Tag: Nashville

BGS 5+5: Kevin Daniel

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Artist: Kevin Daniel
Hometown: Born in Tarboro, North Carolina; currently in Nashville, Tennessee
Latest Album: The Life & Adventures of Kevin Daniel
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Lol, Kevin Daniel & The Danielettes is one I force on my band sometimes (we go by Kevin Daniel & The Bottom Line when I play full band)

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Historically I would have to say Elvis Presley due to his general stage presence and vocal abilities, but lately I’ve been way more interested in songwriting, which Elvis notoriously did not do a lot of. Currently Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers are my biggest lyrical influences, as well as Langhorne Slim who is honestly as much a poet as he is a singer. They all put truth to words in a way that seems genuine and can touch a wide variety of people and personalities.

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

This might seem silly, but at the end of every show I play with a full band (The Bottom Line) I make sure to go up to each of them before we leave the stage to thank them. I don’t have a set band, it’s always a different setup, and I know these guys could be playing with someone else, so I just make sure to let them know I enjoyed and appreciated them before we start breaking down for the night.

What has been the best advice you’ve received in your career so far?

I don’t know if I can say this, but I once saw Margo Price on a panel and her big piece of advice was “don’t be an asshole.” I’ve taken that to heart and I try not to take anything too personally when it comes to my career. It’s easy to get bitter and jaded in the music industry, so not being a jerk can really go a long way with people.

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

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with surfing. Real surfers know how passionate you can get about the sport and how it can really consume you. I spend about six weeks every year taking a break from touring to surf in Costa Rica, write music, and generally not drive more than a mile in any direction. Surfing helps me recollect my thoughts and really just be in the moment, whereas the rest of the year I’m always thinking at least three months ahead.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

I try to be as authentic as possible when I’m performing and writing music. At some point though, you are not as interesting as you think you are, and you need to write about stuff that has nothing to do with you. I think there’s a way to do that authentically but you are in essence writing a piece of fiction. The Kevin Daniel you see on stage is basically me, but generally more nice. In real life, I can be a bit of a grump. I’m working on it.

Photo Credit: China Carracedo

LISTEN: The Rough & Tumble, “Key of G”

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Artist: The Rough & Tumble (Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler)
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Key of G”
Album: Only This Far
Release Date: May 12, 2023

In Their Words: “‘Key of G’ is an upbeat love song about taking it easy with your person and doing what comes naturally. It was written a couple months after we called it quits with drinking, in 2021. There was a daydream Mallory had years before that she documented in her journal, where it’s 11 p.m. in a small diner in the middle of nowhere and she’s on her 7th cup of coffee of the day, switched to decaf. For whatever reason, that image stuck with us, and became this strange idea to strive toward — where we were jittery with caffeine and writing and watching the world around us instead of cutting off our senses with a nightcap.

“While we don’t necessarily think of ourselves as ‘sober,’ knowing that term comes with its own implications, we instead have attached ourselves to the idea of ‘simpler.’ Sparkling water instead of a G&T. Popcorn instead of a fancy charcuterie board. While we are still mostly keeping our coffee to the morning — and usually to one or two cups a day — the romantic notion of coffee in the evening still stands. And now, instead of a jittery dressed-all-in-black tortured writer, we’re a couple of kids in love, still testing the boundaries, but in a way that’s good for who we are and what we make.

“It’s one of our favorites on the record because the band is just playing so well. It started out as more of a straightforward bluegrass tune at a family campground we pulled into one summer night, and you can still hear a lot of that in there between Mallory’s triplets on her banjulele and Scott’s acoustic guitar. We decided to shoot for more of a ‘classic country’ vibe though for this recording. We’re really glad we did as it gave us room for our producer, Dave Coleman, to play some of those hot licks on his Telecaster and have what Mallory called ‘a guitar fight’ with Scott. Chris Benelli’s drums and Telisha Williams’ bass set the tone and the pace, and give you some of that ‘stomp’ that every good country song has in its roots.” — The Rough & Tumble

Photo Credit: Annie Minicuci Fine Art Photography

WATCH: Brennen Leigh, “Running Out of Hope, Arkansas”

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Artist: Brennen Leigh
Hometown: Moorhead, Minnesota; Austin, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Running Out of Hope, Arkansas”
Album: Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet
Release Date: June 16, 2023
Label: Signature Sounds

In Their Words: “I’m in love with this idea of the real Nashville. The idyllic golden age, which, to me, is around 1967, 1968, because of the alchemy, the explosion that occurred, with the best country music songwriters ever, the best singers in country music. I wrote this with my close friend, Silas Lowe. He’s a writer in Austin and a great musician. I made that trip a million times from Nashville to Austin, and you always pass the exit for Hope, Arkansas. It just hit me one time on that drive, I wondered if anyone had written that title. So we did it. Silas and I were both talking about what it’s like to feel stuck somewhere. So, that’s what that song’s about.” — Brennen Leigh

Photo Credit: Brooke Hamilton

LISTEN: Brandy Clark, “She Smoked in the House”

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Artist: Brandy Clark
Hometown: Morton, Washington; Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “She Smoked in the House”
Album: Buried (produced by Brandi Carlile)
Release Date: May 19, 2023
Label: Warner Records

In Their Words: “I was driving around listening to a lot of Merle Haggard. I got stuck on ‘Are the Good Times Really Over for Good’ for weeks. That song really makes me think of my grandparents and that generation. I just couldn’t get away from it. So I started on a song called ‘They Smoked in the House,’ but I just couldn’t connect with it in the way that I needed to. I remembered someone once telling me that to be general, you must be specific and so I pivoted and started working on ‘SHE Smoked in the House.’ The ‘SHE’ is my grandma Ruth. To this day, my grandma Ruth is my favorite character to ever walk the planet. Looking back, I wrote this song because I was missing her and the things that she valued in life. I never thought that it would ever be on a record. It was for me….but now it’s for you, too.

“This album is a return home to me in many ways. Musically it’s the rawest I’ve been since 12 Stories and maybe even rawer. When Brandi and I sat down and talked about working together, one thing that really intrigued me was her saying ‘I see it as your return to the Northwest.’ (Since the two of us are both from Washington state). That comment inspired so much for me. It took me back to where and how I grew up. ‘Northwest’ and ‘She Smoked in the House’ were both a result of that early conversation. Working with another recording artist on this project was such a gift that I didn’t even know I needed and changed the way I want to write songs and make records moving forward. My hope is that anyone who hears this album will feel the heart that I put into every note of it.” — Brandy Clark

Photo Credit: Victoria Stevens

WATCH: Old Crow Medicine Show, “Louder Than Guns”

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Artist: Old Crow Medicine Show
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Louder Than Guns”
Release Date: April 27, 2023

In Their Words: “When the lives of 6 teachers and students were snuffed out in a couple minutes at Covenant School in Nashville, I knew I had to speak out, and so I sought every opportunity to do so. I wrote the song ‘Louder Than Guns’ and recorded it just a week after the funerals for the slain. Before we recorded the track, I carved their names in my fiddle — Hallie, Evelyn, William, the three 9-year-olds, and Mike, Cynthia, and Katherine, the three educators. I dedicate this song to them because I swore when the shooting came to Nashville I was going to work my hardest to make it the last stop on this runaway train of murders, gun violence, and terror. I stand up not knowing the answers as to how this will be done. I am a musician, not a politician. But I will use my voice from now on to demand the change our communities deserve; won’t you join us in Old Crow Medicine Show and take a stand in your community, too?

“We’re proud to partner with 97Percent, an organization focused on pragmatic, impactful solutions that both non-gun owners and gun owners want, because we recognize the huge importance of getting through the gridlock on the issue of gun violence. Parents across America must set the example for politicians; the time is now for the Left and Right to come together at the bargaining table. As 97Percent believes, we’re never going to make progress without engaging gun owners. Old Crow hopes our partnership will be a calling to gun owners and sportsmen. The time to act is now and both sides simply must come together before the next innocent lives are lost.” — Ketch Secor, Old Crow Medicine Show

Photo Credit: Mallory Cash Photo

WATCH: The Arcadian Wild, “Dopamine”

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Artist: The Arcadian Wild
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Dopamine”
Album: Welcome
Release Date: July 21, 2023
Label: Vere Music

In Their Words: “‘Dopamine’ is a bit of observational music about an endless cycle in which I, myself, am admittedly caught up and how we work to sift for the truth amidst all the alternative stories being broadcast to us at every moment of every day. I thought it would be fun to create a progressive, cacophonous verse that felt reflective of the overstimulation so many of us experience.

“Making the performance video for this tune was an absolute blast. Our friend Greyson Welch was the master behind the visual story of a previous project of ours called Principium, and we could not have been more thrilled at the opportunity to work with him again, and this time with his pals at Cedar Creative out of Birmingham, Alabama. Once again, I feel like he’s just made us look a lot cooler than we actually are, so don’t be fooled.

“We shot this performance (and a few others coming soon) at Historic Rock Castle in Hendersonville, Tennessee. We wanted to capture as best we could the energy of what it feels like to be at one our shows. I think the crew did an incredible job of creating that engaging visual experience, and I’m so excited for people to see it, and the other videos following it in the weeks to come.” — Lincoln Mick, The Arcadian Wild

Photo credit: Shelby Mick

WATCH: Jake Ybarra, “BloodFire”

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Artist: Jake Ybarra
Hometown: born in Harlingen, Texas; raised in Greenville, South Carolina; living in Nashville
Song: “BloodFire”
Album: Something in the Water
Release Date: April 7, 2023
Label: Charlotte Avenue Entertainment

In Their Words: “I’m really happy with how the video for ‘BloodFire’ turned out. We tried a couple of different things but the big bonfire in tandem with the moonlight that evening just really brought the video together. We wanted the video to match the intensity of the song and I think we accomplished that goal. ‘BloodFire’ was really an exercise in writing to the music. I had a riff that I really liked and I heard it in my head as a driving rock and roll song. However I didn’t want to sacrifice storytelling in order to make the song work. I wanted to still tell a story but I wanted it to match the intensity of the music. So I ended up writing about this intense person who has maybe been hurt in the past and just isn’t going to take crap anymore. It was a fun song to write and a really fun one to play live.” — Jake Ybarra

Photo Credit: Charlotte Avenue Pictures

LISTEN: Layng Martine Jr., “Love You Back to Georgia”

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Artist: Layng Martine Jr.
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Love You Back to Georgia”
Album: Music Man
Release Date: May 19, 2023
Label: Bloodshot Records/Kill Rock Stars

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Love You Back to Georgia’ in 1973, soon after we arrived in Nashville. I was 31. Cars, girls, and music had pretty much summed up my youthful obsessions. Nothing had … or has … really changed. Even now at 81, I still can’t imagine anything much more enjoyable and uplifting than my wife and I pulling into a Dairy Queen in our convertible with ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ blasting from the car speakers. It’s our modern-day version of ‘Love You Back to Georgia’ … when being young and in the back seat of a car with a girl and going somewhere exciting to hear music was ‘as good as it gets.’ ‘Love You Back to Georgia’ is a celebration of all those moments and emotions.” — Layng Martine Jr.

Photo credit: Jason Quigley

LISTEN: Gabe Lee, “Even Jesus Got the Blues”

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Artist: Gabe Lee
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Even Jesus Got the Blues”
Album: Drink the River
Release Date: July 14, 2023
Label: Torrez Music Group

In Their Words: “Part of an upcoming record that will dive into stories collected from folks I have met through my family, work, and travels, the first single ‘Even Jesus Got the Blues’ draws upon the tragic deaths of people in my personal life. The song brings into frame the character of an addict (possibly already passed away, or on the verge…it is intentionally left unclear) who appears before a congregation downtrodden, barefoot, and seeking asylum. In this track listeners will feel not only her struggle but also the struggle of acceptance and forgiveness from the ‘God-fearing folks in the pews.’ Among the varied existential moments on this record, ‘Even Jesus Got the Blues’ raises the question of who can place judgment upon another, when the values of even our own institutions are often cherry-picked and flawed.” — Gabe Lee

Photo Credit: Brooke Stevens

WATCH: Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, “All the Money in the World”

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Artist: Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “All the Money in the World”
Album: Strangers No More
Release Date: June 7, 2023
Label: Magnolia Music/Tone Tree Music

In Their Words: “People often ask me about the songwriting process, how to make a record etc., and I will forever tell the story of ‘All the Money in the World’ to these questions. I wrote this song in 2019 with my friend Dave Barnes. We were just having fun trying to write a classic R&B slow jam. It was written WAY slower than it is on the record. We were exploring parts of my voice I don’t usually put to use. I also grew up in Memphis, but had never really stretched towards any of the classic soul songwriting. We wrote this song, I liked it, but I thought it didn’t really fit the other things I was working on, so I shelved it. In preparation for this album, the band came over monthly to play through songs…I made a list of songs like this one that I had shelved, and showed them to the band just in case they saw a diamond in the rough. I played this for them, then they started playing along and sped it way up, and helped arrange the post chorus gang vocals of ‘all the money’ and the song immediately changed from a random B-side to a front-runner for the record. When we finally recorded it, the room became electric, especially with dual keys parts, Ian on organ and Nate on the Wurlitzer. I had as much fun singing this song as any I have ever recorded. It’s always a joy to find a part of yourself creatively that you didn’t know existed.” — Drew Holcomb

Photo Credit: Ashtin Paige