Tag: crossroads label group

LISTEN: John Bowman, “Silverthorn Mountain”

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Artist: John Bowman
Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee
Song: “Silverthorn Mountain”
Album: The Hole
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “Last summer, some friends and I were rehearsing for a show at the Wilson County Fair. He said, ‘Let’s do “Silverthorn Mountain.”‘ I knew Merle Haggard had written it and it was a good song. I told my buddy that I was thinking about recording it, and I’m glad I did. I love this simple song about a man who has a checkered past and the piece of land that brings him so much joy and peace. The song also shows Haggard’s love of country and the fact that he received a second chance at life. This is the first ‘bluegrass’ song I’ve cut since the last CD I made with the Boxcars.” — John Bowman

Photo courtesy of Mountain Home Music Company

LISTEN: Fireside Collective, “She Was an Angel”

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Artist: Fireside Collective
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “She Was an Angel”
Release Date: September 6, 2019 (single)
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “‘She Was an Angel’ is a song about losing someone you love and seeing them fall into a bad crowd. On the surface, it deals with the emotional repercussions of watching someone sliding down a troubled path. It also explores the feelings of being rejected and left behind, while also hoping for some intervention or circumstance where the one who’s leaving realizes they are on a dark path and turns it around. The music begins as a contemporary bluegrass song which takes a sudden journey into unknown territory during the bridge. The bridge is supposed to serve as the symbolic struggle of the lost lover, and eventually culminates in the realization that it’s time to move on.” — Jesse Iaquinto, vocalist and mandolinist

Photo credit: Heather Hambor

WATCH: Jeremy Garrett, “I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down”

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Artist: Jeremy Garrett
Hometown: Loveland, Colorado
Song: “I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down”
Album: Circles
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down’ was a song that I co-wrote with Jon Weisberger and Josh Shilling. I just loved the vibe of the tune and how it fit with my style, so I decided to record it on my upcoming solo release, Circles. I blend guitar, mandolin and fiddle with a looper to create this arrangement for the song. Conner Pannell shot the video for me and I love how he captured this song. All of it was shot in the studio, partly while tracking and in-between takes.” — Jeremy Garrett

Photo credit: J.Mimna Photography

LISTEN: Zoe & Cloyd, “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down”

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Artist: Zoe & Cloyd
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down”
Album: I Am Your Neighbor
Release Date: June 14, 2019 (single); Fall 2019 (album)
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down’ is a traditional African American spiritual that we learned from a solo field recording of Frank Proffitt from 1965. Proffitt claimed to have learned the song from a black banjo player named Dave Thompson, also from the Sugar Grove area of northwestern North Carolina. It is a simple yet powerful musical statement, and Natalya’s stark, solo vocal mirrors the sound of many old-time source recordings that we love. The lyrics are haunting and hypnotic and our version features flat-picked guitar and bowed upright bass coupled with the more ‘old-time’ elements of cross-tuned fiddle and clawhammer banjo. There is a timelessness to this song that contributes to its survival. Every generation has its Satan. — John Cloyd Miller

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

STREAM: Lonesome River Band, ‘Outside Looking In’

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Artist: Lonesome River Band
Hometown: Floyd, Virginia
Album: Outside Looking In
Release Date: May 24, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “We are so excited about this new release! It is a diverse mixture of great songs that we tried to deliver in our traditional, yet edgy approach. We feel there is something here for every listener — without changing our ‘Lonesome River Band approach.’ We hope everyone will enjoy this project as much as we enjoyed recording it.” — Lonesome River Band vocalist/guitarist Brandon Rickman

Photo credit: Anthony Ladd

LISTEN: The Cleverlys, “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”

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Artist: The Cleverlys
Hometown: Cane Spur, Arkansas
Song: “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”
Album: Blue
Release Date: March 22, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “On the surface, ‘Blue’ is about a guy that lives in a blue world and everything around him is blue. But the educated mind that can mentally peel back the layers of status quo existence can find the hidden meaning behind the song. And that is to stay hydrated.” –Digger Cleverly

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, “Looking for the Bridge”

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Artist: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Looking for the Bridge”
Album: The Choosing Road
Release Date: March 29, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “This is one of five songs from our upcoming CD that Jon Weisberger and I have co-written. This one is all about trying to find a way back to how things were in a relationship that has turned cold, and feeling lost in the effort. The song contains one of the Night Drivers’ characteristic ‘signature licks’ which had just randomly come into my brain one day, and I recorded it on my phone. This was the most enjoyable video recording experience we’ve ever had. It had lots of the elements we love: railroad tracks, a beautiful North Carolina river, and a dog barking at a drone (the dog does not appear in the video because he refused to sign a release). There was also a bridge, which apparently we couldn’t see.” — Chris Jones

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: Balsam Range, “The Girl Who Invented the Wheel”

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Artist: Balsam Range
Hometown: Haywood County, North Carolina
Song: “The Girl Who Invented The Wheel”
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I’m a fan of great lyrics and great writers, and Adam Wright’s ‘The Girl Who Invented the Wheel’ is a creative example of taking a song subject such as relationship struggles to a new and engaging place. A fun and upbeat song, ‘The Girl Who Invented the Wheel’ portrays a masterful character in the art of breaking up and like her previous partner, you must appreciate and recognize her skills while she leaves you wanting more.” – Buddy Melton, Balsam Range

Photo credit: David Simchok