WATCH: Brian Dunne, “Harlem River Drive”

Artist: Brian Dunne
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Harlem River Drive”
Album: Selling Things
Release Date: April 10. 2020

In Their Words: “‘Harlem River Drive’ is a song about contentment and the things that stand in the way of it. It was born out of this feeling of being forever stuck on the precipice of something big, ultimately driving you to the edge of your sanity. That’s what the song is about to me; missing the present — either in anticipation of the future, or in romanticism of the past — and the consequences that come along with that. But there’s resolution in the song. I do believe there is hope for us yet, or something like that.” — Brian Dunne


Photo credit: Adam Gardner

LISTEN: Josh Ritter, “Heaven Knows”

Artist: Josh Ritter
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Heaven Knows”
Release Date: February 18, 2020 (single)
Label: Pytheas Recordings/Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “I was thinking back to some of my favorite concerts over the years, and I realized how many took place in spaces that were special in their own right. Cathedrals, synagogues, strange and storied theaters, each bring a special kind of glow to the performance. I was also feeling the urge to play some of my quieter, more narrative songs that I may not always get the chance to perform during larger rock shows. So I decided to put together a tour that would allow me to play these songs, and some new ones that I’ve been writing, in some of these beautiful spaces. … I wrote ‘Heaven Knows’ during the Gathering sessions and have been holding on to it since. Now, with A Book of Gold Thrown Open shows coming up, I thought it would be fun to share it. Hope you like! Thanks for listening!” — Josh Ritter

WATCH: Samantha Crain, “Garden Dove”

Artist: Samantha Crain
Hometown: Shawnee, Oklahoma
Song: “Garden Dove”
Album: A Small Death
Release Date: July 17, 2020
Label: Ramseur Records/Thirty Tigers and Real Kind Records/Communion

In Their Words: “With the idea in mind of being better for yourself and learning to love yourself, I started thinking about how much easier it was to connect with other people when you’re actually reveling in and enjoying your own company as well. It reminded me of a cult of friendship, sort of building this great web and community around myself. So, of course, I felt like I wanted to make a spooky Oklahoma backroads cult video for the song. I was inspired by Robert Weine and Hitchcock and wanted to make it feel real and high quality but also homemade in a way. I directed the video and did the costumes, my friend Blake Studdard did the camerawork and editing, my friends Nia and Izze (who were also in my ‘An Echo’ video) and Adam acted as my growing cult family. We filmed it on an extremely cold winter night on a dead-end street in Norman, Oklahoma.” — Samantha Crain


Photo credit: Dylan Johnson

LISTEN: Sophie & the Broken Things, “Tornado”

Artist: Sophie & the Broken Things
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Tornado”
Album: Sophie & the Broken Things
Release Date: January 31, 2020
Label: Petaluma Records

In Their Words: “Tornadoes have been occurring in my dreams for as long as I can remember. A few years ago I had one that was really memorable. So I woke up with the first line from this song in my head. Around that time I felt totally uncertain in every aspect of my life and was doubting every decision I was making. Having that kind of uncertainty makes you freeze in how you go about your life and influences every decision you make, and I just remember feeling very immobile.” — Sophie Gault


Photo credit: Annelise Loughead

LISTEN: Sasha K.A, “Tall Grass”

Artist: Sasha K.A
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Tall Grass”
Album: Family
Release Date: February 21

In Their Words: “‘Tall Grass’ is about a musician friend of mine who got on the wrong path with drugs and alcohol. The ‘tall grass’ is a metaphor for hanging with the wrong crowd and making the wrong decisions. This guy is so naturally talented and so rich in spirit, but was snagged by the vices that haunt the music industry. Really fun experience bringing this song to life with Eric Harrison and Michael Ingber at Studio 601. Eric played bass, Michael played drums, we all produced the song. Incredibly collaborative and creative process.” — Sasha K.A.


Photo credit: Kush Mody

Hawktail, “Padiddle”

Impossible combinations. Hawktail makes them seamlessly, time and again, with their effortless-while-labyrinthine brand of instrumental string band music. Their brand new album, Formations, is their first conceived and executed wholly as a four-piece. Mandolinist Dominick Leslie joined the lineup of Paul Kowert on bass, Brittany Haas on fiddle, and Jordan Tice on guitar after Hawktail developed most of Unless, their debut, as a trio. Confidence and ease permeate the new record, along with a palpable sense of intense listening and a feeling of space, openness, and synchronization. With virtuosos such as these it’s hard to imagine that they could possibly grow closer, become tighter, more enmeshed — but it would seem after little more than a year these four certainly have.

 Tice introduces “Padiddle,” Formations’ penultimate track, combining a bouncy, folk-rock inflected melodic hook with a smoldering, bluegrass-born conviction. An all too rare pairing in string band music, these modern, impetuous musical ideas don’t always emulsify with age-old, dyed-in-the-wool techniques. With each of the six originals on the record (and, of course, the Väsen cover, too) Hawktail are, as always, daringly inventive. But on Formations they’re distinctly proud to be catchy as well, flirting playfully with pop while still constantly reinforcing the deep roots of their collective pedigrees in fiddle music, old-time, bluegrass, and plain ol’ pickin’. An overarching impossible combination coloring the entire collection of tunes must be this: That something so timeless is also remarkably contemporary.

WATCH: Nathaniel Rateliff, “And It’s Still Alright”

Artist: Nathaniel Rateliff
Song: “And It’s Still Alright”
Album: And It’s Still Alright
Release Date: February 14, 2020
Label: Stax Records

In Their Words: “I think I always want to see hope in the darkness, and I like to try to share that. … I always try to write from a perspective of trying to approach everything very honestly, even if it leaves me vulnerable. But overall, it’s almost like I’m a different character when I’m writing for myself. … I think this album is a reminder that we all go through hardship, but regardless of the hardship everything ends up where it’s supposed to. I still continue to live and I still continue to find joy. I think that’s the theme of the record.” — Nathaniel Rateliff


Photo credit: Rett Rogers

WATCH: Scott Mulvahill, “Say I Love You”

Artist: Scott Mulvahill
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Say I Love You” (Single)
Label: Soundly Music/West Sterling

In Their Words: “‘You don’t trust anyone, got a mouth like a loaded gun’ is one of my favorite first lines that I’ve ever written. And to me, ‘Say I Love You’ is all about the lyric — it’s about our ability to love and choose each other even though we’re so flawed. I came up with a draft of this song and then finished it in stages with Ben Shive and Beth Nielsen Chapman, and they really made it deeper and ring more true. To let the words come through, I kept this arrangement simple — it’s just my voice, my guitar, and a beautiful string arrangement by Maestro Lightford.” — Scott Mulvahill


Photo Credit: Lindsey Patkos

BGS WRAPS: Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, “Let It Snow”

Artist: Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors
Song: “Let It Snow”
Album: Let It Snow EP

In Their Words: “We are thrilled to release this new Christmas EP. It has our take on the classic ‘Let It Snow’ and two original songs — Ellie singing ‘Christmas Style’ and our first-ever Scrooge song, ‘It’s Christmas.’ ‘Let It Snow ‘ is one of my favorite Christmas songs to sing with the family around the holidays. Was a really fun one to record with Ellie.” — Drew Holcomb

BGS WRAPS: Wade Bowen, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”

Artist: Wade Bowen
Song: “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
Album: Twelve Twenty-Five

In Their Words: “Christmas has always been the most personal of holidays, with its combination of faith and family. That was true for me while growing up and it’s still true for me today, albeit in a completely different way. As a husband and father who spends so much time traveling the world playing music, I love the feeling the Christmas season brings to my life. And I recognize how quickly time passes and how each Christmas is unique and fleeting. With my family, I try to keep the best parts of the warm, magical, small-town vibe that my parents gave me while growing up in Waco.

“I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album that reflects all of that. All that I’ve grown to love. I can remember sitting around listening to Christmas music with my mom and sisters and singing every word. So when it came time to choose the songs for this album, I wanted those to be part of the project. But on top of the classic songs I grew up with, I want to introduce my kids to the modern holiday songs by my favorite singers or things that I watched on TV that also became part of what Christmas means to me. So this record is a reflection of all of that…with a timeless feel. It was made with friends and family, singing songs that came to mean something to me over the years. And maybe, if we’re lucky, something on this album might become a small part of what Christmas means to you. I hope you enjoy it.” — Wade Bowen