – “Land of Hope and Dreams”

Springsteen references a number of train songs (including “This Train”) within “Land of Hope and Dreams,” which was a live favorite for years before he recorded it on the Wrecking Ball album. I’ve always been drawn to the imagery in this tune, as well as the intricate way in which the words all fit together like puzzle pieces without a single wasted vowel or consonant. “Big wheels roll through fields where sunlight streams” is as clean a line as you could ever hope to write.

Elizabeth Cotten – “Freight Train”

Written when Cotten was still quite young, “Freight Train” is an enduring classic more than 100 years later, and her performance here is utterly timeless. Interestingly enough, the tune made its way to England in the 1950s, where it was covered by a skiffle group called The Quarrymen (which eventually evolved into The Beatles). Seems everyone cut their teeth on train songs.

Lead Belly – “Midnight Special”

The passing headlight of a train is a sign of freedom and salvation for a prisoner in this song, who lets the glow wash over him like baptismal waters in his penitentiary cell.

Ernest Stoneman – “Wreck of the Old 97”

Trainwrecks have been fertile ground for songwriters through the years, and who could blame them? Trainwrecks have it all: drama, heroism, danger, tragedy, sacrifice. If all we got out of this tune was Rhett Miller and his compatriots in the Old 97s, it’d still be worthy of inclusion here.

Woody Guthrie – “John Henry”

Railroads have produced their fair share of local and regional folk heroes over the years, but none as iconic as John Henry, who wins the battle of man versus machine but pays with his life. There’s a whole lot about capitalism and labor and race and technology all wrapped up in this song, which could be said of the railroads themselves, too.

Bob Dylan – “Slow Train”

There’s a simmering intensity to this song that stares you dead in the eye and refuses to blink. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Dylan chose a train as the central metaphor in this scathing assessment of America.

Arlo Guthrie – “The City of New Orleans”

Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans” is another well-covered train song, but as far as I’m concerned, Arlo Guthrie has the definitive version. It’s a beautiful slice of life from the perspective of a traveler looking out the window at a changing country.

Justin Townes Earle – “Workin’ for the MTA”

It’s hard to write a modern train song that doesn’t sound like Woody Guthrie cosplay, but Justin Townes Earle did a brilliant job of updating the form on this tune, which is sung from the perspective of a New York City subway worker.

Amanda Shires – “When You Need a Train It Never Comes”

This one’s about a lack of trains, but I think it still qualifies. This was the first song of Amanda’s I ever heard, and I was instantly drawn to her unique perspective on what could otherwise be well-worn territory. Like the Justin Townes Earle tune, it’s a rare contemporary take that feels genuinely original.

Brad Miller – “Reader Railroad No 1702 2-8-0”

This might be considered cheating since it’s not technically a song, but over the years there have been a number of LPs released by and for railfans that consist entirely of field recordings of trains. Many have been relegated to attics and secondhand shops, but some were digitized and made the leap to streaming. I chose this recording from a 1972 album called Steel Rails Under Thundering Skys because I think it offers a great entry point to someone asking the perfectly reasonable question, “Why the hell would I want to listen to that?” The mix of steam trains, falling rain, and rolling thunder is incredibly soothing. Put it on and watch your blood pressure drop.

Photo Credit: Vivian Wang

WATCH: Plains, “Hurricane”

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Artist: Plains (Katie Crutchfield & Jess Williamson)
Song: “Hurricane” (video directed by Aidy Bryant)
Album: I Walked With You a Ways
Release Date: October 14, 2022
Label: ANTI- Records

In Their Words: “I had always had a vision of Aidy’s involvement in this video that really ended with just getting her in the room. I trusted that she had the answer for the perfect way to visually accompany this song and from the jump she just deeply understood our vision, at moments better than we could have even explained it ourselves. I’m thrilled that she was so generous with her time and creative energy and I’m thrilled with how this turned out.” — Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee)

“‘Hurricane’ was the last song that was written for our record. We knew we needed one more, and when Katie brought ‘Hurricane’ to the table we both knew the album was complete. It was incredible for me to watch this song reveal itself; from the early moments of Katie playing it for me on an acoustic guitar just days before we went to make the album, and then blossoming in the studio with the band into this total banger with huge choruses. Aidy’s video is the perfect companion for this tune, and we had a blast working with her and her team to make the visual world for this one come to life.” — Jess Williamson

“I’ve been a fan of Waxahatchee and Jess Williamson for a long time so when Katie asked if I would direct a music video for Plains I jumped at the chance. We had a talented, hardworking crew and paid homage to Loretta Lynn’s ’70s TV performances. I’m also going to drive the bus for their tour, so see you on the road!” — Aidy Bryant

Photo Credit: Molly Matalon

WATCH: Katie Cole, “One More Time”

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Artist: Katie Cole
Hometown: Living in Nashville; born in Melbourne, Australia
Song: “One More Time”
Release Date: October 21, 2022

In Their Words: “I have written my fair share of love songs and painful songs of heartache and loss. ‘One More Time’ is really a softer nod to breakups. Sometimes the passion you share isn’t enough to keep the fire going. Sometimes you are just walking different paths and can’t meet in the middle. It’s really about being brave enough to admit that no matter how much you love someone, if you know it won’t last then you should say goodbye. That way, you are cushioning the fall of what is inevitable. But it still doesn’t make it easy.” — Katie Cole

With a Fighting Spirit, Town Mountain Branches Out on ‘Lines in the Levee’

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With its latest album, Lines in the Levee, Town Mountain has justified itself as one of the most interesting and promising acts in an ever-evolving musical landscape, with the quintet purposely blurring the lines between the Americana, bluegrass, folk, and indie scenes.

Known for its raucous live antics and “good time Charlie” attitude, the Asheville, North Carolina, group is a juggernaut of raw power and boundless energy onstage and in the studio — something that’s remained at Town Mountain’s core since its inception in 2005 atop a ridge of the same name in the city of its birth.

Lines in the Levee also symbolizes a milestone for Town Mountain as its debut release for famed Nashville label New West Records. For an entity that’s remained fiercely independent amid a longtime DIY mentality — whether artistically, sonically, or in its business dealings — the signing to New West breaks the band into the mainstream arena of possibility, nationally and internationally.

While navigating an industry that tries to pinpoint just what direction a band will go in next, Town Mountain charges ahead, come hell or high water. Recorded at Ronnie’s Place studio in Nashville, the album is a snapshot of where we stand as an American society, in sickness and in health, and each selection puts a mirror up to the face of the listener. Ultimately the project poses several urgent questions, the most important of which being — where to from here?

BGS: Lately, Town Mountain is really starting to crack into this different, unknown, and exciting level for the band. From your perspective, what do you see?

Phil Barker (mandolin): This is an evolutionary period for us, where we’re kind of moving into a new realm of soundscapes, this new sound for the band. It’s just a new place for us in the world of Americana or whatever you want to call it. It’s a bigger sound and bigger expression of who we are as artists and what we are as musicians.

I feel like Lines in the Levee might be the most true-to-form album of where the band is, and what it actually is tonally.

PB: Yeah, I think you’re spot on with that. You know, maybe in the past we tried to fit our songs into a formula, or a little more of a formula, given our instruments. But now we’ve let our instruments not define our genre, even though that’s still our voice and still what we speak with. We’re using bluegrass instruments, but in our own way, and trying to make our own sound. That’s really been the focus of ours since the beginning of writing our own material and doing original music. [Lines in the Levee] is just a further example of us trying to come up with a sound that’s our own, and hoping people enjoy it.

Jesse Langlais (banjo): Bands are built around a sound, so that kind of almost makes it what it’s going to be. We’re a democratic band, and sometimes nothing gets done because of it. But everyone has an equal say. You know, there’s the three of us (Barker, Langlais, and guitarist Robert Greer) that are the “business owners of Town Mountain,” but the other guys in the band, [fiddler] Bobby [Britt] and [standup bassist] Zach [Smith], are just as equal partners as anyone else. Everybody’s voice is heard, and that’s important to have a workplace environment like that.

The last thing you want to do is to fit a song into a box of whatever you think it should be — you want to serve the song. It’s about quality songwriting.

PB: Right? And we have done that in the past, feeling like maybe we had bought into the pigeonholing of bluegrass sometimes. We’re not the first band to travel down this road of taking bluegrass instruments and doing different things with it. But it was time to branch out, as musicians and as people, and see where the road takes us.

JL: We’ve been playing bluegrass for a long time, and it’s easy to get [pigeonholed] because of the love of the music, and then you’re just kind of choosing to be pigeonholed. And that’s okay. In some genres of music, it’s about preserving the legacy of the sound and whatnot. But we know for things to progress for Town Mountain, we’ve got to keep it fresh for ourselves, fresh for our fans, and to expand the fan base. Changing up the sound, then allowing more influences to come through in our live shows and in our albums — that’s what needs to happen.

So, how does that play into your songwriting? Especially on this album, it’s very clever songwriting — commentary on the fragility of where we are as a country, and people trying to make sense of all the noise out there.

PB: For sure. This album is the most personal record we’ve ever made. A lot of the songs are super autobiographical. We’re expanding on some social commentary, and just having the time to reflect on all that as a songwriter — if it’s on your mind that much, it’s going to come out in your writing. With [“Lines in the Levee”], that song is a reflection of the changes happening around us in society, where I wanted to capture the fighting spirit of people maybe feeling disenfranchised by everything that’s going on around them.

[During the shutdown], we had a lot of time to reflect on who we are as people, where we are as a band, where we are individually as far as a career in music or our place in the music business, the struggle we’ve been through to make a living doing this. Thinking back, I ran the gamut all the way back to when I decided to become a musician and try to do it full-time. It’s a commitment — to your art, and to priorities in life. And I feel I’ve covered a wide swath of who I am as a musician, and who we are as a band.

JL: If you go back and listen to our catalog, our recorded music, you’ll see that [social commentary] has always been splashed in there to a certain degree. We’ve always touched upon certain subjects on our albums, but it was never fully realized until now. Personally, for me as a songwriter, there were other things that I needed to say, and sometimes the thing you need to say doesn’t fit inside of a box [of an album], so you let it go. And we broke out of that box because we were always trying to still bear that flag of bluegrass music. We also felt pressured by the bluegrass community to do that, because we were trying to be part of different festivals and scenes.

But with this album, everything just clicked. It evolved, it moved into this thing that was completely a subconscious move. It feels good to not have to pander to any one audience. We can now bring whatever songs we want. It doesn’t have to be what Town Mountain expected a song to be eight years ago — and that’s liberating. I think we kind of maximized our potential within that [bluegrass] scene, which is not to say we couldn’t ever go back and be part of that scene, and maybe one day record a bluegrass album. Who knows? [Lines in the Levee] is for our loyal fan base and for the potential to bring new people in, who maybe didn’t necessarily like bluegrass music, but could get onboard with the acoustic sound.

What sticks out most about those early years starting out in Asheville and starting to tour around Southern Appalachia and beyond?

PB: Well, in the early days, there really weren’t any goals. We were just excited to get out, go across the country, see new places, meet people, and have fun playing music — that’s been the genesis of it. We feel like we were doing something exciting, let’s take it to as many people as we can. In those early days, we would be sleeping on people’s floors. We couldn’t afford to get hotels. Just some of the struggles we went through financially those first years. But we have always tried to figure it out. It’s a struggle, per se, but each year has been a little bit of progress.

What does it mean for y’all that the original core of the band — Phil, Jesse, and Robert — is still together and still “doing the thing,” to look over and they’re still right there onstage after all these years?

PB: It’s just a testament to our belief in each other. We’re all on the same page with our musical vision, and we still believe we can take this thing to new heights, to make it bigger and bring more people into the fold, to connect with more people. It’s hard to keep a band together, it’s real hard. But the fact we’ve managed to keep the core together for as long as we have is a testament to our musical friendship.

Photo Credit: Emma Delevante

LISTEN: The Morning Yells, “Jagged Blue”

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Artist: The Morning Yells
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Jagged Blue”
Album: Moonlight Mountain Bungalow
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Label: Golden Boy Records

In Their Words: “‘Jagged Blue’ was written on the winding pass going up to Big Bear Mountain in the wintertime. It’s a song about longing for the old days when love was new, and trying to convince your beloved they can still have that spark, after too long a time spent in a neglectful winter of the heart. A bittersweet song about dusting off the ice on a jagged and jaded heart and rekindling that fire, time and again, because we have to — to lose all hope would be too sad, and we just can’t have that. A song for the weary, faithful kind.” — Lulu Stancil, The Morning Yells

The Morning Yells · Jagged Blue

Photo Credit: James Dierx

Basic Folk – Caroline Spence

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, Caroline Spence came from this cool family that always seemed to be messing around with music: both listening and playing music. She’s recently been discovering and sharing home movies from when she was a kid: scooting around in diapers on a guitar case, singing with her grandfather and mother. The clips, which she used in the video for “Clean Getaway,” were a gift in which she was able to see her personality and genuine love of music from a young age. She was emboldened to perform and write by her musical aunt, who invited Caroline to open for her as a teenager.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • STITCHER • AMAZON • MP3

She came to Nashville for a job in the music industry and slowly started putting herself out there as a songwriter for other musicians. Her writing is based in honesty and she opens up about her relationship to the truth in our conversation. We also get into how she had to develop ego, why it matters and how she let herself have access to it. We discuss her love of flowers and how she relates the songs on her new album True North to different flowers. Caroline is an avid reader of Mary Oliver and even has a song named after her as the poet feels devotional and spiritual. Enjoy Caroline Spence!

Editor’s Note: Basic Folk is currently running their annual fall fundraiser! Visit basicfolk.com/donate for a message from hosts Cindy Howes and Lizzie No, and to support this listener-funded podcast.

Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Raitz