Tag: Folk

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

LISTEN: Shovels & Rope, “C’mon Utah” (Acoustic)

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Artist: Shovels & Rope
Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina
Song: “C’mon Utah” (Acoustic Version)
Album: By Blood Deluxe Edition
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Label: Dualtone

In Their Words: “Presenting the campfire version of this traveler’s journey atop a magical horse named Utah, who leads him on a quest through the southern Midwest back to his family from whom he’s been separated by a heinous, authoritarian evildoer.” —Michael Trent & Cary Ann Hearst, Shovels & Rope

Photo credit: Mike Crackerfarm

LISTEN: Evelyn Cools, “Yosemite”

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Artist: Evelyn Cools
Hometown: Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Song: “Yosemite”
Album: Misfit Paradise
Release Date: August 14, 2020
Label: Head Bitch Music

In Their Words: “Although I have lived in cities most of my life, nature has always been my main source of inspiration, grounding, and happiness. Yosemite National Park in particular has had a huge impact on how I perceive the natural world and our role as humans in protecting it. I wrote the song ‘Yosemite’ as a sonic representation of what it feels like to drive through the park, starting out slow and peaceful, and building toward the overwhelming moment when the valley opens up to you as if out of nowhere. It is the truest ode to nature I have written so far, and a conversation starter for the preservation and protection of natural lands. To date, it is one of my favorite songs to listen to, play at home, and perform at concerts, and I hope it resonates with all those who yearn for a deeper connection with our planet.” — Evelyn Cools

Photo credit: Tye Edwards

BGS 5+5: Gangstagrass

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Artist: Gangstagrass
Homebase: Brooklyn, New York
Latest album: No Time for Enemies
Personal nicknames: Rench the Mastermind, Dolio the Sleuth, R-SON the Voice of Reason, Danjo, B.E. Farrow

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

Back in the Before Time when we were on tour, before getting on stage we huddle up and put our fists in the center, and one of us will start giving a pump-up speech — equal parts church revival preaching and championship game coach pep talk, with some swearing thrown in, and then shout “Gangstagrass!” while we lift our fists up, very much like a little league team huddling before a game. Before that, Dolio the Sleuth does 300 push ups to get the adrenaline going, R-SON creates an R2-D2 replica out of toothpicks and glue, and I set up a poison capsule triggered by a Geiger counter next to a radioactive atom so that we play the entire set in a quantum state. But our huddle is always a good little energy focuser to bring us together for a moment before we step on stage. — Rench

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

Earth. I’m a country boy, born and raised in a tradition of pulling nourishment from and communing with the outdoors, so I spend a lot of time in my garden. It helps to keep me grounded and centered, and serves as a sacred space, a place where I can take the gifts of sunlight, soil, and water to raise and enjoy my private Eden. That spiritual centering allows me to focus my pen into channeling the energy I want to deliver unto others … and whenever I can: water. Because I’m from a place on the Gulf, I feel my most comfortable when near a body of water. I tune in to the rhythm of the waves or the trickle of the currents and it turns to music in my mind. — Dolio the Sleuth

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

Comic books. All day. It’s rare to find a verse of mine that doesn’t have at least one comics reference. The comics universe is full of interesting characters and references that allow for it to fit and be used a hundred different ways for a hundred different meanings. The best part is when someone in an audience catches one of those references. It makes me know that they’re paying attention and digging what I’m saying. — R-SON the Voice of Reason

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

I grew up listening to my dad play in a bluegrass band, so music was always in the house. I think I wanted to be a musician as early as I could want anything. — Danjo

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

Special butterflies fly to special places so always follow the oddest path. — Farrow

Photo credit: Melodie Yvonne

LISTEN: The Weeping Willows, “Wheels Won’t Roll”

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Artist: The Weeping Willows
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Song: “Wheels Won’t Roll”
Release Date: August 14, 2020 (Single)

In Their Words: “Penned in 2019, ‘Wheels Won’t Roll’ is our ‘accidental isolation song’ about feeling stuck in a rut (we owe 2019 an apology!) Early last year we were spinning our wheels, struggling to move forward, crippled by self-doubt and writer’s block. But despite all that, we longed to be back out on the open road… ‘Wheels’ is our folkie homage to the great Australian song, ‘Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)’ written by Kevin Johnson, made famous by Mac Davis.” — Laura Coates and Andrew Wrigglesworth, The Weeping Willows

Photo credit: Lachlan Bryan