Tag: Brandy Clark

LISTEN: Brandy Clark, “She Smoked in the House”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Brandy Clark
Hometown: Morton, Washington; Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “She Smoked in the House”
Album: Buried (produced by Brandi Carlile)
Release Date: May 19, 2023
Label: Warner Records

In Their Words: “I was driving around listening to a lot of Merle Haggard. I got stuck on ‘Are the Good Times Really Over for Good’ for weeks. That song really makes me think of my grandparents and that generation. I just couldn’t get away from it. So I started on a song called ‘They Smoked in the House,’ but I just couldn’t connect with it in the way that I needed to. I remembered someone once telling me that to be general, you must be specific and so I pivoted and started working on ‘SHE Smoked in the House.’ The ‘SHE’ is my grandma Ruth. To this day, my grandma Ruth is my favorite character to ever walk the planet. Looking back, I wrote this song because I was missing her and the things that she valued in life. I never thought that it would ever be on a record. It was for me….but now it’s for you, too.

“This album is a return home to me in many ways. Musically it’s the rawest I’ve been since 12 Stories and maybe even rawer. When Brandi and I sat down and talked about working together, one thing that really intrigued me was her saying ‘I see it as your return to the Northwest.’ (Since the two of us are both from Washington state). That comment inspired so much for me. It took me back to where and how I grew up. ‘Northwest’ and ‘She Smoked in the House’ were both a result of that early conversation. Working with another recording artist on this project was such a gift that I didn’t even know I needed and changed the way I want to write songs and make records moving forward. My hope is that anyone who hears this album will feel the heart that I put into every note of it.” — Brandy Clark

Photo Credit: Victoria Stevens

The Show on the Road – Brandy Clark

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

This week, we bring you a conversation with one of Nashville’s supreme songwriters: Brandy Clark.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • SPOTIFY • STITCHER
 

Born in a logging town in Washington state, Clark started playing guitar at age 9 before setting it aside and getting a scholarship for basketball. Music kept tugging her back in though. Like a modern Patsy Cline, she has a knack for nailing a heartbreaker. Reba recorded two of her songs in (“Cry,” “The Day She Got Divorced”) and Brandy soon found a valuable mentor in Marty Stuart, who helped her make her Opry debut in 2012.

While you may just be learning about Clark’s stellar solo work, which mixes old school and witty new school country with some of the tightest pop hooks in the game, Clark has been co-writing for some of country and rock’s leading ladies for years, like Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, LeAnn Rimes and Sheryl Crow to name a few. But it was with her lyrically masterful, lushly-orchestrated 2020 LP Your Life Is A Record that doors started opening in a whole new way. 2021 saw an extended deluxe version drop.

In this unearthed conversation (blame a faulty hard-drive), we go through her darkest breakup songs, hear about her tastiest kiss-offs and discuss her unique perspective of Nashville’s Music Row Boys’ Club.

Don’t miss the end of the taping when Brandy discusses teaming up with her songwriting hero Randy Newman on the cheeky tune “Bigger Boat” and she plays an exclusive acoustic performance.

This episode of The Show On The Road is brought to you by WYLD Gallery: an Austin, Texas-based art gallery that exclusively features works by Native American artists. Find unique gifts for your loved ones this holiday season and support Indigenous artists at the same time. Pieces at all price points are available at wyld.gallery.

Grammy Nominations 2022: See the American Roots Music Nominees

Posted on by Editor

The Grammy Awards have revealed their nominees, and the American Roots Music ballot is especially diverse this year. Take a look at nominations for the 2022 show, which will air January 31 from Los Angeles on CBS. (See the full list.)

Best American Roots Performance

Jon Batiste – “Cry”
Billy Strings – “Love and Regret”
The Blind Boys of Alabama and Béla Fleck – “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free”
Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile – “Same Devil”
Allison Russell – “Nightflyer”

Best American Roots Song

Rhiannon Giddens, Francesco Turrisi – “Avalon”
Valerie June Featuring Carla Thomas – “Call Me a Fool”
Jon Batiste – “Cry”
Yola – “Diamond Studded Shoes”
Allison Russell – Nightflyer

Best Americana Album

Jackson Browne – Downhill From Everywhere
John Hiatt with the Jerry Douglas Band – Leftover Feelings
Los Lobos – Native Sons
Allison Russell – Outside Child
Yola – Stand for Myself

Best Bluegrass Album

Billy Strings – Renewal
Béla Fleck – My Bluegrass Heart
The Infamous Stringdusters – A Tribute to Bill Monroe
Sturgill Simpson – Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions)
Rhonda Vincent – Music Is What I See

Best Traditional Blues Album

Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite – 100 Years of Blues
Blues Traveler – Traveler’s Blues
Cedric Burnside – I Be Trying
Guy Davis – Be Ready When I Call You
Kim Wilson – Take Me Back

Best Contemporary Blues Album

The Black Keys Featuring Eric Deaton and Kenny Brown – Delta Kream
Joe Bonamassa – Royal Tea
Shemekia Copeland – Uncivil War
Steve Cropper – Fire It Up
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662

Best Folk Album

Mary Chapin Carpenter – One Night Lonely (Live)
Tyler Childers – Long Violent History
Madison Cunningham – Wednesday (Extended Edition)
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling Me Home
Sarah Jarosz – Blue Heron Suite

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Sean Ardoin and Kreole Rock and Soul – Live in New Orleans!
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux – Bloodstains and Teardrops
Cha Wa – My People
Corey Ledet Zydaco – Corey Ledet Zydaco
Kalani Pe’a – Kau Ka Pe’a

Photo of Allison Russell: Marc Baptiste
Photo of Tyler Childers: David McClister
Photo of Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi: Karen Cox

Brandy Clark Enlists a Hero, Lindsey Buckingham, for “The Past Is the Past”

Posted on by Editor

One year ago, almost to the day, Brandy Clark released her third studio album Your Life Is a Record. Like so many other artists and performers, Clark’s new material didn’t get to see much of the road or many audiences around the nation, but the material still commanded the attention of country music critics and fans everywhere. The album landed firmly in multiple Best of 2020 lists and she earned two Grammy nominations: one for Best Country Album and one for Best Country Solo Performance (“Who You Thought I Was”). To give the album due respect, Clark is releasing Your Life Is a Record (Deluxe) on March 5. This isn’t your everyday deluxe version; the rerelease will feature six new recordings, including two live versions of the original songs and four brand new members to the track list. As a sneak peak, she released an alternate version of “The Past Is the Past,” featuring and produced by Lindsey Buckingham.

Clark recalls, “A few years ago, Lindsey heard a demo of ‘The Past Is the Past’ and said he wanted to cut it, which felt like such an immense honor. But when I heard he wanted to produce a version of ME singing it, I was FLOORED. Working with him on it was really a pinch myself moment. Another instance for me where I met a hero who did not disappoint. After later recording Your Life is a Record with Jay Joyce, that earlier version of the song didn’t fit the project, but I still loved it and wanted to do something with it. Adding it to the deluxe version just feels right. It’s such a different take on the song than what Jay and I created, and I hope that fans will love it as much as I do.”

With the Grammy Awards rapidly approaching on March 14, fans in the country and roots music worlds especially have a reason to rejoice with new music from one of the most gifted songwriters of our day. Hear “The Past Is the Past” below.

Photo Credit: Chris Phelps

BGS Wraps: Brandy Clark, “Only Time of Year”

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Artist: Brandy Clark
Album: Happiest Season (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Song: “Only Time of Year”

In Their Words: “‘Only Time of Year’ was such a fun and challenging song to sing. I didn’t write it, but I really loved it when I heard it. However I was unsure of whether or not I could sing it, because of the pop nature of the melody and phrasing. I am so thrilled that it worked out. I love the movie and am really proud to be a part of a soundtrack that is so inclusive of so many LGBTQ+ artists.” — Brandy Clark

Enjoy more BGS Wraps here.

BGS 5+5: Aubrie Sellers

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Artist: Aubrie Sellers
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Latest album: World on Fire and Far From Home
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Aub, Ubrie, Grand Ole Aubrie

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I’m hugely influenced by Buddy and Julie Miller. Their songwriting, production, voices, playing, everything is so incredible and unique. They put so much of their soul into every bit of it. Songs like “You Make My Heart Beat Too Fast” and “Dirty Water” are on my all-time favorites list. If the world of music was filled with with artists like Buddy and Julie, we would be looking at a very different landscape.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

On album release day for Far From Home, I was playing Town Hall in New York with Brandy Clark and Tanya Tucker. I was so excited that my record was out that day, and that I was getting to play with these two incredible artists who I admire. But, I was missing a lot of people who couldn’t be there with me to celebrate. In the middle of my set, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and my first thought was something had gone really wrong because they had been experiencing some technical issues. I turned around and Presley, Tanya’s daughter, was standing there with some flowers for me to make me feel more at home. That’s the first time I’ve ever cried on stage, and I’ll never forget it!

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

I’m a huge movie fan, and I moved to Los Angeles to act. I know music in film has always inspired my music, never more so than on Far From Home. I was listening to a lot of Tarantino soundtracks leading up to making that record, and I think because of my love for films I’m always seeing those visuals in my head when making music. I think it probably also informs my love of production because I love putting together a song in the studio and giving the whole record that cohesive feeling that a lot of art-driven films have.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

I think the most important thing is to be true to yourself. As an artist, everyone around you has opinions on how things should be done, but you always have to follow your own light. Sometimes just being yourself can burn bridges if people don’t understand it. But, at the end of the day, I know if I don’t do that I won’t end up being proud of what I’m putting out into the world.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

Growing up, I often found acting much easier than singing because I could hide behind a character. I don’t find myself doing that with music, most of my songs, if not all, come from a very personal place and being on stage as a frontwoman feels incredibly vulnerable to me. I’m a very sensitive and introverted person, and I can often hide it, but that doesn’t make it any less true to me. I love listening to music that has that raw quality to it, and so I think that’s naturally come into my songwriting.

Photo credit: Rose Carroll

The String – Brandy Clark

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

In an era where women are marginalized on country radio, Brandy Clark is at the top of most people’s list of women who should be on the air a lot more.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS

She’s written hits for others on Music Row, but her own records are beautifully produced and full of insight about people and humor that would have tickled Roger Miller. Clark’s shared a Grammy Award for writing Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” and earned numerous nominations as an artist. Her latest is called Your Life Is A Record. Also in the hour, the prophetic and passionate folk and protest music of Eliza Gilkyson who focused on what she knew would be a pivotal year in history, producing the album 2020.

MIXTAPE: Bradley & Adair’s Generations and Inspirations Collide

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“We went into the studio and decided to do a whole album of duets. These are old songs, some of them are from the ‘40s, ‘50s, early ‘60s, one from the ‘80s, and a new song. We grew up with these songs and our parents grew up with these songs. Just like our latest record, many of the songs on this playlist are songs we’ve loved all of our lives. At the same time, some of them are newer, or unique takes on previous hits. That’s the great thing about music is the diversity and uniqueness that comes with it. We hope you enjoy some of our picks!” — Dale Ann Bradley and Tina Adair

Jack Greene – “There Goes My Everything”

This was the first song I heard on the radio. – DAB

The Osborne Brothers – “Once More”

I’ve been listening to them my whole life and am a student of their classic and seamless harmonies. This song is an example of that. – Tina

Simon & Garfunkel – “The Sound of Silence”

It’s a prophetic song that is still unraveling today as in the ‘60s. A look at human nature that continues to be so thought-provoking. – DAB

Alison Krauss & Union Station – “So Long, So Wrong”

This song encompasses everything I love about bluegrass. Great playing, fantastic vocals and an absolute amazing production/arrangement. – Tina

Glen Campbell – “Galveston”

It’s just a consummate recording in every way. – DAB

Brandy Clark – “Stripes”

This is one of my favorite written “new” songs. Brandy is one of the most clever songwriters in Nashville right now and this song shows it. Fun fact… I have a version of this recorded. Maybe someday I’ll let everyone hear it. Ha ha! – Tina

The Grateful Dead – “Ripple”

This is a song from The Grateful Dead that so much expresses the way I feel spiritually. – DAB

Blue Öyster Cult – “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”

Talk about drive and timing with an iconic guitar riff, and one of the best rock bands ever. – DAB

Reba McEntire – “Fancy”

Well I’ve always been a huge fan of Bobbie Gentry’s voice and songwriting; however, one of my heroes in this business has been the one and only Reba McEntire (for her ability to interpret a song, entertain you and her amazing business sense). I admire her on so many levels. Her version of “Fancy” is one that can always entertain a crowd … and I love that. Reba was my first concert I attended outside of local bluegrass festivals. – Tina

The Stanley Brothers – “Jacob’s Vision”

Great writing and singing in pure Appalachian style. This song touched my heart the first time I heard it. – DAB

Harry Chapin – “Cat’s in the Cradle”

This is a song that has taken my breath away. – DAB

Poco – “Crazy Love”

I love the harmonies and guitar fingerpicking and just Poco’s overall laid-back feel with this song. It’s always been a fave of mine. – Tina

Mason Williams – “Classical Gas”

I love the guitar and this is so good! We all wanted and tried to play this. – DAB

Ludwig van Beethoven – “The Moonlight Sonata”

It’s such an emotionally driven piece. I always got lost while listening and felt several different feelings. – DAB

Linda Ronstadt – “Desperado”

Any style, any arrangement… we’ve all been “Desperado.” – DAB

Photo courtesy of Pinecastle Records

WATCH: Brandy Clark, “Who You Thought I Was”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Brandy Clark
Song: “Who You Thought I Was”
Album: Your Life Is a Record
Release Date: March 6, 2020
Label: Warner Records

In Their Words: “The seed of the song came from something that John Prine said a couple of years ago at the Americana Awards. He walked out onstage at the Ryman and everyone stood up and clapped for what felt like five minutes. When everyone sat down, he said with a little laugh, ‘Well, I’m John Prine, but I’d like to go back to being who you thought I was.’ Man… that hit me. The songwriter in me instantly knew it was a song and the heart in me knew it was how I had felt in my own life many times. I mean who of us hasn’t let somebody down or wanted to be the version of ourselves that someone who loved us thought we were?” — Brandy Clark

Photo credit: Chris Phelps

3X3: Sara Petite on Love Potions, Fun Runs, and Rainy Days

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

Artist: Sara Petite
Hometown: Sumner, WA (now resides in San Diego, CA)
Latest Album: Road Less Traveled
Personal Nicknames: SWEET PEA

 

Sara Petite Band at Humphreys Happy Hour tonight 5 to 7pm #roadlesstraveled #honkytonk

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If you could go back (or forward) to live in any decade, when would you choose?

Right now is the perfect time.

Who would be your dream co-writer?

Lori McKenna, Brandy Clark, Patty Griffin, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty

If a song started playing every time you entered the room, what would you want it to be? 

“Love Potion #9” from Herb Alpert’s Whipped Cream album. It is really sexy music. I would be wearing something really slinky and sexy — when I walked in, everyone would look at me! I would come in with a big sexy “you want me” smile, then I would start to strut my way across the room and I would trip and fall and make everyone laugh! And it would happen every time that song came on! 

What is the one thing you can’t survive without on tour?

Toothbrush, clean underwear, and socks

What are you most afraid of?

I’m not sure — there isn’t really anything to be afraid of anymore. I would like to die the same day as my twin sister. It would probably be too difficult on this planet without her. All the things I thought would kill me or wreck me forever haven’t. I’m still here, still breathing, and have a smile most of the time!

Who is your favorite superhero? 

I just did a fun run and made my own superhero costume. I was Super Sweet Pea. I had a sequined S on my chest, a purple cape I sewed flowers on, and I ran with a bunch of fake colorful hydrangeas in my hand. We ran down through canyons, neighborhoods. I fell on my ass a few times down the hills. It was a lot of fun until people started exposing themselves — very uncomfortable! I didn’t know that was the type of club I joined, yikes! I am totally bummed not to be in the running club anymore because next week was going to be the Big Lebowski run, and me and my best friend were going to run in bathrobes holding a 10-foot joint, whilst partaking in our own joint smoking. I have decided to possibly make my own run club or join the Sierra Club in hopes for more of a PG-13 environment. I was only there to run, drink, and wear my superhero costume, man!

 

Sitting in with the Sunday band at Pappys

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Pickles or olives?

PICKLES! I went to a restaurant the other day, and they were out of pickles. How can someone be out of pickles? I ordered a cheeseburger, extra rare with extra pickles.  

Which primary color is the best — blue, yellow, or red?

Not sure. It probably depends how I feel.  

Which is worse — rainy days or Mondays? 

I love rain. I grew up in Washington. And I love Mondays. They are new beginnings!