Tag: Nashville

WATCH: Old Crow Medicine Show, “Quarantined”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Old Crow Medicine Show
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Quarantined”
Release Date: May 15, 2020

In Their Words: “Hey Bluegrass Situation friends, the Old Crows are wishing you all health and wellness this spring. We’ve been going a little stir-crazy here in Nashville as of late, but thankfully the healing power of music has been particularly strong and the band and I have felt some deep cleansing thanks to new songs and projects. The latest is a tune written and recorded under self quarantine, with a little homespun video that embraces the crazy homeschool dad feeling so pervasive around my house. So… sit back, put on your face mask, and pucker up!” — Ketch Secor, Old Crow Medicine Show

 

LISTEN: Ben de la Cour, “Shadow Land”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Ben de la Cour
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Shadow Land”
Album: Shadow Land
Release Date: May 15, 2020
Label: Flour Sack Cape Records

In Their Words:

“Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.”
 — Carl Jung

“All the things we have rejected and pushed deep down into our collective unconscious have risen like leviathans from the deep to destroy us. What we once thought was reality has been transformed into an unrecognizable inversion of what once was. But it was always this way. We couldn’t see it before, but now that we can, we’re all just strangers in this Shadow Land.” — Ben de la Cour

Photo credit: Neilson Hubbard

LISTEN: Gretchen Peters, “Leavin’ Kentucky”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Gretchen Peters
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Leavin’ Kentucky”
Album: The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury
Release Date: May 15, 2020
Label: Scarlet Letter Records

In Their Words: “This song was one of the first ones of Mickey’s I ever heard, and the line ‘the road down to Nashville’s like crystal and stone’ is what hooked me. That a country song could wring as much poetry out of a line about asphalt still floors me. This is a song about the agony of love — not just heartbreak, but a hurt so deep that you wish you could cut it out of yourself (‘take a .44 pistol to me’). That was something Newbury did better than anyone — pure pain. We wanted it to feel loose and a little ragged, like a track The Band would’ve cut.” — Gretchen Peters

Photo credit: Gina Binkley

LISTEN: Nate Lee, “Love Medicine”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Nate Lee
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Love Medicine”
Album: Wings of a Jetliner
Release Date: June 12, 2020
Label: Adverb Records

In Their Words: “’Love Medicine’ embodies all the things I wanted for Wings of a Jetliner — toneful players, exciting rhythm, meaningful lyrics, and songs that are brand new, or presented in a new way. From the beginning stages of planning the album, I wanted the instrumentalists to be the main event, with their solos heavily featured and not just an afterthought. Professor Dan Boner, who produced Wings of a Jetliner, is an accomplished instrumentalist himself and he really helped my vision come alive by creating an environment where everyone was comfortable trying new things and letting their ideas flow. Wyatt Rice, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Ned Luberecki, and Todd Phillips are world-class players, and trading solos with them was thrilling!

“My dear friend Chris Sanders, who wrote ‘Love Medicine,’ has a masterful grasp of chordal harmony and dissonance that perfectly supports the song’s message about addiction. Her harmonic choices, influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, offer a perfect tonal palette for improvisation. Although ‘Love Medicine’ was written about addiction, the lyrics resonate with people who are in all kinds of tough situations. The first line is especially resonant during this time of social distancing: ‘Draw the line, close the door, ain’t gonna cross that threshold no more.'” — Nate Lee

Photo credit: Scott Simontacchi

Bright Sunshine and Intense Badassery: Lilly Hiatt’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Style

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

This shoot happened just a few days after venues began closing and tours were being cancelled due to the coronavirus. Lilly Hiatt and I decided to continue, holing up in an empty venue called Drkmttr Collective here in Nashville by ourselves for a few hours. (You can support Drkmttr’s GoFundMe to help keep them afloat, if you feel inclined.)

Lilly is a mixture of bright sunshine and intense badassery; her good nature and spirit was a welcomed respite from the scary unknown so many of us artists were heading into then, and of course are still navigating. I thought Drkmttr Collective would be a great spot for her — a little quirky, a lotta rock ‘n’ roll. The three outfits she sported fit easily into the feel of the place.

As it stands, this was my last shoot before so much was canceled and shut down, but we no doubt ended on a high note. Until next time! Stay safe and well out there, y’all. — Laura Partain

Pictured above, Lilly wears a Low Cut Connie tee and Blank NYC leather jacket.

Lilly wears a glitter mock turtleneck top from H&M, Top Shop jeans, and Frye boots.

Strap and buckle detail of Lilly’s Frye boots.

Lilly wearing a red Petites by Willi top from Anaconda Vintage in Nashville, necklace by Madewell, and Top Shop jeans.

Necklace by Madewell, Frito Pie ring by Snash Jewelry, black stone ring by Pale Silver, and red Petites by Willi top.

The top by Petites by Willi, necklace by Madewell, Frye boots, and Top Shop jeans look is completed with a Rickenbacker and an earplug dispenser at Drkmttr Collective in Nashville.

All photos by Laura Partain

LISTEN: Glenn Thomas, “Give a Damn”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Glenn Thomas
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee by way of New England
Song: “Give a Damn”
Album: Reassure Me There’s a Window
Release Date: May 15, 2020 (album); May 1, 2020 (single)
Label: Palace Flophouse Records

In Their Words: “I wrote this song in the beginning stages of a new relationship I was in. I really cared about the person and wanted it to work, but still carried the ghosts of past relationships and dating woes. I felt like I didn’t really have anything new to bring to the table, but ultimately what mattered was I cared and was going to do what it took to make it work. Ultimately, the past is exactly that — the past. I remember sitting on a friend’s speedboat a couple of summers ago getting bounced around by the waves, and the fast up and down movement put this melody into my head. I had the lyrics in my phone notes and sang it into a voice memo right there on the boat. Stranger things have happened!” — Glenn Thomas

Photo credit: Chelsea Mandes

LISTEN: Pam Tillis, “Dark Turn of Mind”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Pam Tillis
Hometown: Plant City, Florida (born) + Nashville, Tennessee (lives)
Song: “Dark Turn of Mind”
Album: Looking for a Feeling
Release Date: April 24, 2020
Label: Stellar Cat via OneRPM

In Their Words: “While the album is called Looking for a Feeling, I was drawn to ‘Dark Turn of Mind’ because it’s about owning your feelings. Letting yourself slow down long enough to acknowledge the shadows in your soul helps you experience the light in a deeper way. In this era of everybody trying to keep up some facade on social media, I loved that this song unapologetically says, ‘Yes I reserve the right to have my good old meltdown, pity party, wallow-in-my-misery moments and that will probably keep me way saner than having to fake-smile my way thru these crazy-ass times.'” — Pam Tillis

Photo credit: Matt Spicher

LISTEN: Brian Wright & The SneakUps, “What You Don’t Know”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Brian Wright & The SneakUps
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “What You Don’t Know”
Album: Lapse of Luxury
Release Date: May 8, 2020
Label: Cafe Rooster Records

In Their Words: “‘What You Don’t Know’ was one of three songs written in an afternoon/evening a few days after I got back from a particularly long tour. The other was ‘Heavy Metal Shed Kids’ and the third got chopped up and used for parts. I was nearly finished with LOL (Lapse of Luxury). It needed a simple song to bring it back down to earth. I was burned out. I had taken on too much and couldn’t keep up. You can hear it. Moving too fast and missing out. The song was a way to let the people I loved know I that I knew something had to change. While I was writing it there were people over; I could hear them outside the shed. They’re in the recording if you listen really close. I walked outside and our guests were naked, dancing around a fire pit to something perfect. It was light and free. It was cool. I felt better. I was home and I was lucky again.” — Brian Wright

Photo credit: Stacie Huckeba

LISTEN: Ruthie Collins, “Wish You Were Here”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Ruthie Collins
Hometown: Originally from Fredonia, New York; now based in Nashville
Song: “Wish You Were Here”
Album: Cold Comfort
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Label: Sidewalk/Curb Records

In Their Words: “I decided to take myself on a solo vacation to my favorite beach, a place just outside New Orleans called Pass Christian. I was trying to get over this guy, so the idea was to do whatever I wanted, eat whatever I wanted, just have some quality alone time. But instead, it felt like the guy was haunting me and I was thinking about him all the time. I thought I get over him by leaving town, but instead I was sitting by the beach drinking wine and writing songs about him.” — Ruthie Collins

Photo credit: Cal + Aly

WATCH: Lee Henke, “Captain of the Ship”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Lee Henke
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Captain of the Ship”
Album: Captain of the Ship
Release Date: June 26, 2020

From the Artist: “‘Captain of the Ship’ is the title track of the upcoming album. I wrote this tune after a somewhat depressing gig at a casino. I decided to drink as much free beer as I could and spent the entire $50 I made from the show on one hand of poker. I don’t remember going to sleep but I woke up in the morning to some chicken-scratch lyrics on a bar napkin. The theme seems to dance around the romanticized idea of being the only person affected by the decisions you make, or the unrealistic freedom of being all on your own.” — Lee Henke

Photo credit: Ira Wolf