Tag: Joshua Shoemaker

WATCH: Banditos, “Here Tonight”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Banditos
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama; now in Nashville
Song: “Here Tonight”
Album: Right On
Release Date: May 20, 2022
Label: Egghunt Records

In Their Words: “We’ve been in Nashville about 10 years now, but all came up in Alabama — the outskirts of Birmingham mainly. When we moved we all made the jump together. We were staying in a band house to cut cost of rent & be able to tour more, so naturally we moved into a house all together in Nashville. Our dear friend, Joshua Shoemaker, who grew up with us in those Birmingham outskirts, also lived in those houses & made that jump with us as well. He pushed us to make the move as he was expanding his career as a filmmaker. We had our friends’ bands come stay with us at our house. Banditos would play shows with them. Joshua would film videos. It was simpatico.

Long story long we adore this man & he does incredible work. He’s done several live videos with us over the years, but never a narrative. It’s always been a dream to make it happen & I think the excitement shines through. We had an amazing team, hired some really star actors from Facebook & it turned out beautifully. The song itself kind of throws back to our Birmingham days where we’d be at a bar & you’d see the lonely & ornery drink themselves dry at the end of the table. This one is about finding hope in those dark places & letting yourself love yourself despite life’s circumstances.” — Mary Beth Richardson, Banditos

Photo Credit: Citizen Wayne Kane

With the “Modern Woman” Music Video, Erin Rae Lifts Up Her Own Community

Posted on by Editor

Erin Rae’s compelling new music video for “Modern Woman” is a wake-up call that not only addresses the dated norms and expectations women are subjected to, but also celebrates the array of creative pursuits, career paths, and artistic journeys of women in her Nashville community. Shuffling back and forth from Rae miming a performance of her song to images of business owners, artists, and creatives, the song’s message is reinforced as the concept comes to life. Like the eyebrow-raising way in which you realize a co-worker is being rude but won’t get a clue, Erin Rae delivers “Modern Woman” with an irritated niceness that shows how silly it is to think that a person’s gender alone defines their individuality or their roles in society. The new track comes from her upcoming album, Lighten Up, out on February 4.

“‘Modern Woman’ from the start is meant to be a little cheeky, coming from me, a white femme-presenting woman, but it just sort of spilled out one day in the kitchen during the pandemic,” she has said. “It’s been so incredibly powerful to witness the discussion and evolution of gender norms through my peers and friends, as well as the representation of all bodies breaking more and more into mainstream media. The song is basically a speech to a figurative person who is uncomfortable with the disintegration of a tired definition of what it means to be a woman. With the video, Joshua Shoemaker and I wanted to celebrate and represent our friends in the community who relate to the term ‘woman’ in different capacities, and basically brag on the diverse community of small business owners Nashville holds, and the work they are all doing to push Nashville forward, often against its will, into this new world of inclusivity.”

Look for the new album, Lighten Up, on February 4 via Thirty Tigers.

Photo Credit: Bridgette Aikens

WATCH: Langhorne Slim, “Life Is Confusing”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Langhorne Slim
Hometown: Langhorne, Pennsylvania
Song: “Life Is Confusing”
Album: Lost at Last, Vol. 1
Label: Dualtone

In Their Words: “In my opinion, one of the most profound and beautiful gifts of art and music is that we as individuals can be moved, even changed by the same song or painting for countless different reasons and all of ‘em are as real as the next. At the risk of sounding like an overly precious ass face, the real damn truth at least for me is that I have no actual idea where songs come from most of the time. I’ve always viewed it as being a vessel whose job for reasons I wouldn’t pretend to understand is to channel something that comes from somewhere else. It’s a difficult thing to articulate but most of my own favorite songs were essentially given to me. My only real contribution was to be open enough at that particular time to receive it and not get in its way.

“‘Life is Confusing’ is an almost perfect example of what I’m trying to get at. I don’t even fully remember writing it. What I do remember is driving home one day and getting a strong sense that a song was waiting for me. In my experience in situations like that, I lose track of time to the extent that I couldn’t tell you for sure if it took minutes or hours to write. Casey Jane was in town visiting and I remember her walking into the living room at some point and started to sing along with me.

“I knew immediately that I was gonna need her to come out to Stinson and record it with me and I had absolutely no conscious desire to write a song for she and I to sing together at that particular point… The song took on an undeniable new depth that made it far more powerful and personal, at least to me. I had thought without a doubt the song was about me and her and maybe it was but Trump was elected right around the time the record came out and I’ll just say I was very thankful I hadn’t submitted a quote for it.” –Langhorne Slim

“This was an interesting video to make. We would interview people around town, asking them about fireworks (it was around 4th of July) and other random topics to use out of context. Afterwards, we would explain what the purpose would really be. Most people were receptive to it, some were not pleased and really wished we were making a documentary on potholes.” –Joshua Shoemaker

Photo credit: Harvey Robinson