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 from Nashville native Rayland Baxter, we have “Bolly Plateau,” inspired by his little cabin where he likes to reminisce. Emory Duncan uses “Halifax” as the backdrop to a beautiful song about love, connection and forgiveness. Dom Flemons, also known as The American Songster, tips his hat to groundbreaking musician Arnold Shultz in “Shultz’s Blues,” a preview of his new album coming out in 2027. Meanwhile, the singer, songwriter, and ukulele player Charissa Hoffman captures all the moments she and her boyfriend could have possibly crossed paths before they actually met; it’s a quite pleasant and thoughtful way to conclude her brand new album, Horizon.
Jonah Kagen continues his deserving ascent as a troubadour in the folk-rock world. New songs like “Do Better” confirm that he’s one to watch. In addition, good friends Bre Kennedy and Tenille Townes use the craft of songwriting as a metaphor for life’s various stages in “The Pen.” There’s a natural and biblical element to bluegrass fiddler Andy Leftwich’s wonderful new instrument, “Cedars of Lebanon,” a tune that turned out differently than he expected. As for relationships, Anna Shoemaker’s indie music video for “Already Low” brings the whole family into her dating woes, while The Tallest Man on Earth gets all warm and fuzzy with special guest Sofia HK on the lovely “Overboda.”
As we say every week, You Gotta Hear This!
Rayland Baxter, “Bolly Plateau”
Artist: Rayland Baxter
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Bolly Plateau”
Album: True Violet
Release Date: October 23, 2026
Label: ATO Records
In Their Words: “I refer to the hilltop on which I live as Bolly Plateau, my little cabin at the near end of a dead end street. It’s quiet up here. I wave to my neighbors and keep to myself, just like everyone else. And I go through the emotions mostly alone up here. Looking out to the street, I reminisce and I feel everything on Bolly Plateau. I sure am grateful to have this place. I write here and I dream here and I take it all in the best way I know how. Lately the reminiscing I’ve been doing is mostly focused on the last 5 years of my life and my transformation.” — Rayland Baxter
Emory Duncan, “Halifax”
Artist: Emory Duncan
Hometown: Houston / Santa Cruz
Song: “Halifax”
Album: Semicircles & Half-Written Songs EP
Release Date: October 9, 2026
In Their Words: “‘Halifax’ is about choosing love over certainty, connection over escape, forgiveness over pride, and a person over a past life. It’s a weary road song, but the journey is emotional – leaving behind an old identity and heading toward self-forgiveness, belonging, and home – even if it’s risky and imperfect. Home isn’t geography – it’s a person, and love is salvation, but it’s not that simple. ‘Halifax’ is a confession at a literal and spiritual crossroads – I’m tired of running, I know this might break me, but I’m coming anyway.” — Emory Duncan
Dom Flemons, “Shultz’s Dream”
Artist: Dom Flemons
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona; now the Chicago area
Song: “Shultz’s Dream”
Album: Making American Music: The Smithsonian Sessions
Release Date: January 22, 2027
In Their Words: “I wrote this song to pay tribute to Arnold Shultz (1886-1931), a lesser-known Black musician who is a key influence on bluegrass music through his musical virtuosity, advanced ideas of musical harmony, and his direct influence on Bill and Charlie Monroe, ‘the founders of bluegrass.’ In 2022, I received a grant from the Arnold Shultz Scholarship Fund to write this original song, ‘Shultz’s Dream,’ which premiered along with the musicians on this recording at the International Bluegrass Music Association conference. In 2025, the IBMA inducted Arnold Shultz into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, the first Black person to be given that honor.” — Dom Flemons
Charissa Hoffman, “Parallel Lines”
Artist: Charissa Hoffman
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Parallel Lines”
Album: Horizon
Release Date: October 16, 2026
In Their Words: “I met my boyfriend at a cat’s birthday party and before long we were sitting on the floor in the kitchen telling each other our life stories. We both dropped out of college and got jobs at Barnes & Noble in the same year (though I was closing the cafe in Boston while he unpacked shipments in Murfreesboro). He got recruited to my high school’s baseball team but he graduated a couple years ahead of me and we never met.
“There were so many moments where the lines almost crossed, but they never did until we had both lived and learned enough to be right for each other. While I was living those tough years I was afraid the broken parts of me would be too hard to love—but it turned out he was out there feeling the same way. I hope anyone listening can believe there are people out there who will see their WHOLE story, messy parts and all, and love them for exactly who they are.” – Charissa Hoffman
Jonah Kagen, “Do Better”
Artist: Jonah Kagen
Hometown: Savannah, Georgia
Song: “Do Better”
Album: Eternity of Everything
Release Date: October 30, 2026
Label: Arista Records
In Their Words: “I think ‘Do Better’ speaks for itself. It’s a song to make you move in a real dramatic fashion when you’re feeling like somebody would do better if they wanted you as bad as they say they do. Maine gave us such a unique and full setting for all of the album’s creative. I love that all the settings we shot in are all so visually distinct yet thematically connected. The variety in the creative reflects the sonic variety in the album.” — Jonah Kagen
Bre Kennedy and Tenille Townes, “The Pen”
Artists: Bre Kennedy and Tenille Townes
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The Pen”
Release Date: October 2, 2026
In Their Words: “Tenille Townes and I wrote for the first time last year and realized how parallel our stories are as now independent artists and light-seekers. We both spent years following a pull to our craft of song and wrote our stories as we walked them and then things out of our control started taking a toll on our hearts: heartbreak, letdowns, broken promises from an ever-changing industry, truths of growing up and into ourselves. Our lights were flickering low when we met and we realized that the only thing we had control over in this wild walk of life is how we choose to write about it. ‘The Pen’ is a reminder that we get to be the authors of our life and our story no matter what we go through. After we performed this song at the sold-out release show for my new album The Alchemist at the Blue Room we felt inspired to sing it together as a reminder to ourselves as now independent artists that we have the power in our hands to write our own story.
“I am releasing collaboration songs this fall and spring with artists who I believe are Alchemists of their stories. ‘The Pen’ with Tenille is an evolution of my walk through grief in the valley of my life after losing my grandmother the week The Alchemist came out. I am learning that grief is an important part of the story I am writing. It can be a superpower, not a downfall.” — Bre Kennedy
“‘The Pen’ is all about remembering the power we have in our own stories. Bre has become a dear friend of mine in the past couple years, and writing this was so healing for me in taking back my autonomy. Every day we get to keep picking up the pen and choosing what our experience is going to be. Saying that out loud with Bre felt so good.” — Tenille Townes
Andy Leftwich, “Cedars of Lebanon”
Artist: Andy Leftwich
Hometown: Carthage, Tennessee
Song: “Cedars of Lebanon”
Release Date: October 16, 2026
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “Sometimes you write a song and you know immediately how it’s going to turn out. Other times, it comes together in a way you weren’t expecting. That was the case with this song. As it came together, it reminded me of something majestic, something very special and unique. The cedar tree is very significant in scripture. The cedar trees of Lebanon were the most suitable, dependable, resilient…you can even say ‘faithful’ resource that Solomon had to build the temple of God. It might be a stretch, but I can’t help but wonder what it must’ve been like to gaze upon the majestic sight of Solomon’s temple and the cedar trees of Lebanon holding it together as I listen to this song.” — Andy Leftwich
Anna Shoemaker, “Already Low”
Artist: Anna Shoemaker
Hometown: Philadephia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Already Low”
Album: Back to Pennsylvania
Release Date: October 16, 2026
Label: +1 Records
In Their Words: “‘Already Low’ is a juxtaposition of sorts. It’s about being at your lowest but sonically it’s really fun and upbeat. I love that contrast between what’s going on internally and what’s happening around you. I wanted the video to play with that idea as well, like the stuff your family makes you do when you’re actively being ghosted. You’re going through it but the world keeps moving, and sometimes all you can do is go along with it. I have a really big family and there’s always a lot going on; I feel like they’re a big reason why I still have my head screwed on. For me, this felt like the perfect representation of Back to Pennsylvania as a whole. Back to basics, baby!” — Anna Shoemaker
The Tallest Man on Earth, “Overboda”
Artist: The Tallest Man on Earth
Hometown: Dalarna, Sweden
Song: “Overboda” (ft. Sofia HK)
Album: Just Beyond Endless Mountain
Release Date: October 9, 2026
Label: ANTI-
In Their Words: “My friend Rolf, who’s also my fly-fishing buddy, was marrying Ida, so I wrote the song for their wedding. It was a beautiful day in northern Sweden, but I could barely get through it because I was crying so hard for half the song. In the studio the Swedish folk singer Sofia HK sings the duet with me, and our voices really melt together. It’s a true love song.” — Kristian Matsson (The Tallest Man on Earth)
Photo Credit: Olivia Bee (Jonah Kagen), Cooper Smith (Bre Kennedy and Tenille Townes)
