WATCH: Town Mountain, “Firebound Road”

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Artist: Town Mountain
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Firebound Road”
Album: Lines In the Levee
Release Date: October 7, 2022
Label: New West Records

In Their Words: “With ‘Firebound Road,’ I tried to capture the rough and tumble energy of touring and constantly being on the move. When you’re not sure if what you’re doing is worthwhile, it’s certainly not very profitable, but you know you love doing it so you keep rolling on. The line ‘feeling a little inconsequential’ in the chorus was a reference to the added feeling of being deemed ‘non-essential’ when the pandemic hit and the music industry was one of the first to shut down. Another autobiographical reference is the verse about the misspelled marquee. I know our name is pretty generic, but we showed up to a club we were very excited to be playing and there we were in big bold letters on the marquee… Mountain Town. An honest mistake I’m sure, but still a little deflating… and comical.” — Phil Barker, Town Mountain

Photo Credit: Emma Delevante

WATCH: The Commonheart, “Trying to Get Over”

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Artist: The Commonheart
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Song: “Trying to Get Over”
Album: For Work or Love
Release Date: September 16, 2022
Label: Jullian Records

In Their Words: “When it’s time to move on and the story is near its finish you may as well bob your head. This grooving blues track features fat blues guitar and a driving hypnotic rhythm that won’t quit. The story of this video is more of an exposé on the goofiness of vanity, but sometimes trying out a new perspective and look can give you some short term peace and joy, especially after losing someone close to you. No one needs to be alone with that loss, and in life having a crew that can make you laugh and feel good is what makes living special, a notion that this video is driving home. Many beautiful shots captured by our director Bradley Atom of our home city of Pittsburgh were shot on a sweltering June afternoon where the temperatures ticked just over 104 degrees. So of course we decided to shoot a video outside wearing dark heavy suits — brilliant — haha! I think as a band we collectively lost 35 pounds and — true story — our amazing director Brad woke up with sun poisoning! Careful, folks.” — Clinton Clegg, The Commonheart

Photo Credit: Katie Bizanovich

LISTEN: Allison Russell, “You’re Not Alone” Featuring Brandi Carlile

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Artist: Allison Russell
Song: “You’re Not Alone” Featuring Brandi Carlile
Release Date: August 18, 2022
Label: Fantasy Records

In Their Words:

We are not alone.
We are not what we have lost.
We are more than the sum of our scars.

We are the dust of the stars, the bones of the Earth, the breath of the void, the expanse of our imaginations, the arc of art, the love in our hearts.

We lift each other up.

We are the “Beloved Community” every time we choose to be. Our Circle is battered and bloody but still, whole. None above, none below — our one human family — equal under the listening sky.

I believe what Alice Walker wrote:
“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

Every child deserves to be loved and protected. Our families with LGBTQIA+ parents are just as precious.
No one should be forced into the sacred role of parenthood against their will.
Human Rights are worth fighting for.
We’ve come a long way but we must go farther still.

I am grateful to my chosen family, Brandi, for singing “You’re Not Alone” with me, for inspiring me everyday, for elevating everything, for leading the way.
We will not be turned back.
Love & Revolution

— Allison Russell

All Bandcamp proceeds will go to The Looking Out Foundation, Everytown Support Fund and Fight For Reproductive Rights Campaign.

Photo Credit: Aimsel Ponti

WATCH: Deb Morrison, “Blackbird”

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Artist: Deb Morrison
Hometown: Altadena, California
Song: “Blackbird”
Album: The North Fork
Release Date: September 9, 2022
Label: Blackbird Record Label

In Their Words: “The song started out as a track my buddy Nic Capelle wrote as the music bed for my Prickly Pear Americana Music video promos. I always loved the primal beat and cinematic feel of the music and I knew someday we would do something filmic with it. I would put the track on whenever I was on a trail run and needed that extra push to get up a hill, or keep my pace steady. It always gave me a feeling of running from something, but facing it simultaneously. Two of my very good friends were fighting for their lives at the time and it was their unrelenting strength that inspired the lyrics. It’s about looking death in the face, fighting it, and winning. It’s about being a warrior.

“The line ‘I see a blackbird comin’ for me…’ started it all. I knew we had to shoot it outside in nature’s elements and that it had to feel ominous, strong and beautiful at the same time. The basic underlying concept being that we all know it’s comin’ for us, but I’m gonna fight you with all I got. It’s about facing your own demise with a big ol’ middle finger. We got our creative juices flowing with this conversation during a long road trip. I made a few calls from the car, and by the next morning we were out filming rogue with a cast of characters.” — Deb Morrison

Photo Credit: Anna Azarov

LISTEN: Amythyst Kiah, “Chained to the Rhythm” (Katy Perry Cover)

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Artist: Amythyst Kiah
Hometown: Johnson City, Tennessee
Song: “Chained to the Rhythm”
Album: Pensive Pop EP
Label: Rounder Records
Release Date: August 12, 2022

In Their Words: “I remember watching the ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ music video and being blown away by a kind of infectious, self-medicated joy within an ever-colorful dystopia. It actually inspired the poem that would later become ‘Fancy Drones (Fracture Me).’ I’ve always been fascinated by songs that you can shut your brain off to and dance, while also pointing out that something is terribly wrong. Breaking free of the cycle of mindless consumerism and incessant comparison and creating a life of meaning and some sense of purpose is a difficult task. And while the irony of a famous pop star on a major label singing and performing a song that questions the very listener that is dancing is not lost on me, we do each have to ask ourselves, ‘When will we have enough?’

“The songs on Pensive Pop were chosen before the title, before any real concept came to light. Quite simply, I chose songs that I love and wanted to see if I could keep their integrity while also matching a sound that’s authentic to me. I enjoy games and this process was like a puzzle. The common themes throughout this record address the lamenting external factors that can impede us on our journey in life and the struggle to accept and work through those challenges. Fear is at the center of all of these songs: fear of rejection, fear of change, fear of sobriety, fear of living in the present. Pensive Pop is my reinterpretation of pop/rock songs in order to bring more attention to the stories being told.” — Amythyst Kiah

Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: The Alex Leach Band, “Together (We’re Going All the Way)”

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Artist: The Alex Leach Band
Hometown: Jacksboro, Tennessee
Song: “Together (We’re Going All the Way)”
Album: All the Way
Release Date: August 19, 2022
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “A few months ago I was in my office working on writing some new material, and after playing around with many ideas, a certain melody just kept coming back to me. It was catchy so I decided to write some lyrics with it. It was actually one of the easiest songs I’ve ever written! The words started flowing freely as I pictured being on the road doing what I love with the band, mixed in with some deep thoughts about my personal life, and thinking about how amazing this world would be if we all viewed one another as a brother or sister, even if we all don’t see eye to eye on things. Life is a journey so let’s stand beside one another and enjoy the ride together!” — Alex Leach

Crossroads Label Group · 01 Together (We’re Going All The Way)

Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: Julian Taylor, “Wide Awake”

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Artist: Julian Taylor
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Wide Awake”
Album: Beyond the Reservoir
Release Date: October 14, 2022
Label: Howling Turtle, Inc.

In Their Words: “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I deal with feelings of regret. I know that what I think about has a lot to do with my own happiness and the energy that I put out into the world. I know that I am perfect in all of my imperfectness, and that everything that has happened needed to happen exactly the way that it did. Who I am and where I come from means so much because of the struggle that it took for my family to get here in the first place. What I have done and where my thoughts and actions have taken me is important because it has helped shape who I am and who I continue to become. We are interwoven and we are all so fortunate to be a part of the universal fabric of life. When I look at things that way, I am so grateful for everything and for everyone who has ever shown me love. I can only hope that I have repaid the favor in some way.” — Julian Taylor

Photo Credit: Lisa MacIntosh

BGS 5+5: Cahalen Morrison

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Artist: Cahalen Morrison
Hometown: Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico
Latest Album: Wealth of Sorrow
Personal Nicknames: Hank

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Probably Tim O’Brien. My dad was a big Hot Rize fan when I was a kid, so that’s the one voice that I really grew up on. Later on in my musical life I found myself doing a lot of things that at least reminded me of Tim. His loose and expressive touch on all the instruments he plays, and he really just lets his voice ring out of his head like a bell. So I think I had subconsciously been modeling a lot of what I did on a lot that he does.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

Literature is a big one for me. Both poetry and prose. I guess I’ve even ‘borrowed’ lines from movies, too. When I’m reading a book by a great writer, I love the way it feels to live inside their language. Not only the story, but the rhythm and the tone of their prose as well. It has really helped me craft songs the way that I want to, and find my own, comfortable voice for getting ideas and images out that I want to.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

I recently wrote a story song about someone, which I haven’t actually ever done. I really wanted to get the story across, all the darkness and the beauty, but I don’t like to put people in the spotlight. So, I worked on it for quite a while, trying to highlight all that is human about it without having it be too on the nose, and I think I got somewhere that worked. But I guess there’s only one person who can tell me, so we’ll see.

What has been the best advice you’ve received in your career so far?

The late, great Kelly Joe Phelps was a great mentor to me and my career. He always was pushing me to just do what I actually wanted to do, not to do what I think people want from me. Maybe not the best advice to hit the Billboard charts (which I actually did, because I think my record was the only “bluegrass” record to come out for a week during Covid…), but damn good advice for keeping yourself motivated and happy about the work that you’re creating and performing.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I spend a lot of time walking and hiking, and it certainly has had a big impact on what I write. And it really is all the cliché stuff that people say about it. Noticing the small things, the interconnectedness of all the elements no matter how big or small, and what effects we and all that surrounds us has on it. And plus, what greater source of beautiful and poignant metaphor could there be?

Photo Credit: Archie MacFarlane

WATCH: GA-20, “Dry Run”

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Artist: GA-20
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts / Providence, Rhode Island
Song: “Dry Run”
Album: Crackdown
Release Date: September 9, 2022
Label: Colemine Records

In Their Words: “‘Dry Run’ is a ‘tear in my beer’ country blues story of being strung along and ghosted by a girl that Pat was sweet on. When he eventually ran into her a while later and figured it all out, Pat says he wrote the melody in his head on the drive home, feeling like a sucker. ‘This girl I thought was really into me was just practicing her flirting,’ he tells audiences, and they always laugh and nod. We had all been listening to a lot of country tunes at the time and that Jimmy Reed and Lazy Lester influence slipped in.” — Matthew Stubbs, GA-20

Photo Credit: Fancey Pansen

WATCH: Tommy Emmanuel & Mike Dawes, “Fields of Gold”

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Artists: Tommy Emmanuel & Mike Dawes
Song: “Fields of Gold” (Sting cover)
Album: Accomplice Series Vol. 3 (EP)
Release Date: September 23, 2022
Label: CGP Sounds

In Their Words: “I always think like a singer when I play a Sting melody. Playing this masterpiece with Mike is always fun and emotional…a simple repetitive melody with a slowly building arrangement that becomes powerful.” — Tommy Emmanuel

“‘Fields’ was Tommy’s idea based on his own arrangement from the Can’t Get Enough record [Emmanuel’s 1996 album]. I wanted to hold down something of a strict rhythm and backbeat for this one. The result is a mid-tempo homage to the classic Sting song. This [EP version] was recorded in a single take by Marc DeSisto. I’m playing in DADGAD tuning whilst Tommy is in standard tuning. I particularly like the different tones on our guitars on this one. Tommy’s bright flatpicked Maton soars over my fingerpicked Indian Rose Cuntz guitar. This was very important in a tune with doubled melodies.” — Mike Dawes