Artist:Caitlin Canty Hometown: Danby, Vermont Song: “Bird Dog” Featuring Matt Lorenz Album:Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove Release Date: June 26, 2025 (single); October 2, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Bird Dog’ is the most recent single from my new record, Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove, and features the intrepid Matt Lorenz as my duet partner. It is pure joy to sing with Matt (you likely know him best as The Suitcase Junket). Matt and I first met at Club Passim’s Campfire open mic years ago, and he sang backing vocals on my Reckless Skyline way back in 2015. We were long past due making music again, and his fiery vocals are an essential thread in my new record coming this October.
“Brian Carroll, who filmed and edited this video, has been such a steadfast creative partner behind the lens and microphone. I first got to know his work when he shot some gorgeous live videos in lightning fast sessions at Green Mountain Bluegrass and Roots and I’m thrilled to be working with him on some live video versions of songs from Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove.
“I wrote the chorus of ‘Bird Dog’ a few years back when I lived in Nashville and then finished it at our new home in the mountains in Southern Vermont. Our dog Bell sparked the song with her barking and carried on through much of the writing process. I suppose that makes her my muse?” – Caitlin Canty
Video Credits: Caitlin Canty – Vocals, guitar Matt Lorenz – Vocals, guitar Filmed and edited by Brian Carroll. Mixed by Dave Sinko.
Photo Credit: Lead image by Brian Carroll; alternate image by Laura Partain.
Your weekly dose of brand new roots music is here – You Gotta Hear This!
Our West Coast friends, The Brothers Comatose, kick us off this week with their new single, “Golden Grass.” The title track for their upcoming album, it’s a loping bluegrass number that pays tribute to the special regional string band styles and genre-bending of their home state, California. From the opposite side of the country, Caitlin Canty brings us “Hotter Than Hell,” a nostalgic song about nighttime summer drives, first loves, and first jobs that features fellow Vermonter Matt Lorenz on backing vocals.
We have a couple great new music videos, too, this week. Singer-songwriter Kai Crowe-Getty shares a live performance video of “Dancing on a Razor’s Edge,” a heartfelt original song about grief, loss, that takes inspiration from – as Joni Mitchell would put it – “you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.” Meanwhile, Hillary Reynolds also comes to us from an Americana space with her new track, “Can’t Turn Off My Mind,” a song about insomnia with an accompanying video that demonstrates how, to Reynolds, sleeplessness can become a familiar friend.
Keep scrolling though, because Nashville-based honky-tonker and picker-singer-songwriter Mose Wilson gives an unexpected flair to traditional country with his song, “Since I Lost You.” Wilson’s friend and sometimes bandmate, award-winning bassist Vickie Vaughn, returns to You Gotta Hear This once again with her latest Mountain Home Music Co. single, a fiery, soulful, and plaintive rendition of Vince Gill’s classic, “Liza Jane.” And, from just up the road across town in Nashville, string duo and old-time aficionados Golden Shoals turn their skills to “dad rock” for their pro-worker, anti-work-week summer anthem, “Five Day Weekend.” Of course, it’s just perfect for entering a long holiday weekend.
Country, bluegrass, folk, Americana, and blends of all of the above are all right here on BGS. You Gotta Hear This!
The Brothers Comatose, “Golden Grass”
Artist:The Brothers Comatose Hometown: San Francisco, California Song: “Golden Grass” Album:Golden Grass Release Date: May 21, 2025 (single); September 12, 2025 (album) Label: Swamp Jam Records.
In Their Words: “We wrote ‘Golden Grass’ about the current wave of string bands coming out of California that are creating a new take on an old style of music. They start with their foundations in traditional bluegrass and incorporate folk, rock, and jam elements to form that Western ‘golden grass’ sound. Lots of great string bands have come out of California, like AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Molly Tuttle, and even going back to Old & In the Way who were trailblazers for this type of sound. It’s about taking the heart and soul of bluegrass and infusing it with everything we love about music today.” – Ben Morrison
Caitlin Canty, “Hotter Than Hell”
Artist:Caitlin Canty Hometown: Danby, Vermont Song: “Hotter Than Hell” Album:Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove Release Date: May 22, 2025 (single); October 2, 2025 (album) Label: Distributed by Tone Tree
In Their Words: “This is the first track I’m sharing from my forthcoming record, Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove, out October 2. This song grew from the ground in Vermont, where I was born and raised and have recently returned to raise my little kids. On those hot humid nights before we had air conditioning, my folks would pack us all in the truck and we’d drive along mountain roads with the windows down to cool off. ‘Hotter Than Hell’ is a nostalgic summer throwback to first love, first jobs – those ephemeral firsts seared into memory.
“And making this record was my first time partnering with Sam Kassirer, who produced and played keys. I was nearly 8 months pregnant when we cut the record live at his Great North Sound Society in Maine. I just love to hear fellow Vermonter, Matt Lorenz (The Suitcase Junket) singing his blazing backing vocals on this song.” – Caitlin Canty
Track Credits: Caitlin Canty – Vocals, acoustic guitar, songwriting Jeremy Moses Curtis – Bass Rich Hinman – Electric guitar Sam Kassirer – Piano, organ Matt Lorenz – Backing vocals Ray Rizzo – Drums, percussion
Kai Crowe-Getty, “Dancing on a Razor’s Edge”
Artist:Kai Crowe-Getty Hometown: Nelson County, Virginia Song: “Dancing on a Razor’s Edge” Album:The Wreckage Release Date: May 23, 2025 (single); June 27, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “In my life, I’m not one who does a lot of looking backwards or dwelling in the past with much intention. This song, like several on the record, does exactly that. The Joni Mitchell refrain of ‘don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone’ was a lost inspiration here. My mother died when I was young and this collection of memories, some with her, some without, is trying to make sense of the present in one of my more personal writes. Like many things we avoid, tuck away, wait to face another day, it tends to come out in unexpected floods and fissures as we navigate the grief of it, standing on different shores.” – Kai Crowe-Getty
Video Credits: Filmed by Zach Phillips. Edited by Kai Crowe-Getty.
Golden Shoals, “Five Day Weekend”
Artist:Golden Shoals Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Song: “Five Day Weekend” Album:The Dream and The Hunger Release Date: May 23, 2025
In Their Words: “We live in a world where we’re pushed to our limits of productivity while being sold tons of garbage that we don’t need. At the same time, we could be harnessing AI to do the work that allows humans more leisure time, but Big Tech seems intent on replacing meaningful human work instead. The song just kind of manifested with a dad rock vibe. It details my dream for a world that I think is possible – where we all spend a significant, but not overwhelming, amount of time doing the hard work that a society needs to thrive and the rest of the time taking care of ourselves making the world a great place to live in.” – Mark Kilianski
Track Credits: Mark Kilianski – Electric guitar, vocals, songwriting Amy Alvey – Fiddle, vocals Chris Sartori – Electric bass Alex Bice – Drum kit, cowbell
Hillary Reynolds, “Can’t Turn Off My Mind”
Artist:Hillary Reynolds Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin (for the summer) and Los Angeles, California (for the winter) Song: “Can’t Turn Off My Mind” Album:Changing Seasons Release Date: May 22, 2025 (single); August 8, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Can’t Turn Off My Mind’ ended up being the first song I wrote for my album. It came in stages. I wrote the first half by myself and when I felt like it needed fresh energy, I turned to my dear friend and fellow artist, Madison Malone, for a little nudge. Simply put, ‘Can’t Turn Off My Mind’ is a song about insomnia. I love how the narrative has evolved over time. Since finishing this song, Madison and I have become mothers and insomnia has taken on a new meaning, becoming a familiar friend – whether it was breast feeding and watching Schitt’s Creek in the wee hours of the morning or having an endless to-do list running through my brain at 3 a.m., I love that this song is the first single, setting the tone of my forthcoming morning album, Changing Seasons.” – Hillary Reynolds
Track Credits: Hillary Reynolds – Vocals, piano, songwriting Madison Malone – Background vocals Benjamin Kopf – Acoustic guitar, bass, singing bowl Tom Shewmake – Octave mandolin Matt Musty – Percussion Jim Frink – Drums
Video Credit: Directed and filmed by New Normal Studios.
Vickie Vaughn, “Liza Jane”
Artist:Vickie Vaughn Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Liza Jane” Release Date: May 23, 2025 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I’ve loved Vince Gill’s ‘Liza Jane’ since I heard it on local country radio when I was little. His version is so iconic and playful and the groove is intoxicating. I wanted to take to the song and add some serious drama, giving it a little bit of a darker vibe and instead of just singing about Liza Jane, I wanted to be pleading and angry and desperate about her.” – Vickie Vaughn
Track Credits: Vickie Vaughn – Upright bass, lead vocal Cody Kilby – Guitar Casey Campbell – Mandolin Wes Corbett – Banjo Dave Racine – Drums Deanie Richardson – Fiddle Lillie Mae Rische – Harmony vocal Frank Rische – Harmony vocal
Mose Wilson, “Since I Lost You”
Artist:Mose Wilson Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Since I Lost You” Album:That’s Love Release Date: May 28, 2025 (single); July 17, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Since I Lost You’ is unlike anything I’ve released before. It’s a bridge between worlds – a song that could invite listeners from outside the traditional country audience to experience something new and unexpected. It’s a story of love lost told with a groove that’s both timeless and entirely my own.” – Mose Wilson
Track Credits: Henry Long – Keyboards Norbert McGettigan – Bass John Papageourgiou – Drums Will Johnson – Electric guitar Stephen “Tebbs” Kearney – Dobro Mose Wilson – Vocals, acoustic guitar
Photo Credit: Brothers Comatose by Jessie McCall; Caitlin Canty by Laura Partain.
Artist: The Suitcase Junket Hometown: Amherst, Massachusetts Song: “Last Man on the Moon” Album:The End Is New Release Date: November 20, 2020 Label: Renew Records/BMG
In Their Words: “The first version I wrote of this song was an almost entirely sci-fi scenario about a guy who got sent to the moon with a bunch of other people to set up a colony there, because we’d messed up earth so badly. It was a little heavy-handed. So I took it back to the shed and reworked it. I still liked the imagery of the Last Man on the Moon, but figured it would work better as a metaphor for that big lost feeling of not being with the one you love. I tried to write it so it could be heard both ways, as a love song or a sci-fi fantasy. I usually keep both in mind when I play it.” — Matt Lorenz, The Suitcase Junket
In Their Words: “A couple years ago I started working on a song and wrote the line ‘I made some moonshine.’ I hadn’t ever made moonshine so I kind of figured I didn’t have any business putting it in a song, but being the stubborn and curious sort I decided to go ahead and make the stuff instead of scrapping the song. I had been making wine and mead for a few years and had a basement full of bottles, some good, some questionable, some just bad. I made myself a stovetop still and turned a bunch of weird wine into even weirder moonshine. Then I finished the song. It came out better than the hooch.” — Matt Lorenz, The Suitcase Junket
Photo credit: David Jackson
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