Every Friday, BGS shines a light on some of our favorite new tracks in bluegrass, folk, Americana and beyond. Then we ask the artist about the inspiration behind the music and pass their wise words along to you.
This week, we bring a new video from bluegrass group Ashleigh Graham & Appalachian Highway, who bring their song “Pinewood Prison” to life inside Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in East Tennessee. Meanwhile, Los Angeles musician Paula Fong puts her own spin on “Turn, Turn, Turn” with a feature from Sean Watkins, while Alex Miller & Carson Peters offer a satisfying rendition of the Delmore Brothers classic, “Hillbilly Boogie.” In addition, Lost Dog Street Band frontman Benjamin Tod digs into the bluegrass canon with Larry Sparks’ “Natural Thing to Do” and Vickie Vaughn tips her hat to John Hartford on “Paducah.”
Nashville fans of Alison Krauss & Union Station will have a lot to look forward to as Theo Lawrence opens the ensemble’s shows at the Ryman Auditorium later this month. Get a taste of his style with “Today Is a Good Day,” which he wrote with Opry legend Bill Anderson. Finally, don’t miss Texas musician Red Shahan’s first-person reflections in “14 Miles From Home” or folk poet Amy Speace’s thoughtful original, “Days of Letting Go.”
We mean it when we say, You Gotta Hear This!
Ashleigh Graham & Appalachian Highway, “Pinewood Prison”
Artist: Ashleigh Graham & Appalachian Highway
Hometown: King, North Carolina
Song: “Pinewood Prison”
Label: Pinecastle Records
In Their Words: “‘Pinewood Prison’ grabbed me from the very first listen because it isn’t just a song—it’s a story that unfolds in your mind like a movie. When we decided to take that story to the screen, we knew we wanted to create something that felt bigger than a traditional music video, and filming inside the walls of Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary gave us an atmosphere we never could have manufactured.
“There were moments during filming when the place became so quiet and intense that you almost forgot there were cameras rolling. You could feel the history around you, and that brought an emotion and authenticity to the performances that I think people are going to see immediately. We wanted the video to be cinematic, but most importantly, we wanted viewers to become completely invested in the story. This was one of the most unique creative experiences I’ve ever been part of, and I’m incredibly proud of what we captured. Turn the lights down, turn the volume up, and watch all the way through!” — Ashleigh Graham
Paula Fong, “Turn, Turn, Turn” (Ft. Sean Watkins)
Artist: Paula Fong
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Turn, Turn, Turn” (ft. Sean Watkins)
Album: A Bird on the Wing
Album Release Date: October 2, 2026
Label: Head Bitch Music
In Their Words: “With 10 songs already tracked, the album felt nearly finished but still needed something to round it out. We went through countless ideas before my manager Steve finally suggested a cover of ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’ – that timeless scripture-turned-song I’d grown up hearing from the Byrds. It was my producer Justin Sinclair who introduced me to Pete Seeger’s original, which I’d never heard before, and something about it felt magical enough to chase. It’s one thing to play a cover live, but my co-producer Phil Glenn felt strongly that a studio cover needed a real reason to exist. So we pulled ideas from several different versions of the song and shaped them into an arrangement of our own.
“As we talked through what that arrangement could be, the idea emerged to build it around artists who’ve influenced my music along the way. Abby Posner was an easy first call, I knew I wanted Justin’s voice on it, and Phil’s playing was clearly already woven throughout the entire track. In what seemed like an amazing moment of serendipity, Justin’s growing connections in Bell Choir Studios led to Sean Watkins agreeing to come play guitar on the track as well. On recording day, Sean laid down a series of gorgeous solo takes, and then even hopped up to the mic to sing on it as a featured artist. All in all, it felt like the stars aligned in a way that I couldn’t have imagined to bring this track into being and I’m incredibly excited to get it out into the world.” — Paula Fong
Theo Lawrence, “Today Is a Good Day”
Artist: Theo Lawrence
Hometown: Paris, France
Song: “Today Is a Good Day”
Release Date: September 4, 2026
Label: Warner Records
In Their Words: “When I heard I was going to be on the Opry, it felt like a good time to release a country song I’d been playing on tour with Alison Krauss called ‘Today Is a Good Day.’ It had been getting a warm response every night, so I called my friend Chris Scruggs and a few days later we recorded it together, leaning into that early ’60s Nashville sound. I wrote the song in Nashville with Bill Anderson, who knows a thing or two about country songs. His first big hit as a writer was ‘City Lights’ for Ray Price back in 1958. The song is about that moment when doing something sad feels like the right thing to do. Packing up and leaving before your heart gets broken beyond repair.” — Theo Lawrence
Alex Miller & Carson Peters, “Hillbilly Boogie”
Artists: Alex Miller & Carson Peters
Song: “Hillbilly Boogie”
Album: A Century of Strings, Stories & Songs: A Tribute to The Delmore Brothers
Album Release Date: October 1, 2026
Label: Billy Blue Records
In Their Words: “‘Hillbilly Boogie’ is a song that my grandad introduced me to, and it has remained a very special song to me! He had the 78 of The Delmore Brothers singing this song and I vividly remember cranking up his old Victrola and learning to sing it. Recording this song was one of the best days I’ve ever had in the studio, and I hope it shows when you put your ears on it. I was honored not only to be on this project and work with my producer, Jerry Salley, but also to pick with my good friend, Carson Peters. Carson’s musicianship is unmatched, and he’s one of the best songwriters and singers in Nashville. Hopefully this is the first of many collaborations to come.” – Alex Miller
“I am so happy to be a part of this project, and to be on one of my favorite Delmore Brothers songs with one of my favorite people in town, and produced by another one of my favorite people in town, makes it even better! Alex is part of the refreshing, authentic kind of talent that the current country music community is embracing nowadays, and I’m honored to be on this track with him. I can’t wait for the people to hear it!” – Carson Peters
Red Shanan, “14 Miles From Home”
Artist: Red Shahan
Hometown: Bluff Dale, Texas
Song: “14 Miles From Home”
Album: Hard Land
Release Date: August 6, 2026
Label: Make Wake Records
In Their Words: “I’ve had it in my head that I would never record this song for almost 20 years but maybe I’m getting soft, or maybe my wife and friends finally talked me into it. Regardless, getting to cut this one with Josh Serrato whom in a previous band we had played this one night after night made it worth it alone.” — Red Shahan
Amy Speace, “Days of Letting Go”
Artist: Amy Speace
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Days of Letting Go”
New Release: The Cardinals (a collection of poems)
In Their Words: “I went to graduate school in Louisville, Kentucky, and somewhere on 65 North there was a large black billboard with white writing that said, ‘Opium Kills. Jesus Saves.’ I was working on a series of ‘persona poems’ – poems where the narrator isn’t me, is a character, a specific voice – and I imagined it as a male narrator driving back home after the funeral of his father. Of course, my own father had died in late 2019 and that was also a subject I was writing about in my work at the time. I wrote the poem with the repeating refrain – clearly in song form – but wanted to keep it a poem, until one of my mentors asked me why it wasn’t a song. I sang the whole thing to my friend Vance Gilbert and he said, ‘You know what would be cool? If you spoke the verse lyrics.’ And I told him it was originally a poem and he laughed.” — Amy Speace
Benjamin Tod, “Natural Thing to Do”
Artist: Benjamin Tod
Hometown: Sumner County, Tennessee
Song: “Natural Thing To Do”
Album: Country Is Dead
Release Date: September 4, 2026
Label: Thirty Tigers
In Their Words: “This has become a bluegrass standard in many circles now and I became obsessed with it after hearing it at a honky-tonk in Nashville at some point. Something about the brokenhearted longing and relentless loyalty harkens to something I can relate with personally. It is a natural thing to love someone enough to intentionally ignore trifling behavior. I believe this song sits well in a country western format and I love singing this one in the shower.” — Benjamin Tod
Vickie Vaughn, “Paducah”
Artist: Vickie Vaughn
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Paducah”
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “The first time I heard John Hartford’s ‘Paducah’ was when a friend performed it about twenty years ago on Murray State University’s campus. I thought it was so dang cool and humorous that I asked him about it immediately after he played it. Since then, I’ve been dying to put my own spin on it. Paducah is and will always be the most creative city I’ve known. I was lucky to grow up in the river bottoms on a farm in Symsonia, Kentucky, 20 minutes away from town. Paducah is full of hard-working, wildly creative people who let their hearts lead them in their artistic endeavors. It’s rich with the most talented, down-to-earth people you’ll meet. It’s easy to see how Hartford loved it so.” — Vickie Vaughn
Photo Credits: Laura Schneider (Vickie Vaughn), Jo Anna Edmison (Theo Lawrence)
