Tag: georgia

LISTEN: Adam Klein, “Bright Rails Shine”

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Artist: Adam Klein
Hometown: ATL-via-Athens, Georgia
Song: “Bright Rails Shine”
Album: Holidays in United States
Release Date: April 7, 2023
Label: Cowboy Angel Music

In Their Words: “For more than a few years I’d had some three-word phrase I’ve already forgotten tied to the brief melody the words ‘bright rails shine’ are sung to, and out of nowhere during the process of writing songs for the album the ‘bright rails’ lyric came to mind and blended with that melody. Then it was off to the races (over the course of some weeks) on a mystique-filled travelogue in my mind upon the rails of the varied expanse of America in hopes of writing an ode to the promise of this great land and its people.

“The song was originally recorded by Will Robertson at his Gallop Studios in Atlanta, and he’s on upright bass. Bret Hartley played some gorgeous swell-filled electric guitar and Colin Agnew’s drums have a bounce that’s somewhere between a train chug and a gallop. We recorded together live and it felt good. Then to lift it up, Bronson Tew further produced, mixed, and mastered the song (along with the rest of the album). Jay Gonzalez added some high, light piano and a spacey organ sound he called a ‘Gypsy Grinder,’ or something of the sort, which added a really unique tone.

“I couldn’t imagine ending the album with any other song. Holidays is a bit of an intense ride and these songs challenge us in a way. But ‘Bright Rails’ reminds us of what we can be, what we have to lose, and leads us off gently into a place of age-old hope and promise. It’s as good a place to start as finish, I think, so I’m pleased it can be shared here and help usher in the record on the brink of the album release. The lyric video was created by filmmaker Jeff Shipman, my good friend and longtime collaborator.” — Adam Klein

Photo Credit: Sean Dunn

LISTEN: John McCutcheon, “The First Ones”

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Artist: John McCutcheon
Hometown: Smoke Rise, Georgia
Song: “The First Ones”
Album: Leap!
Release Date: September 2, 2022
Label: Appalsongs

In Their Words: “My wife Carmen and I have a little cabin in the north Georgia mountains, a writing retreat. It stands on land that is, historically, belonging to the Tsalaguwetiyi, the Eastern Cherokee Nation. One day I sat on the porch and wondered at the very first humans to come to this particular land. I later learned that the camp of Chief Whitepath, the leader of the people that settled there, was just below our cabin. I guess we both found shelter, peace, and home in the same spot.

“This is one that I did not record in my home studio, but rather when I came up to mix at Bias Studios in Virginia. I played all the instruments on this one, so I laid down the guitar, sang, and then added the autoharp at the end. I went all Carter Family on this one, as the melody is a little reminiscent of ‘When First Unto This Country,’ a traditional song I know. I played for many years with Janette Carter, the daughter of AP and Sara Carter of the original Carter Family, so that approach to a song is built into my musical DNA. Being as it was a song about finding a sense of ‘home’ in a place, it seemed a natural place to go for this one.” — John McCutcheon

Photo Credit: Eric Petersen

LISTEN: Kimberly Morgan York, “Another Lover”

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Artist: Kimberly Morgan York
Hometown: Athens, Georgia
Song: “Another Lover”
Album: Keep on Goin’
Release Date: July 22, 2022

In Their Words: “You know rock ‘n’ roll and marriage is a difficult combination and always a little messy. This song was inspired by a workplace romance that occurred during a long separation from my then-husband. I was ready to leave the marriage, but we decided not to give up…to work things out. When we did, I had to put an end to the affair. The object of my short-lived affection was very quick to find my replacement….who happened to be another musician. I’m pretty sure that romance didn’t go very far or last very long either, but it broke my heart a little bit. The marriage for which I left the tryst also did not last.” — Kimberly Morgan York

Team Clermont · Kimberly Morgan York – “Another Lover”

Photo Credit: Adam Smith

WATCH: Lera Lynn, “Illusion”

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Artist: Lera Lynn
Hometown: Athens, Georgia; now lives in Nashville
Song: “Illusion”
Album: Something More Than Love
Release Date: July 15, 2022

In Their Words: “It’s a rare and deeply beautiful feeling to think you could allow someone to get close enough to commit to each other in a really meaningful way. I’ve only ever had that feeling for one person and it felt like an idea that had been written into existence before me; like I was just following a path I was meant to take; such a beautifully alarming feeling that I struggled to believe it. ‘Illusion’ is the beginning of the story of Something More Than Love and is set against a backdrop of dreamy synths, punchy drums and bass and the sound of my ’60s electric guitar. … It doesn’t feel like a new direction to me. It just feels like a progression. My fans have come to expect a new experience with each new album. I think people are ready for this sound and this energy. I certainly am.” — Lera Lynn

Photo Credit: Alyssa Gafkjen

LISTEN: The Little Roy & Lizzy Show, “Time for Me to Fly” (REO Speedwagon Cover)

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Artist: The Little Roy & Lizzy Show
Hometown: Lincolnton, Georgia
Song: “Time for Me to Fly”
Album: Welcome to the Show
Release Date: April 29, 2022
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “The song ‘Time for Me to Fly’ is one of my favorite cuts on this new album, Welcome to the Show. I love the story behind it and the feeling. It is toe-tapping good. It was fun to arrange an REO Speedwagon song and make it bluegrass — and also leaning on Dolly Parton’s version to make it have that excitement! The whole album is amazingly fun and uplifting. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did making it.” — Lizzy Long, The Little Roy & Lizzy Show

Crossroads Label Group · 08 Time For Me To Fly

Photo Credit: Lauren Tankersley Palmer

LISTEN: Edgar Loudermilk, “The Deal That Won’t Go Down”

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Artist: Edgar Loudermilk Band
Hometown: Eastanollee, Georgia
Song: “The Deal That Won’t Go Down”
Album: The Dark Side of Lonesome
Release Date: March 18, 2022
Label: Rural Rhythms Records/Green Hill Music

In Their Words: “This is a song that I wrote with Zack Autry one night while traveling through the beautiful state of Colorado. We were driving out of Denver on I-70 during a snow storm and saw these big canyon walls. This immediately put us in the mindset to write a western-style cowboy song. It’s about a roving gambler who falls in love with a girl at one of his regular stops. He finds betrayal and catches himself in a bit of trouble.” — Edgar Loudermilk

Photo Credit: Paris Mountain Photography

WATCH: Meg McRee, Adam Chaffins, Brit Taylor, Ben Chapman, “Gone as It Gets”

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Artists: Meg McRee, Adam Chaffins, Brit Taylor, Ben Chapman
Hometowns: Sugar Hill, Ga. (McRee); Louisa, Ky. (Chaffins); Knotts Co., Ky. (Taylor); Lafayette, Ga. (Chapman)
Song: “Gone as It Gets”
Release date: January 12, 2022

In Their Words: “I can hear each and every one of us in it which can be very hard to accomplish when writing a song with four people. We all listened back the next day and felt that we had created something pretty special.” — Meg McRee

“Sometimes in songwriting you can tell a good song is about to come just by the company in the room. Once the groove got started when we all sat down together this song just appeared, then we got together to record it and and the same thing happened and the track came to life.” — Adam Chaffins

“‘Gone as It Gets’ is a melodic journey taken by four friends who got together just to make music. There was no hidden agenda — just a shared commitment to enjoying each other’s company and talents while having a good time and making good music. ‘Gone as It Gets’ is confirmation that when the music business becomes more music and less business, the really good stuff happens.” — Brit Taylor

“We found that when you put four songwriters in a room with homemade cornbread, whiskey, and a mutual respect for the ones that came before, you can end up with something pretty special. Organic, classic, timeless. We’re releasing this song in honor of the first Peach Jam of the year with Adam Chaffins and Brit Taylor as the special guests. I started doing my Peach Jam show in 2021 with the intention of bringing friends and music folk together to turn on, tune in, and drop out. This year I’ll be hosting my Peach Jam residency at The Basement in Nashville on the second Wednesday of every month for all of 2022. Can’t think of a better way to kick it off.” — Ben Chapman

Photo Credit: Fernando Garcia

LISTEN: Caleb Lee Hutchinson, “I Must Be Right”

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Artist: Caleb Lee Hutchinson
Hometown: Dallas, Georgia
Song: “I Must Be Right”
Album: Slot Machine Syndrome
Release Date: September 17, 2021

In Their Words: “‘I Must Be Right’ is a song I wrote with the incredible Trey Hensley on Zoom during the middle of 2020. I have been a fan of Trey for quite some time and was very excited to write with one of my favorite guitar pickers of all time. I tried to bring some kind of guitar lick into the write, which ended up being what you hear in the first few seconds of the song. Trey had the idea for the lyric and it only took us maybe an hour to write it. Trey is such an amazing writer and player so it didn’t take much for us to write a song like ‘I Must Be Right.’ It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written as a result.” — Caleb Lee Hutchinson
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Photo credit: Don VanCleave

LISTEN: Swamptooth, “The Owl Theory”

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Artist: Swamptooth
Hometown: Savannah, Georgia
Song: “The Owl Theory”
Album: B-Flat Earth
Release Date: September 17, 2021

In Their Words: “This song was written by guitarist Jay Rudd. In the Netflix series The Staircase, crime novelist Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife who was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their home. A few years later a neighbor brought forth a new theory that an owl had attacked Peterson’s wife on her way inside the home and she had fallen down the stairs during the resulting confusion. Many have argued that the theory is plausible due to evidence such as microscopic owl feathers found in her hand. This song manifested after visualizing the owl attack and subsequent fall down the staircase.” — Swamptooth

Photo credit: Kelly Roetto

LISTEN: Ben Bostick, “Like Old People Do”

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Artist: Ben Bostick
Hometown: Born in Beaufort, South Carolina. Currently resides in Lilburn, Georgia
Song: “Like Old People Do”
Album: Grown Up Love
Release Date: August 20, 2021

In Their Words: “My friend Pam Hobby, a great songwriter herself, came to one of my shows, and we were chatting between sets. She told me that she and her boyfriend had been down in the Keys doing nothing, sitting at the end of the dock on rocking chairs and watching the sunset ‘like old people do.’ My songwriter brain latched onto that phrase and immediately started writing the song. I think I had it mostly written by the time I played my next set. It was a perfect sentiment for my life.

“My wife Cari and I had been rushing around to doctor’s appointments, therapies, pharmacies, going sleepless with a newborn and also our oldest daughter’s Carmela’s terrible sleep disturbances (due to Rett Syndrome), and generally going at a hundred miles an hour. We needed to slow down just to maintain our sanity. We needed to take a page out of the old people’s book of love, and just sit still, saying nothing, holding hands like old people do. Of course taking a vacation to the coast with two babies during COVID wasn’t possible, because of so many different reasons, but this song helped us realize that we needed to take a breath whenever possible.” — Ben Bostick

Photo credit: Carey Hood