Tag: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

LISTEN: Dusky Waters, “How Will We Know?”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Dusky Waters
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Song: “How Will We Know?”
Album: Pass It On
Release Date: June 9, 2023

In Their Words: “I am so excited to share the song ‘How Will We Know?’ as the final teaser to the album, Pass It On, that will be released on Friday, June 9! This album captures many special and pivotal moments in time for me and my perspective on navigating the 2020s as a black, southern, millennial woman. I was inspired to write this song during a hiking trip in the Smoky Mountains. The beauty, awe, and uncertainty I experienced on that journey provided some really fitting parallels to the progression and ending of a long-term relationship, which you can hear in the song. My favorite moment on the track is the ending, which features a piano solo by Tommy Henson. Tommy began playing with the band about a year and a half ago and has already left his mark on our sound and brand of Americana. I hope you enjoy the track and also check out the rest of the album when it comes out on Friday!” – Dusky Waters

Photo Credit: Analiese De Saw

LISTEN: Shay Martin Lovette, “Parkway Bound”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Shay Martin Lovette
Hometown: Boone, North Carolina
Song: “Parkway Bound”
Album: Scatter & Gather
Release Date: May 14, 2021

In Their Words: “This song is a tip of the hat to the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs from Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the western edge of North Carolina near Cherokee, to Shenandoah National Park at Rockfish Gap. I consider myself lucky to live near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Boone, North Carolina, and find myself in constant awe of the landscape that this region offers. In ‘Parkway Bound,’ I wanted to capture the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the dead of winter. To me, the hiking trails and scenery in this area offer a means of escape from the confines of normal life and as I got further along in the writing process, I was drawn to the imagery of someone leaving their troubles behind and setting out for the Parkway as I have done so many times. The music could be said to be influenced more by great narrative writers like Norman Blake and Slaid Cleaves than your standard folkies, but there’s a little Townes Van Zandt and Gram Parsons in there.” — Shay Martin Lovette

Photo credit: Julianna Liegel