Tag: Penny & Sparrow

You Gotta Hear This: New Music From Andy Leftwich, Leeann Skoda, and More

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

For New Music Friday, we’ve got a healthy handful of new videos, tracks, and releases from your favorites artists in folk, country, bluegrass, old-time, and beyond.

Don’t miss new songs like Penny & Sparrow’s single “Jeopardy” and Helene Cronin’s take on mortality and togetherness, “Visitors.” Also, bluegrass outfit Seth Mulder & Midnight Run bring a Yellowstone-inspired cowboy number, “Looking Past the Pain (The Cowboy Song).” LA-based singer-songwriter Leeann Skoda debuts “Easy” in our round-up, as well, a new track with plenty of grit – and ’90s rock influences.

Plus, we’ve got a bevy of new music videos! Andy Leftwich performs an instrumental rendition of the gospel classic, “Talk About Suffering,” with an excellent trio. Check out the Hannah Connolly-crafted special live performance for “Worth the Wait,” a song from her most recent album, Shadowboxing. And old-time multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Evie Ladin picks “Walking Up Georgia Row” with fiddler Kieran Towers, celebrating her upcoming project, Ride the Rooster 2.

That’s not all, either! Earlier in the week, the second-to-last installments of the AEA Sessions (featuring Tony Arata this time) and Rachel Sumner’s Traveling Light Sessions (featuring her original “3000 Miles”) premiered on BGS. So you can check out those great performances below, too, and watch for the final edition in each series next week.

All of that musical goodness is right here on BGS – and You’ve Gotta Hear This!

Hannah Connolly, “Worth the Wait” (Live)

Artist: Hannah Connolly
Hometown: Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Song: “Worth The Wait” (Live Performance)
Album: Shadowboxing
Release Date: November 8, 2025

In Their Words: “‘Worth the Wait’ is a song about time, distance, and love. This video was captured last fall in Vienna, when my husband Eric and I were able to be on tour together. I was opening a few shows for his band Young the Giant’s tour and our friend and the band’s photographer, Lupe Bustos, filmed it when we had the afternoon off at the hotel. This song came out of missing Eric while he was on tour, so it was special to be able to capture it while we were traveling together. I’m grateful we were able to record a version of it in such a natural, unplugged form.” – Hannah Connolly

Video Credit: Filmed by Guadalupe Bustos.

Helene Cronin, “Visitors”

Artist: Helene Cronin
Hometown: Dallas, Texas / Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Visitors”
Album: Maybe New Mexico
Release Date: November 29, 2024 (single); March 7, 2025 (album)

In Their Words: “I got together to write with Cameron Havens and Ben Roberts last year. Ben had the idea of ‘Visitors.’ I immediately loved it, because I like songs that tell the truth. That truth being, we all got here the same way, we’re all leaving the same way, and it’s what we do with the time in between those events that’s most important. How do we treat each other? How do we care for this ‘place made of stardust and gold’ where we’ve landed? What really matters: possessions, time, relationships?

“But the song avoids being preachy, speaking from a level playing field. No one is above anyone else. ‘We all got a seat at the table, pull up a chair, there’s room for plenty more.’ I like the inclusiveness of that; it’s an invitation I want to be part of.

“When I sing this song, I envision a huge, ever-expanding supper table where all are welcome, none are left out in the cold. Shouldn’t we just remember our manners? Wipe your feet and c’mon in!” – Helene Cronin

Track Credits:
Helene Cronin – Lead vocal
Bobby Terry – Acoustic guitar, pedal steel
Paul Eckberg – Drums, percussion
Matt Pierson – Bass
Charlie Lowell – Mellotron, keys
Caitlin Anselmo & Matt Singleton – Background vocals
Mitch Dane – Production, engineering, mixing
David Diel – Production assistant
Sputnik Sound, Nashville – Studio
Mastered by Kim Rosen, Knack Mastering.

Evie Ladin & Kieran Towers, “Walking Up Georgia Row”

Artist: Evie Ladin featuring Kieran Towers
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland to Oakland, California
Song: “Walking Up Georgia Row”
Album: Riding the Rooster 2
Release Date: November 19, 2024
Label: Evil Diane Records

In Their Words: “Six years and one pandemic to the day since Riding the Rooster came out – my popular first edition of clawhammer banjo/fiddle duets with 17 different fiddlers around the country. Riding the Rooster 2 features 17 new and different fiddlers, from old-time stars like Bruce Molsky and George Jackson to bluegrass maven Laurie Lewis, Cajun master David Greely, and excellent fiddlers known deeply in their old-time subcultures around the world.

“Having released many records of my original songs, this project sits firmly in the wheelhouse of my upbringing and ongoing community. My favorite thing in this milieu is to sit down with a fiddler and launch fast into some crooked tune I’ve never heard. Every cell kicks in and the experience is much like I imagine riding a rooster to be – visceral, in the moment, somewhat off-the-chain. ‘Walking Up Georgia Row’ is a raging duet with London fiddler Kieran Towers, recorded in a cow pasture at the Crossover Festival in England. Kieran and I met at Clifftop in West Virginia, playing in the very early morning hours before he had to head back to the UK, and it was a joy to reconnect a few years later, and invite him to be a part of this record. Also, this tune and the album are being released while I’m on a packed two-week tour of the UK, with only one fiddler, Sophie Wellington.” – Evie Ladin

Andy Leftwich, “Talk About Suffering”

Artist: Andy Leftwich
Hometown: Carthage, Tennessee
Song: “Talk About Suffering”
Release Date: November 15, 2024
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “Life can deliver some hard blows and no one is exempt from troubles and trials. We read in Matthew 11:28 where Jesus said, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ He offers us peace in the middle of our storm and a confidence knowing we don’t have to walk through it alone. As bad as it can seem sometimes, there is always something to hold onto. We talk about suffering here below, but let’s keep following Jesus.” – Andy Leftwich

Track Credits:
Andy Leftwich – Fiddle, mandolin
Byron House – Upright bass
Cody Kilby – Acoustic guitar

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, “Looking Past the Pain (The Cowboy Song)”

Artist: Seth Mulder & Midnight Run
Hometown: Sevierville, Tennessee
Song: “Looking Past the Pain (The Cowboy Song)””
Album: Coming On Strong
Release Date: November 15, 2024 (single); Spring 2025 (album)
Label: Rebel Records

In Their Words: “I had just finished binge-watching Yellowstone and felt inspired to write a cowboy song. However, I wanted the song to feel personal and unique and the best way to do that was to draw from my own experiences with a touch of imagination. Growing up in North Dakota, I spent a lot of time around horses, training with my grandfather, competing in 4H and horse shows. After college, I moved back to North Dakota and worked at a camp as a horse trainer and ranch hand. That experience rekindled my passion for working with horses – a passion that almost became my career instead of music. So, it only made sense that I would eventually write about that lifestyle. Once I had a solid foundation for the song, I knew it had potential but I wanted it to be perfect. I reached out to my good friend Seth Waddington from The Waddington Brothers. He helped me refine it, giving the lyrics that old-school cowboy feel I was after.” – Seth Mulder

Track Credits:
Seth Mulder – Mandolin, lead vocal
Colton Powers – Banjo, tenor vocal
Chevy Watson – Guitar, baritone vocal
Tyler Griffith – Upright bass
Max Silverstein – Fiddle

Penny & Sparrow, “Jeopardy”

Artist: Penny & Sparrow
Hometown: Florence, Alabama / Waco, Texas
Song: “Jeopardy”
Album: Lefty
Release Date: November 15, 2024
Label: I Love You / Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “‘Jeopardy’ is about knowing someone perfectly. It goes beyond tracking their needs & preferences & peccadillos. It grows into a kind of loving memorization where you can almost see the future. Whether it’s romantic, friendly, or familial, there’s something gorgeous about that kind of ‘knowing someone.'” – Penny & Sparrow

Leeann Skoda, “Easy”

Artist: Leeann Skoda
Hometown: Los Angeles, California / Phoenix, Arizona
Song: “Easy”
Album: Now I See Everything
Release Date: November 15, 2024

In Their Words: “I channeled some anger into this song. When I wrote it, I was feeling resentful of the time and energy I’ve spent trying to be easygoing because I thought it was the only acceptable way for me to be in the world. It’s how so many women feel or have felt. There’s this dichotomy because the song feels “easy” and almost light to me. I think it came out that way because it’s cathartic and freeing to put these feelings into music. Like a lot of my songs, there is plenty of ’90s rock influence in this one.” – Leeann Skoda

Track Credits:
Leeann Skoda – Vocals, guitar
Brad Lindsay – Guitar
Nick Bearden – Bass
Ed Benrock – Drums
Brian Whelan – Background vocals
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Andy Freeman at Studio Punchup! in Nashville.
Background vocals recorded by Aaron Stern at Verdugo Sound.
Mastered by Gentry Studer.

AEA Sessions: Tony Arata, Live at Americanafest 2024

Artist: Tony Arata
Hometown: Savannah, Georgia
Songs: “When I Remember You,” “Here I Am,” “The Dance,” “Getting Older”

In Their Words: “My hometown is Savannah, Georgia, but I grew up on nearby Tybee Island, which I always claim as my hometown. Jaymi and I have been in Nashville since 1986.

“The shoot was done in one of my favorite places I’ve ever worked – Bell Tone Studios in Berry Hill (Nashville, Tennessee), and could not have been easier nor more relaxed. I know I met you, Julie, for the first time that day, but you made me feel like an old friend. And though I’m not a gear-head, the mics were super cool! Thank you for making and representing great stuff. And I love Roger Nichols, my only hope is that he never realizes how talented he is, because he might be hard to live with! He is a truly brilliant musician/engineer/producer/human.” – Tony Arata

More here.

Rachel Sumner, “3000 Miles”

Artist: Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “3000 Miles” (Traveling Light Sessions)
Album: Heartless Things 
Release Date: November 14, 2024 (video); May 10, 2024 (album)

In Their Words: “‘3000 Miles’ is an autobiographical song that traces my journey from the deserts of California to Boston, the place I now call home. Growing up, the Mojave felt confining to me and I always sensed that I’d need to leave to find myself. This song is a rambler’s road song, shaped by years of searching. However, it took the stillness of lockdown to finally finish it – when I couldn’t travel anywhere. That pause gave me the chance to look back and make sense of all the miles I’d put behind me.” – Rachel Sumner

More here.

Photo Credit: Andy Leftwich by Erick Anderson; Leeann Skoda by Anna Rochelle Imagery.

The Show On The Road – Penny & Sparrow

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

This week, The Show On The Road is back with an intimate talk with Texas-born folk pop collaborators Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke, who for the last decade have toured the USA as symbiotic harmonizers Penny & Sparrow.

 

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • SPOTIFY • STITCHER
 

Their lush 2022 release Olly Olly showcases their unique lifelong friendship and was their first collection where they relied only on each other from beginning to end. There is a field-recording looseness to some of the songs with sounds of nature and a cinematic string section lifting their effortless harmonies throughout. “Need You” could be about lovers re-finding each other in a dark time, or really it could be about Andy and Kyle themselves, reaching out to connect in every tumultuous season of their lives. Indeed they did mention that they’ve probably slept in the same bed more times with each other on tour than with their partners at home.

While they both grew up in religious families, the act of two men, best friends in so many ways, diving into their fantasies and fears like in the sensuous “Voodoo” for all to hear might be considered a radical act, but they’ve been making these kinds of confessions in sonic form from the beginning of their songwriting partnership. Their standout 2013 record Tenboom started popping up in playlists immediately, and their now beloved songs have been streamed nearly 100 million times and counting.

Mixtape: Davis John Patton’s Playlist for Making Sense of Things

Posted on by Editor

I could be mistaken, but we all share a few deeply rooted questions about ourselves, right? Who am I? What am I doing here? Why is it that I exist, rather than not existing? Over the years, I’ve found myself drawn to songs that invite me to make sense of these things. These songs hold a tension as they intelligently consider life and death while also expressing the candid emotions of one living in this strange existence. Additionally, I’ve included a few songs that don’t explicitly consider existence, but they tell stories and ask questions that even still invite me to make sense of them, piecing the puzzle together verse by verse.

At the end of the day, is it not supremely important how we answer these deeply rooted questions about ourselves and others? I hope these songs help you ponder and make sense of things as they have for me. — Davis John Patton

Gregory Alan Isakov – “This Empty Northern Hemisphere”

The imagery of the first chorus captivates me: adorning a home with radio wires to hear voices from beyond. A glimpse of something past this emptiness.

Henry Jamison – “Boys”

This song, and the album it accompanies, confronts our cultural idea of masculinity, but even more just the general process of reconsidering our very identity and the sources that built it. “Spring is coming; let me be like the cherry tree, renewed and fruitful.”

Penny & Sparrow – “Double Heart”

Our existential ponderings can only remain external for so long; eventually we look inward. I honestly couldn’t tell you what most of this song means, but hearing the cry of “double heart” reminds me that incredible brokenness and evil isn’t only in the world, but also in me.

Josh Garrels – “Wash Me Clean”

The production and instrumentation of this song are so thoroughly beautiful that it took me multiple listens to have the headspace to even listen to the lyrics. This song is a deeply personal cry that we and the “earth groan in pain,” a common landing place in existential wonder. Is this the final destination?

Phoebe Bridgers – “Chinese Satellite”

I could write pages on this song; it holds some of the most authentic and heartbreaking lyrics on existence I’ve ever heard. Who hasn’t felt the absolute wickedness of the world and cried out alongside Bridgers that we must have been meant for somewhere better: “I want to go home.”

S. Carey – “Have You Stopped to Notice”

A song of rest amidst the hopelessness of other ponderings. Carey brings listeners back to the life before them, and comforts: “We all want the answers, but we only find a few. Look at all you have still in front of you.”

Alaskan Tapes – “We”

After quoting the lyrics of six consecutive songs, I now bring an instrumental piece. A song with space to think.

Henry Jamison – “Witness Trees”

If I was forced to pick a perfect song, I’d probably pick this one. There is much to make sense of in this song, but I particularly love the lyrical and musical beauty when Jamison sings, “I see a sign in the breeze, in the wind, in the trees, in the skies over Austin.”

Benjamin Francis Leftwich – “Elephant”

One of the most repetitive songs I’ve ever heard, but it works so powerfully. What is the elephant in the room for me? “I know you know, it is easier to shy away… but I know that you won’t go away.” It seems we can only ignore our deepest longings for so long.

Noah Gundersen / Phoebe Bridgers – “Atlantis”

This song is the Knives Out of mysterious songs… When you make it through the first listen, you immediately want to listen back for clues at what exactly is going on. Catchy, to be sure, along with ominous stories with glimmers of longing that conclude with the listener being set free… ? Much to make sense of.

Penny & Sparrow – A Kind of Hunger

A lesson in existential pondering: eventually you come face to face with the reality of death. What do you do with that? Penny & Sparrow offer two profound thoughts: “Breath, in the end, is a thing to be spent.” / “Dying’s just a kind of hunger.”

S. Carey – “Meadow Song”

The best songs in the world are the songs that conclude great albums, right? I think this song is reflecting on a lost loved one, but in the spirit of making sense of things, I have literally no idea if I’m right. Give this song a listen, Google the lyrics which are essentially a poem, and make some sense of it.

The Black Atlantic – “I Shall Cross This River”

Here’s where we conclude, on a somewhat hopeful note. The bitter realities of existence are faced, externally and internally. But if there is one great enough to “see not this bitter man… see not this failure,” then “when my darkness leaves, when my fall is complete, I shall cross this river.”

Photo Credit: Austin Goode

Old Settler’s Music Festival 2019 in Photographs

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

We’ve loved Texas’ Old Settler’s Music Festival for years now, with their carefully curated lineups steeped in roots and peppered with bluegrass, folk, and Americana. We even filmed a handful of Sitch Sessions (with Earls of Leicester, Sierra Hull, the Hillbenders, and David Ramirez) on site a few years back. This year, BGS photographer Daniel Jackson was on hand to capture all of the Old Settler’s magic so that you can relive last week’s festival in photographs.

All photos by Daniel Jackson