Tag: Folk

LISTEN: Decoration Day, “Harry Goes to War”

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Artist: Decoration Day
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Song: “Harry Goes to War”
Album: Makeshift Future
Release Date: September 18, 2020

In Their Words: “A few months before he died, my grandpa sent me a typewritten letter in the mail with the title ‘Anti-Dementia Memoir #4.’ Every one of the grandkids had gotten one — it was just his charming way of preserving his memories and keeping his mind sharp until the end. The letter recounts his times as a soldier in the Canadian Army during World War II. There is quite a range in the two short pages; he writes about a joyous weekend playing hooky from the army camp, and also about the weight of being forced to burn the instruments of prisoners of war, who would later go on to open their own businesses in Canada. The story flowed in such a natural, folk-like way that I knew it had to be adapted into a song. When I hear it back now, it doesn’t feel like anything I’ve written, but instead like a piece of family lore that’s always existed.” — Justin Orok, Decoration Day

Photo credit: Brianna Roye

WATCH: Adam Chaffins, “Who I Am” (Live)

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Artist: Adam Chaffins
Hometown: 10 years+ Nashvillian (Eastern Kentucky native, from Louisa, Kentucky)
Song: “Who I Am” (Live)
Album: Some Things Won’t Last
Label: Chaffins Music

In Their Words: “A lot of my influence as a songwriter comes from torch songs. Keith Whitley sang a lot of them, like ‘I’ll Be Your Stepping Stone’ with J.D. Crowe & the New South. Songs of eternal pining for a love. ‘Who I Am’ is a torch song with a lot more brutal honesty to the torcheé. I started playing this version supporting John Hiatt on the road in 2019. It’s as bare-bones as a song can get.” — Adam Chaffins

Photo credit: Melissa Stillwell

LISTEN: The Texicana Mamas, “Lo Siento Mi Vida”

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Artist: The Texicana Mamas (Tish Hinojosa, Stephanie Urbina Jones, and Patricia Vonne)
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Song: “Lo Siento Mi Vida”
Album: The Texicana Mamas
Release Date: August 21, 2020
Label: The Texicana Mamas

In Their Words: “I was hooked on Linda Ronstadt’s music from the first time I heard ‘Different Drum’ in 1967 when I was 12 years old. When I heard her sing ‘Lo Siento Mi Vida’ for the first time in 1976; as a fledgling folk singer myself at that time, I grew a whole new admiration for her artistry as a writer, as a sister, as a Latina. This poignant, tender song sung in Spanish captured the perfect essence of the romanticism of the beautiful Spanish language and sentiment. I am so pleased that our group, The Texicana Mamas, had the opportunity to pay tribute to Linda though recording her song.” — Tish Hinojosa, The Texicana Mamas

Photo credit: Emma Trejo

LISTEN: Ashley Ray, “Lawrence, Kansas”

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Artist: Ashley Ray
Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas
Song: “Lawrence, Kansas”
Album: Pauline
Release Date: August 14, 2020
Label: Soundly Music

In Their Words: “‘Lawrence, Kansas is a love letter to my hometown. Sean McConnell and I wrote it at a time that I was coming up on living one half of my life there and one half of my life in Nashville. It really made me stop and think about how much I don’t want to lose my roots, I don’t want my memories of home to fade, I don’t want to lose my twang, I don’t want to forget how to get from one town to the next by way of all the back roads. Which made me think of what my Dad always told my sister and me on those back roads, ‘If you ever lose your way back home, look for Blue Mound Tower and remember we live north of there.'” — Ashley Ray

Photo credit: Electra King

WATCH: First Aid Kit, “On the Road Again”

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Artist: First Aid Kit
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Song: “On the Road Again”
Release Date: August 14, 2020

In Their Words: “We’re excited to release our version of ‘On the Road Again’ by Willie Nelson. We recorded this cover a couple of years ago and recently found it while digging through the archives. The song is a country classic, it feels like we’ve known it forever. Because of the situation with COVID, sadly, the theme of the song has never felt more relevant than it does today.

“We made a video for the song using cellphone footage from our tours throughout the years. Going through all those videos made us emotional. It made us realize how much we appreciate being able to roam freely around the world. How much we love the feeling of playing live for people, in the flesh. How much we miss our incredible band and crew.

“All the proceeds from the streaming of the song will go to Crew Nation. So much of the magic happens behind the stage. It’s easily taken for granted, but without our touring and venue crew live music wouldn’t be possible. It’s important that we help them out right now. Oh, how we wish we could get back on the road again! Hopefully we’ll see you down the road sometime soon.” — Johanna and Klara Söderberg, First Aid Kit

Photo credit: Nirrimi Firebrace

LISTEN: Bella White, “All I Gave to You”

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Artist: Bella White
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta, Canada; now living in Nashville
Song: “All I Gave to You”
Album: Just Like Leaving
Release Date: September 25, 2020

In Their Words: “‘All I Gave To You’ feels explicitly gentle to me. However, underneath all that sweetness, there is definitely a tinge of heat. A little fire burning in 18-year-old Bella. I wrote it about being far away from something that I wanted so badly and for all I know, irrationally. A puppy love interest. It talks about wanting to be wanted, or better yet wondering if you’re wanted… a common theme in songwriting. Something I believe to be extremely human. Wanting to feel revered and liked. Especially by those that you’re fond of. In retrospect, I wrote ‘All I Gave To You’ when I was 18 and liked a boy, wasn’t sure if he liked me back, and then tried to be a poet about it.” — Bella White

Photo credit: Sheena Zillinski

BGS 5+5: Twisted Pine

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Artist: Twisted Pine
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Latest album: Right Now (August 14, 2020)
Personal nicknames: Kathleen Parks is KP or Kat. Dan Bui is Fireball or Bu Nasty. Anh Phung is Lil Phungus. Chris Sartori is Moose.

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

I would definitely say dance has had a big influence on how I hear, feel, and listen to music. I started out as an Irish dancer before I picked up the violin and I studied dance up until the year before I had to pick what kind of art school I would apply for. Would I study music or dance? I guess you can figure out the outcome, but I’m thankful to have studied it for so long because it definitely has influenced my groove, and feel. Anh is a great dancer too! Who knows, maybe one of these days we’ll work up some moves for a TWP set! — Kat

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

I grew up with classical music lessons: first on piano and then violin. I wasn’t super passionate about it, but I didn’t hate it either. One Saturday, I happened to see Sam Bush playing on PBS, and knew I wanted a mandolin. As soon as I got it, a Fender A-Style with a pickup, a couple of friends came over with drums and electric bass. We jammed for hours and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a musician. — Dan

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

There’s obviously too many to choose from but maybe one of the more ridiculous ones was a 5 minute appearance in a choir singing “B*tches Ain’t Sh*t” by Dr. Dre on the “Just for a Laughs” live television special, “XXX: The Nasty Show,” accompanied by Ben Folds and hosted by Bob Saget. What a hoot! — Anh

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

I would take Prince to the Highland Kitchen in Somerville (Mass.) for brunch. We have a shared passion for breakfast; I wonder what he would think about their pancakes (they are the best ever). — Chris

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

Growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley I had pretty direct access to little mountains, trails, and the Hudson River. I always feel grounded after going for a hike, and being able to view a sunset, and a clear night sky really seems to impact my lyrics and how I get musically inspired. What I love most is when the band can stay in a cabin during tour, I feel cozy and comfy and I love being able to hear the sound of crickets nearby. That’s the stuff! — Kat

Photo credit: Joanna Chattman

LISTEN: Golden Shoals, “Old Buffalo”

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Artist: Golden Shoals
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Old Buffalo”
Album: Golden Shoals
Release Date: August 7, 2020
Label: Self-released, distributed by Free Dirt

In Their Words: “This one fits in a genre I like to call Cowboy Existentialism. You’ve got imagery like buffalo, coyotes, hobos, and trains. The cheerful mood of the song belies themes of economic inequality, and the burden of worldly possessions, summed up in lines like ‘it’s mighty hard to catch your meal when you ain’t had enough to eat.’ The melodies and cadences of this song are derived, intentionally or not, from old American fiddle tunes like ‘Roll Boys Roll’ and ‘Booth Shot Lincoln.’

“I originally wrote it with clawhammer banjo as the accompaniment, but I had really been searching for a song to do with two guitars as a faster breakdown to showcase the style of flatpicking I love to do. We’re really emulating the two-guitar style of Norman and Nancy Blake here. They have always been a major influence on us. Norman is one of my favorite guitar players, along with Doc Watson and Michael Daves. I’m not a big fan of the more modern bluegrass guitar players; I gravitate toward those whose playing is more rooted in the old-time square dance fiddle style — very rhythmic, very driving, a little dirty.

“Playing a ’33 Gibson L-00 helps me get the sound I want too. Nothing like the growl a well-loved Gibson has to it. This guitar also fits my body better. I’m not a large person, and although I love dreadnaughts, a 00 body size is way more comfortable for me.” — Mark Kilianski, Golden Shoals

Photo credit: Kyle Wolff

LISTEN: Bettye LaVette, “Blues for the Weepers”

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Artist: Bettye LaVette
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan; now lives in West Orange, New Jersey
Song: “Blues for the Weepers” (originally sung by Della Reese in 1965)
Album: Blackbirds
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Label: Verve Records

In Their Words: “I’ve performed at a lot of places. I’ve sung at all types of venues, but I’ve also sung at a bingo game and a Chinese restaurant and performed for all types of people. But I’ve been one of the weeping ones because of the career and ups and downs. But I’m still here.” — Bettye LaVette

Photo credit: Joseph A. Rosen

LISTEN: Darlingside, “A Light on in the Dark”

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Artist: Darlingside
Hometown: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Song: “A Light on in the Dark”
Album: Fish Pond Fish
Release Date: October 9, 2020
Label: Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “The lyrics open with the question, ‘Are you swimming with the fish pond fish, looking for oceans in the saltlessness?’ When we wrote that, we were thinking about social atomization and the idea that people become trapped in these false enclosures — fish ponds of our own making. The world outside one’s home or even outside one’s self can become a darkness to be warded off and shut out, and I’ve certainly been guilty of turning inward and making the world even darker as a result. But I’m desperate to break that cycle and I think a lot of people are; a light can’t shine only on itself. When the pandemic started, suddenly that idea of shutting out the world became in one sense much more real, and we really did become trapped in our own physical little fish ponds — but I think it also heightened our desperation and willingness to turn outward, to really connect with one another wholeheartedly.

“The second verse pulls some ideas from a writing exercise in which I was given a prompt to write about being a ‘cellar master’ and so I wrote a sort of open love letter to my plumber, who embodies a number of traits and competences that I lack. The tune itself has been around since 2016 and was originally sung over an arpeggiating line from a little synthesizer called a Septavox. We ended up stripping away that synth part in favor of more traditional instruments, with the exception of one section where Auyon meticulously recreated the synth line using sped-up, plucked violin.” — Dave Senft, Darlingside

Photo credit: Robb Stey