This week, BGS readers were graced by two special, Valentine’s Day-themed premieres from jamgrass supergroup The High Hawks and singer-songwriter Caroline Cotter. Plus, our old friend, Kentucky-based cellist Ben Sollee, brought us a gorgeous new performance video of a John Prine cover shot surrounded by verdant houseplants.
Below, catch up on that new music you might have missed from earlier in the week and discover brand new, exclusive premieres from bluegrass group Sideline and indie/Americana duo the Ballroom Thieves. It’s all right here on BGS and… You Gotta Hear This!
Sideline, “The Lives of the Innocent”
Artist:Sideline Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina Song: “The Lives of the Innocent” Release Date: February 16, 2024 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “It was great getting back in the studio after over two years. There was a lot of bottled-up magic that came bursting out when we hit the first downbeat. This song fit the very definition of what Sideline is as a sound and the energy we project. It certainly enters the catalog as a blood-pumping, foot stomping, Sideline hit for the ages.” – Skip Cherryholmes, guitar
“‘The Lives of the Innocent’ was a song that was inspired by the Hibriten Guards during the Civil War that mustered in Alexander County, North Carolina. They saw heavy combat during the war, suffering a high casualty rate, and this tune chronicles what potentially could have been one of the soldiers in those ranks. Steve [Dilling] and the guys bumped the tempo a little and captured the essence of the song and the singing is just top-notch!” – Shannon Slaughter, songwriter
Track Credits: Skip Cherryholmes – Guitar Steve Dilling – Banjo, harmony vocal Matt Flake – Fiddle Nick Goad – Mandolin, harmony vocal Kyle Windbeck – Bass Bailey Coe – Lead vocal
The Ballroom Thieves, “Tender”
Artist:The Ballroom Thieves Hometown: Easton, Massachusetts Song: “Tender” Album:Sundust Release Date: April 12, 2024 Label: Nettwerk Music Group
In Their Words: “We were listening to the band Watchhouse at Newport Folk Festival in 2022 and their sparse instrumentation and fluid melodies inspired us to start writing ‘Tender’ right on the spot. We learn a lot from our peers, and in this case, the lesson was about the importance of creating space for your songs to breathe so you can hear what’s happening between the notes.” – The Ballroom Thieves
In Their Words: “John Prine had a knack for folding mantras in to his songs. This song has a message that resonates deeply with my journey as a creative, father, and husband [and] that is so needed in this fitful world. ‘When love comes your way, you learn to say, I love you!’” – Ben Sollee
Artist:The High Hawks Hometown: Boulder, Colorado and All Points Between, USA Song: “This Is What Love Feels Like” Album:Mother Nature’s Show Release Date: February 16, 2024
In Their Words: “This song sits in a slightly different world than the rest of The High Hawks’ new record. It’s a step into the mind of a hopeless romantic at a show, waiting for the band to come on with his love by his side. Sometimes the world just seems to conspire to make everything just right. This is about one of those nights. The song came out of a co-write with Chris Gelbuda, Shawn Camp, and myself one Nashville summer afternoon. I’m glad it found a home with The High Hawks!” — Vince Herman
Artist:Caroline Cotter Hometown: from Providence, Rhode Island; currently living in Ellsworth, Maine Song: “Do You Love Me?” Album:Gently As I Go Release Date: August 18, 2023
In Their Words: “‘Do You Love Me?’ is a love song, short and sweet and perhaps a bit tongue–in–cheek, echoing desperate and anxious attempts from a hopeless romantic to their new love (and the universe) to get some certainty in very uncertain territory. This anxiety and excitement come together in a fun little package, trading places depending on the day or the moment, and sometimes it’s best to laugh at the silliness of it all, and realize that attempts to know or pretend to know by reading the signs are likely futile, but if nothing else, they’re fun to sing about. I love how Fernando’s illustrations in the video bring out the whimsy, playfulness, and sweetness of the lyrics.” – Caroline Cotter
This week, BGS readers enjoyed two brand new, original sessions – one from Jesper Lindell at Rootsy Summer Fest ’23 and the other featuring bluegrass singer-songwriter Theo MacMillan for our latest Yamaha Session.
Now, to wrap up the week, we’re celebrating new releases from a host of roots musicians like Caleb Caudle, Zoe Boekbinder, Eddie Sanders, Denmark-based string band Twang, and fiddler Andy Leftwich.
Of all the new music released this week, you gotta hear this!
Caleb Caudle, “Monte Carlo”
Artist:Caleb Caudle Hometown: Germanton, North Carolina Song: “Monte Carlo” Album:Live From Cash Cabin Release Date: January 31, 2024 (single); February 29, 2024 (EP)
In Their Words: “We recorded these songs live at Cash Cabin in the spring of 2022 and had such a great time. It was one of my last memories of playing music with my friend, Alex McKinney, who recently passed away after a battle with cancer. His untimely death hit me like a ton of bricks and I wanted to release this now to showcase what an amazing musician he was. I’m so thankful for these recordings that keep his spirit alive.” – Caleb Caudle
Video Credit: Joseph Cash
Zoe Boekbinder, “Hold My Hand”
Artist:Zoe Boekbinder Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana Song: “Hold My Hand” Album:Wildflower Release Date: February 2, 2024 (single); April 26, 2024 (album) Label: Are and Be Recordings
In Their Words: “‘Hold My Hand’ was written on a farm of rescue horses in the mountains in northern Spain. I was there doing a music residency in the summer of 2017. Myself and another songwriter, Dustin Hamman, co-wrote a collection of songs and recorded them all in one week. We also each wrote one song independent of each other. ‘Hold My Hand’ was mine. We slept in the attic of the horse barn, directly above the horse stalls. One of the horses had digestive issues that caused it to fart very loudly and constantly. It was an interesting soundtrack for sleeping. Somehow in that silliness, I wrote this very painful song about my confused heart.” – Zoe Boekbinder
In Their Words: “The song talks about a musician’s encounter with the audience and the fear that things could go terribly wrong. Despite this fear, the message is to be honest and give everything you have, in order to receive the same honesty and love in return. The chorus goes: ‘Love is honesty, honesty, respect / What you give is what you get.'” – Twang
Video Credit: Hidayet C
Eddie Sanders, “Chasing That Midnight Moon”
Artist:Eddie Sanders Hometown: McAlester, Oklahoma Song: “Chasing That Midnight Moon” Album:Born to Fly Label: True Lonesome Records
In Their Words: “I really love this new single, ‘Chasing That Midnight Moon,’ a song I co-wrote with my producer and good friend, Glen Duncan. Glen, along with an all-star cast of pickers, found a dynamic studio groove on this one right away. Then, when the great John Cowan added his signature harmony, it immediately became one of my favorites on the forthcoming album and locked it in as the debut single. I can’t wait for everyone to check it out on the new True Lonesome Records label!” – Eddie Sanders
“What a pleasure and pleasant surprise to get to participate on Eddie’s ‘Chasing That Midnight Moon.’ Eddie possesses one of the finest voices and songwriting gifts in contemporary bluegrass music.” – John Cowan
Andy Leftwich, “Behind the 8 Ball”
Artist:Andy Leftwich Hometown: Carthage, Tennessee Song: “Behind the 8 Ball” Release Date: February 2, 2024 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “The idea of this song was to have an upbeat ‘barn burner’ that could lend itself to some really creative soloing, and I feel like we captured that here. I have to give the credit of the title to my wife, Rachel, who heard me mention this phrase while in the studio recording it. We were moving along, but not at the pace I was hoping, so we were behind on time. At the end of the day, she mentioned naming this song, ‘Behind the 8 Ball.’ I thought it was perfect! It certainly has that anxious spirit we all have from time to time when we get in tough spots, but it’s a fun tune that has great energy and a different sound than you normally hear in bluegrass ‘barn burner’ instrumentals.” – Andy Leftwich
Jesper Lindell, “It Ain’t Easy”
Last summer, on the banks of the Ätran beside Tryckhallen – Rootsy Summer & Winter Fests’ home venue – in Falkenberg, Sweden, Jesper Lindell offered two songs in simple, stripped down, acoustic performances for his Rootsy Summer Session. On a balcony overlooking the rushing water and festival stage, he sings “It Ain’t Easy,” a song of long-suffering and devotion from his 2023 EP, Windows Vol. 1.
For our second original session this week, Theo MacMillan (of Theo & Brenna) and his band performed for an exclusive Yamaha Session at Solar Cabin last fall. MacMillan, who brought along Jed Clark (bass), Harry Clark (mandolin), and Cory Walker (banjo), pulled his Yamaha acoustic guitar out of the case and performed two original numbers. The first, “The One That’s Broken,” leans forward at a breakneck pace, channeling the frustration of a messy relationship’s end with cattywampus stops artfully executed by the band, tight and together.
(Editor’s Note: New for BGS in 2024, each week we’ll share a round up of the best premieres, videos, tracks, and releases from the world of roots music. Welcome to our inaugural edition!)
2024 is off to a roaring start, with exciting single and album releases already stacking up at merely two “new music Fridays” down and fifty to go! This week, BGS readers have enjoyed premieres from artists like The Earls of Leicester performing for a special Behind the Walls session at Newport Folk Festival; Jim Kweskin in a gorgeous duet with his daughter, Fiona; Alice Di Micele covering Tom Petty; a special Out Now video premiere by Lila Blue; and more.
Below, enjoy exclusive premieres you gotta hear from in-demand, veteran bluegrass outfit the Grascals and Portland alt-folk songwriter Eddie Berman, plus we’ll take you back through the entire week of premieres from BGS.
For more new music this fine Friday, don’t forget about the BGS Class of 2024 playlist! We update it every week with new songs just like these.
The Grascals, “Just Let Me Know”
Artist:The Grascals Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Just Let Me Know” Release Date: January 12, 2024 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “When Jamie [Johnson] brought us ‘Just Let Me Know,’ we immediately knew we wanted to record it and thought it would be perfect for John [Bryan] to sing. It’s really nice to hear a hopeful and positive love song! The peace that comes knowing that you’ll always be someone’s #1 is one thing that gives us stability in a crazy world and we all need the assurance of having a steady, patient commitment in relationships. That’s what this song is all about to me.” – Kristin Scott Benson, banjo
“‘Just Let Me Know’ is really a song about being best friends with the person you fall in love with. I’m a hopeless romantic — more hopeless than romantic — but nonetheless. The Grascals have once again come with the stellar music and vocals and put this over the top for me!” – Darren Nicholson, song co-writer
Eddie Berman, “Anymore”
Artist:Eddie Berman Hometown: Portland, Oregon Song: “Anymore” Album:Signal Fire Release Date: January 19, 2024 Label: Nettwerk Music Group
In Their Words: “I write these songs semi-stream-of-consciously, so I sometimes have to unpack them a bit myself. I think ‘Anymore’ is from the point of view of someone teetering right on the edge. There’s an unmoored, demented feeling from living in the world today, wading through headlines, 10-second clips, and AI-generated articles. I suppose this song is from my (maybe heightened) perspective of not knowing if I’m seeing things with a kind of terrifying clarity or if I’m utterly delusional. It’s like the line from the famous Yeats poem, ‘The Second Coming:’ ‘The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.’ And I’m not really sure which camp I’m in at times.
“Musically, the song started with this Mississippi John Hurt fingerpicking part, and then it really came together with my bandmates. Chris Wabich pulled out this big Celtic hand-drum tambourine thing, and combined with Gabe Davis’ bowed double bass and Gabe Feenberg’s lap steel, the song took on this sort of haunting, mystical feel. We made this whole album totally live during a bizarre, torrential LA rainstorm. It was an especially great vibe for recording this song.” – Eddie Berman
Alice Di Micele, “Square One”
Artist: Alice Di Micele Song: “Square One”
In Their Words: “I’ve been enamored by Tom Petty’s songwriting for most of my life. The depth and diversity of his catalog is inspiring. Back in 2018, shortly after his passing, my co-producer Bret Levick and I formed a tribute band called Petty Thievery. It has been really fun to rock out to his songs and it gave me a new outlet for playing and singing. I absolutely love being a singer-songwriter, but it’s fun to wear a different hat now and again. I chose this mellower tune for my record, because I was driving home from tour with my drummer the first time I heard it and I had to hit replay six or seven times. I went home and learned it. The theme of starting over really struck a chord in me.” – Alice Di Micele
Artist:Jim Kweskin Song: “You’re Just In Love” (featuring Fiona Kweskin)
In Their Words: “‘You’re Just In Love’ was written by Irving Berlin, who wrote it for the 1950 Broadway musical Call Me Madam. It’s been recorded many times, but never like this – we do it almost as a folk song. I love the counterpoint, the two different words, and the melodies going on at the same time. Irving Berlin, of course, is a famous American popular music composer. He’s written songs that everybody knows, like ‘God Bless America’ and ‘White Christmas,’ but in fact, he wrote hundreds of hit songs for Broadway musicals, movies, and pop records. He’s one of my favorite composers. And for me, what could be better than a grandfather singing to his granddaughter about what it feels like to be in love?” – Jim Kweskin
In Their Words: “‘Sewing the Same Seam’ is an uptempo existential crisis. Like many songs on No Such Thing as Forever, it indulges in a bit of fatalism while also worrying that I’m capable of more than I admit. I’m a sucker for worst-case scenarios —maybe things won’t get better and not everything turns out alright. And when I linger on those thoughts, it gets easier to convince myself I know what I’m talking about instead. This live take was filmed at a house in Juneau that often hosts songwriters, with the same band that plays on the record.” – Josh Fortenbery
In Their Words: “There’s a wonderful tension running through the songs on this album that marks a monumental faultline in my life. I wrote half the songs before I met and fell in love with my now-wife Lauren, and the rest in direct response to that life event – trying to make sense of how I got so lucky (see: ‘Mercury Sable’ and ‘First Song for Lauren’).
“‘Clarkston Pasture’ was definitely in the former batch. It’s a dead-of-winter, lonesome-as-hell sort of song, where bachelorhood had lost its luster and I was fantasizing about a brighter future full of love and purpose. That’s why the verses are set in these dismally frigid, Michigan-winter landscapes: Cheering on a bar fight, turning off the furnace so as not to waste the warmth on just myself. Then the choruses flash to the glory of a Michigan summer – cruising through the towns on the Northern edge of metro Detroit where the subdivisions start to dwindle and the fields start to open up. There aren’t many diametric opposites as stark as a Michigan winter and a Michigan summer, and that polarity turned out to be the perfect metaphor for how love changed my world.” – Matthew Milia
In Their Words: “The song ‘Rollin’ in My Sweet Baby’s Arms’ has long been a staple in the bluegrass canon. It’s a good, hard driving song about traveling and returning home to the one you love. Down to the details of some of the family members’ occupations. Also there is a slight Romeo and Juliet effect in the line, ‘I know your parents don’t like me.’ Flatt & Scruggs probably had the best version, but it’s a crowd pleaser and works in any situation.” – Jerry Douglas
Artist:Beta Radio Song: “This One’s Going to Hurt”
In Their Words: “This is the first song we’ve ever co-written with someone (Henry Brill) and I would’ve never written this song on my own. The main line is so direct and I think a lot of my songwriting is dancing around an idea versus saying it plainly. This time, for this song in particular, it felt more appropriate to be clear and to the point about the message.
“It’s mainly a song about reckoning and about realizing that you can’t stand on a fence for so long. The first line, ‘Unrolling on the road,’ is an idea that expands on that feeling, of being away from your own center, out on the edges of your known reality, on the periphery and not at home.
“‘This One’s Going To Hurt’ is about letting something that’s been making you sick die. Because whenever something dies, then there’s space for something else to be born. But knowing that in that process, suffering and pain will be your companions.
“There are also themes of traveling, which was a big part of writing the record and a big part of my life in general at the time. I did a lot of moving around from place to place.” – Beta Radio
In Their Words:“I first heard ‘Roll On John’ on an old Mike Seeger recording called Southern Banjo Sounds. His rendition is haunting yet enchanting, like a lot of old-time music. One of the most rewarding parts of playing in Charm City Junction is how each band member brings their own unique approach to roots music. When we first started playing together nearly 10 years ago, we essentially said, ‘Heck with the genre boundaries! Let’s play music we enjoy playing and see where it goes.’ It’s not quite old-time, it’s not quite bluegrass, it’s not quite Irish music. In a sense, it’s all of those, but none of those. We like it that way.
“Fun fact, this performance was captured live in a restored grist mill barn in Baltimore County, just a few miles from where our fiddler, Patrick McAvinue, grew up.” – Brad Kolodner, banjo
In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Stranger’ in the green room 15 minutes before going on as an opener for Kevin Bacon’s band in Lincoln, Nebraska on Father’s Day in 2018 – which sounds like a fever dream when I write it out. Being in the midwest with the Bacon Brothers led to me ingesting a lot of country and folk music on the road and left me with a deep craving to write a tried and true country-folk tune. I wrote it a cappella, and then found the instrumentation a week or so later.
“When I wrote it, I thought I was singing it to an ‘other,’ a figment of someone I hoped could love me and see me. Now looking back, it feels like a letter from my closeted 18 year-old self to who I am now: Still ashamed of so much of themselves, trying to write to the stranger they craved to become. It makes me endlessly happy to sing this song to them every chance I get from the proudly queer, and deeply loved self I am now.
“The video we got to film in Nashville felt like such a beautiful close to the chapter of bringing ‘Stranger’ to the world. With the small and scrappy team at MOXE, and the amazing Elizabeth Olmstead, I feel we got to showcase what that song is about for me; the music and the words, and the creative lineage that got me there. Myself and long-time collaborators Saskia Lane and Phillip Roebuck got to play through ‘Stranger’ on the beautiful land that MOXE is built on. I got to gaze at the studio in the distance as we sang through a song that means the world to me; I couldn’t have asked for more.” – Lila Blue
It’s that time, when music writers everywhere are thinking and writing about the best of the year’s music, blurbing away for year-end round ups. (Speaking of, our BGS year-end picks will be unveiled next week.) While it’s right to view ranking, commodifying, and objectifying music with a degree of skepticism, there is certainly something constructive and generative about reflecting on the songs, albums, and performances that have stuck with us throughout a year. It’s especially illuminating when certain music immediately jumps out from the rest, requiring no particular organization or intention to be a constant presence throughout a year or to be remembered among the cream of the crop.
Tray Wellington Band’s cover of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” is one such song. When the group performed it earlier this year at FWAAMFest in Texas, it wasn’t the first time I had heard their rendition, but it was the first time I noticed an audience hearing it themselves for the first time. I was struck by the reactions, in a non-bluegrass audience they varied from utter shock to outright glee – even other bands and artists on the lineup were beside themselves, as Tray Wellington Band laid out their one-of-a-kind cover of such a recognizable melody. Later this year, I saw TWB perform again at Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Tryon, North Carolina, and yet again, down the road a handful of weeks later at IBMA’s Bluegrass Live! festival and conference in Raleigh. Each time, regardless of the audience’s starting point or their baseline understanding of bluegrass, of the banjo, of cover songs such as this, “Pursuit of Happiness” would generate electricity in the crowd.
There’s a reason why hearing a North Carolina-born, Raleigh-based (via east Tennessee) Scruggs-style banjo player’s take on “Pursuit of Happiness” reminds of Reno & Smiley performing Johnny Cash and Elvis hits and Flatt & Scruggs recording buckets of Bob Dylan songs. This is a tradition in bluegrass as old as the genre itself. Executed as artfully as this, it has the potential to bring countless new fans of string band music into the fold. That “Pursuit of Happiness” retains its impact, no matter the audience – thanks, in large part, to this band’s remarkable musicality as an ensemble – at bluegrass festivals, African American music festivals, or even in Earl Scruggs’ home county, speaks to that ineffable quality of this music that we all hold so dear. Sometimes, a bluegrass song just grabs you and it won’t let go. “Pursuit of Happiness” is destined to grab more than its own share of ears, and Tray Wellington and band deserve it and then some, for bringing this track to the world.
Artist:Benson Hometown: Boiling Springs, South Carolina Song: “Lay ‘Em Down” Release Date: November 24, 2023 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “We love to find songs outside the genre that work with a bluegrass delivery. The hope is that people who have never heard this before will assume it was always intended to be a bluegrass tune.” – Kristin Scott Benson
“‘Lay ‘Em Down’ is such a great reminder of God’s grace and how it’s free for the taking. The world is heavy these days and it’s a gift to be able to lay down our troubles. It’s an encouraging song.” – Wayne Benson
Track Credits: Wayne Benson – mandolin, bass Kristin Scott Benson – banjo Cody Kilby – acoustic guitar Samantha Snyder – fiddle Heath Williams – lead vocal Mickey Harris – harmony vocals
Artist:Carley Arrowood Hometown: Newton, North Carolina Song: “Moondancer” Release Date: October 27, 2023 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “‘Moondancer’ tells the story of a Cherokee girl who sneaks out at night and is obsessed with capturing a wild white horse. I started writing it one evening several years ago after looking for arrowheads in my Mamaw’s garden, ironically around this time of year. As that chilly breeze blew, the line, ‘Her longing echoes on the breeze, but it never finds relief,’ just took root in my mind, and the girl’s repetitious, hopeless calling is what shaped the chorus and the rest of the tune. Eventually she learns to just love the horse she names from afar, but the deep longing in her heart still lingers as she realizes Moondancer can never be hers. I’m so grateful to Daniel, Nick, Tabitha, Jeff, and Tony for lending their talents, and to Jim and Clay for producing and mixing what has become one of my favorite tunes on my upcoming record.” – Carley Arrowood
Track Credits:
Carley Arrowood – fiddle, vocal Daniel Thrailkill – acoustic guitar Jeff Partin – acoustic bass, Dobro Nick Dumas – mandolin Tony Creasman – drums Tabitha Benedict – banjo
Artist:Chris Jones & The Night Drivers Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Step Out in the Sunshine” Album:Pages In Your Hand Release Date: October 6, 2023 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “Ralph Stanley’s early 1970s Clinch Mountain Boys lineup of Roy Lee Centers, Jack Cooke, Curly Ray Cline, Keith Whitley, and Ricky Skaggs was a golden era for his band, in my opinion, and in my mid-teens their music was a major influence on me as I was just getting serious about playing music. The gospel album they did, Cry From the Cross, was and remains my favorite bluegrass gospel album of all time. It inspired my lead singing and guitar playing, and without consciously trying to do it, I learned to sing the baritone harmony part from Jack Cooke.
“I still have and cherish the original LP that I bought when I was around 15, though the jacket is a little battered and my name is written in brown magic marker on the back — because, you know, other kids in high school were likely to try to steal my Ralph Stanley records. I wanted to record a song from the album that I hadn’t heard anyone else do and that hadn’t become a Ralph Stanley standard, and so I was drawn to ‘Step Out in the Sunshine.’ We rearranged it slightly to fit our sound but it remains a tribute to the Stanley original.” – Chris Jones
Track Credits: Chris Jones – acoustic guitar, lead vocal Marshall Wilborn – bass Mark Stoffel – mandolin, harmony vocal Grace van’t Hof – banjo, harmony vocal
Artist: Tray Wellington Band Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina Song: “Moon In Motion 1” Release Date: September 1, 2023 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I often equate music and nature as one in one, as music is a constant movement that is always progressing forward through time. With this idea in mind, I thought one thing that always moves around us, like music, is the moon. I thought what a better way to progress in my music than channel this idea of continuous movement? That’s where the idea for ‘Moon In Motion 1’ came from, and the song is meant to convey these emotions. This is the first part of a three part movement that will be on my upcoming album.” – Tray Wellington
Artist:Sister Sadie Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Willow” Release Date: August 25, 2023 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “When I first heard ‘Willow’ I could hear us doing it. I could hear Jaelee slaying this tune, vocally. I could hear this funky groove that came to life in the studio. It’s got a deep pocket and has been a crowd favorite on tour this summer. This Ashley McBryde-penned tune has become one of my favorite Sadie songs EVER!” – Deanie Richardson
“Sister Sadie is the best thing that ever happened to this song. I wrote it on an afternoon where damn near everything was going wrong. Deanie and the girls tore it UP and gave it the best life a song can have! Jaelee Robert’s voice could sing somebody back to life, I swear.” – Ashley McBryde
“When I first heard ‘Willow,’ I knew it would absolutely fit Jaelee’s voice — and boy, was I right! What an incredible song that was written by Ashley McBryde! The energy in the studio when we cut it was palpable. When we play a show now, I can’t wait ’til we get to ‘Willow’ in the set. It’s as much fun to perform live as it was to record it! It rocks!” – Gena Britt
Artist:The Grascals Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “I Go” Release Date: July 28, 2023 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I sat down at the dinner table with one of my best friends, Darren Nicholson, (I work at a recovery treatment center in Asheville, North Carolina, often and I stay with Darren and his wife while in town) back in February of this year with the intention of writing our first song together. ‘I Go’ is the result of that writing session. The song ‘I Go’ comes from a previous vantage point and paints a picture of a darker time in both of our lives. Since Darren and I are now both in recovery together, we bounced some ideas off of each other from our personal journeys… combined with a little fiction that was easy to create from our past intoxicated minds. I feel like the story we came up with is one of my favorite songs I’ve written to date and I’m really glad that it was with Darren.
“‘I Go’ is a catchy melodic, up-tempo tune with an edgy, dark, true-life subject that many choose to avoid. However, we decided to face it head on and The Grascals took it and made it their own – OUR own. I am so excited to be back in this band and creating music with my friends again, and I’m thankful that we are the ones telling this story.” – Jamie Johnson
Photo Credit: Larry Bunn
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