Artist:Drew & Ellie Holcomb Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Keep on the Sunny Side” Album:Amerikinda: 20 Years of Dualtone Label: Dualtone Records
Editor’s Note: The Amerikinda compilation features a slew of Dualtone artists and alumni all covering each other’s songs in celebration of the label’s landmark birthday. June Carter Cash won a Grammy for her recording of “Keep on the Sunny Side;” her version of The Carter Family classic was included on her 2003 album, Wildwood Flower, released by Dualtone.
In Their Words: “Congrats on 20 years Dualtone. Thanks for being one of the most artist friendly labels out there. You have a great team and we are honored to be a part of the family tree. What an honor to cover one of the greatest of American classic songs ‘Keep on the Sunny Side,’ made famous by the Carter Family. We tried to add some tension to our version, with the tough, real life lyrics of the verses, juxtaposed with the one of the happiest choruses out there.” — Drew & Ellie Holcomb
Welcome to the BGS Radio Hour! Since 2017, this weekly radio show and podcast has been a recap of all the great music, new and old, featured on the digital pages of BGS. This week, we bring you new music from John Hiatt and Jerry Douglas, Yola, and more from our Artist of the Month, Chris Thile! Remember to check back every week for a new episode of the BGS Radio Hour.
To kick things off on the Radio Hour this week is a new release from Johnson City, Tennessee-based Bill and the Belles. We caught up with them recently on our 5+5 series, where they discussed hosting the revived Farm & Fun Time series in Bristol, Virginia, as well as their musical influences and career-based mission statements. Between lead singer Kris’ songs, their great harmonies, and instrumental prowess, Bill and the Belles are just plain enjoyable.
When asked about his musical influences on a recent 5+5, Louisville-based Sam Filiatreau highlighted country greats John Prine and Guy Clark. Those influences combined with his classic twang shine through on “Wrecking Ball.”
Loose Cattle hope they’ve made Porter & Dolly, Johnny & June, and John Doe & Exene all equally proud with this track, written by their longtime friend and songwriter Paul Sanchez.
In this new live version of “Tin Man,” Miranda Lambert reminds us how moving a simple performance can be. The solo acoustic version of the track comes from a new album and film that Lambert and fellow songwriters (and proud Texas natives) Jack Ingram and Jon Randall have crafted. Titled The Marfa Tapes, the album features the recordings that are shown in The Marfa Tapes Film.
Our Artist of the Month, Chris Thile, has been the busiest man in bluegrass for a long time. Between hosting Live From Here, shows with the Punch Brothers, or Nickel Creek reunions, Chris didn’t get to slow down much before the pandemic forced him to. Recorded in an old church-turned-studio, his new album Laysongs reflects on his Christian upbringing and community, and how that relates to where he is now.
In the words of Turner Cody and the Soldiers of Love, “Lonely Days in Hollywood” is a “kind of meditation on the transactional nature of our culture of celebrity; how our dreams belie reality and nothing is for free.”
Tray Wellington originally wrote the main riff for “Pond Mountain Breakaway” on the electric guitar, but then realized it would be well-suited for an uptempo bluegrass tune.
For his latest record, famed roots singer and songwriter John Hiatt enlisted the help of the Jerry Douglas Band. Recorded in famed RCA Studio B in Nashville, Leftover Feelings returned Hiatt to his earliest days in town when he lived in a $15-a-week rented room on Music Row. Although the space could easily intimidate due to the amount of classics recorded there, Hiatt suggested that you don’t actually think about it, because it’s such a comfortable environment.
Paula Cole’s new album American Quilt showcases her impressive vocal range as she sings some of her favorite American standards. She chose “What a Wonderful World” to close the album intentionally, stating that the song “unifies people.”
We caught up with Drew McManus of Satsang recently, and he shared with us the touching story of “Malachi,” a song about his son, which he wrote in the hospital the night he was born.
“O Death” is the latest installment in Rhiannon Giddens ongoing collaborations with her partner, Francesco Turrisi, a gifted Italian multi-instrumentalist. Their new record, They’re Calling Me Home, was inspired by the year they spent together in Ireland, amidst the pandemic. They’re Calling Me Home echoes the many ways that a tumultuous 2020 had many of us yearning for the comforts of home, of the past, or of those that were called home from this world.
“Stand For Myself” is Yola’s newest single from her upcoming album, set to release in July. The track is a mix of “symphonic soul and classic pop,” and its message is universal — that real change can come from thinking, living, and standing for ourselves.
Tim Raybon & Daniel Grindstaff of Merle Monroe hope listeners will be captured by the classic sound and wonderful story line of “Shelby Tell Me.” In talking to BGS recently, they stated, “our intention is to move the listener emotionally through the lyrics and melody.”
When BGS spoke with Beau Roberson of Pilgrim about “Darkness of the Bar,” he shared that the song “…is about the dark struggles of life, and trying to see the light in those dark times.”
Photos: (L to R) Miranda Lambert by Jim and Ilde Cook of CookHouseMedia; Yola by Joseph Ross Smith; John Hiatt by David McClister
Artist:The Brothers Comatose Hometown: San Francisco, California Song: “Too Many Places” Release Date: July 2, 2021 Label: Swamp Jam Records
In Their Words: “This song was a big collaboration with the whole band. It started with a set of lyrics from our tour manager, Joe Pacini, and morphed into a story of a man fighting an internal battle between the road he believed he was destined for and a more domestic life with a woman he loves. It’s a constant push and pull and a common thread with most touring musicians we know. How does one balance a home life and life on the road? It’s a delicate dance that requires a lot of give and take in a relationship and for those that have figured it out, we applaud you! Tell us your secrets!” — The Brothers Comatose
Artist:Jeffery Straker Hometown: Punnichy, Saskatchewan, Canada Song: “Ready to Be Brave” Album:Just Before Sunrise Release Date: May 7, 2021
In Their Words: “At its core ‘Ready to be Brave’ is about reconciling; about mustering up the bravery to have a difficult conversation. In working with director Dylan Hryciuk we came up with this story together and I felt that telling it through a cast that didn’t include me would be an interesting approach. I love the way he brought the song to life visually — there’s so much love in it. And what better way to share such a beautiful story than during Pride month.” — Jeffery Straker
“As a director, there’s nothing more exciting to me than working on a project that you know will matter. It was an amazing experience creating this film with our cast and crew for Jeffery’s deeply personal song “Ready to be Brave.” I really think it’s one of the most important stories I’ve had the privilege of telling and I hope it resonates with people and maybe even sparks positive conversation.” — Dylan Hryciuk
Artist:Hollow Coves Hometown: Gold Coast, Australia Song: “Blessings” Album:Blessings EP Release Date: June 11, 2021 Label: Nettwerk Records
In Their Words: “‘Blessings’ is a song of gratitude. It’s about recognizing the little blessings that life has to offer. If we don’t take a moment to acknowledge them, we can often miss them. Practicing gratitude is known to be good for mental health, yet anxiety and depression seem to be more and more prevalent in our generation. I think we are just too distracted to stop and take time to practice gratitude. We hope this song helps people realize that there are blessings all around if you just look up and take the time to think about how much we have to be grateful for.” — Ryan Henderson and Matt Carins, Hollow Coves
Artist:Tré Burt Hometown: Sacramento, California Song: “Sweet Misery” Album:You, Yeah, You Release Date: August 27, 2021 Label: Oh Boy Records
In Their Words: “To me, the chords sound melancholic but also have this really sweet and playful quality about it but also like that innocence is being hounded by some utterly miserable force of nature. When I was writing this song, I already knew what the chords would say if they could talk, so the lyrics reflect that. Sometimes songs can feel like it’s something hung up in a museum, meant to be observed behind a velvet rope from 10 feet away. My songs are as much yours as they are mine. I wanted to try and show that.” — Tré Burt
Artist:Leon Creek Hometown: Los Angeles, California Song: “Call It A Day” Album:Far From Broken Release Date: September 21, 2021
In Their Words: “An element of grain is a part of the Leon Creek records, so working with the photographer and videographer Chase Hart, who only shoots on film and Super 8, has been a great fit for us. We were excited by the Super 8 footage Chase got during our first shoot in Santa Barbara, so we wanted to round out the video with some clips from L.A., where we met and started making music together. Bobby Womack’s BW Goes C&W was an inspiration in making our record, so we aspired to have an element of ’70s country western sprinkled throughout the video. Enter Chicago-based editor and animator Jordan Rundle. Jordan added animation and moving graphics, along with some analog visual effects to his final cut of ‘Call It a Day.'” — Leon Creek (Chris Pierce, Matthew Stevens, and Erik Janson)
Artist:Lake and Lyndale Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Crooked Path” Album:In the Nude Vol. 1 Release Date: June 25, 2021
In Their Words: “‘Crooked Path’ came to me during a period where I was holding onto a lot of guilt and self-doubt. While I don’t think that your past is something to run from, I also know it’s not healthy to live there. We had just moved to Nashville and this new chapter of life beginning made me realize how important it was to let go of the missteps from the last chapter — so I put them into a song. ‘I took a crooked path to get to the sun / it’s my crooked path that straightened me up.’ This song is for anyone who may need a reminder to embrace every part of the journey.” — Channing Marie, Lake and Lyndale
Artist:Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones Hometown: Kingston, New York Song: “Stop, Drop & Roll” Album:Here to Tell the Tale Release Date: June 25, 2021 Label: Sower Records
In Their Words: “‘Stop, Drop & Roll’ tells the tale of two folks who are living their best lives. Everyone wants to hang out with them, folks line up to hear them play music, their style is impeccable, and they just can’t lose. They are doing so well, in fact, that they are “on fire!” I wish this song was written from personal experience, but hey… a girl can dream! It’s about the people we aspire to be! Musically, I was listening to a lot of ’60s girl group music at the time I wrote this, and was trying to channel some of the sass and killer vocal harmonies of groups like The Orlons. Songs are supposed to evoke a certain feeling, this one is supposed to make you dance!” — Lara Hope
Artist:Phil Leadbetter Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee Song: “I Will Always Love You” Album:Masters of Slide: Spider Sessions (Various Artists) Release Date: June 25, 2021 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I always loved this tune. I remember the first time I heard Dolly sing this live, it just killed me! Not only her voice, but the lyrics to the song were so heart-wrenching. I saw her many times telling the story about how the song came about. The story is a very sad one. I used to drive around and listen to that song from several of Dolly’s compilation albums, and it always had such a great melody that I kept hearing in my head over and over. I started messing with it, and liked the direction it was going. In 2010, I got a brand new Scheerhorn guitar. I was at a friend of mine’s home, and I was curious to see how the guitar sounded. I started noodling around and playing different songs to see how the new guitar sounded. My friend told me that I should seriously think about keeping the track. The track got lost over the years, but one day while looking through a bunch of files, I found it!! Me and my engineer worked on it, and I had thought about using it a few years back. So happy I saved it so it could be part of the Masters of Slide album.” — Phil Leadbetter
Photo courtesy of Phil Leadbetter
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