Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Diane Coll, “I Don’t Know”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Diane Coll
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Song: “I Don’t Know”
Album: Old Ghosts
Release Date: January 16, 2024

In Their Words: “This is a lighthearted song about spiritual surrender and my own internal dialogue of learning to let go. There is great relief in detaching from any outcome. There is great beauty in not knowing what’s around the corner and just simply sitting, watching the river flow.

“I love how Daniel Groover’s drums and Jonny Daly’s guitar solo magnify the playful, nothing-to-lose mindset needed to truly let go of control and trust in the flow of life. It is affirming to me that, although I had not originally planned for ‘I Don’t Know’ to be on the album, the song took on a life of its own and became a no-brainer for inclusion. To surrender control can lead to some happy surprises!” – Diane Coll

Photo Credit: Troy Moore and Diane Coll

WATCH: The Steel Wheels, “Yes I Know”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: The Steel Wheels
Hometown: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Song: “Yes I Know”
Album: Sideways
Release Date: February 9, 2024
Label: Big Ring Records

In Their Words: “‘Yes I Know’ dips into that feeling when you can see the moment you’re in with someone else as a beautiful moment, while simultaneously seeing the future – that no relationship is static. Is ‘forever’ a useful idea to comfort our fears? Maybe, or maybe it can be inspiring to remember all relationships will eventually end. For me, there are times of year when forever feels more real than others: the heat of the summer, when the days last 16 hours and feel full of forever energy, while the month or so of leaves changing in the fall always confronts me with change and the passage of time.

“The video for the song started as more of a 2 week autumnal leaf study. I live in Harrisonburg, Virginia, down the block from a beautiful city park. I wanted to try to film the changing of the leaves, so I started recording the same video every day for a couple of weeks in October/November. The video logs my small daily nature walks and the transformative show of the seasonal shifts.” – Trent Wagler

Photo Credit: Mike Lee

WATCH: Never Come Down, “Better Late Than Never” (Live)

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Never Come Down
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Better Late Than Never” (Live)
Album: Better Late Than Never (Live)
Release Date: December 15, 2023

In Their Words: “This past summer we found ourselves performing, teaching, and camping at a racetrack – Agassiz Speedway in British Columbia. Why? We were scheduled to play NimbleFingers Music Festival, but it had to be relocated due to wildfires raging in the vicinity of Sorrento, BC, where the festival usually takes place.

“Salvaging the event was an exercise in adaptability – making proverbial lemonade from lemons with a great group of fellow human beings. There was also no way we were gonna pass up pickin’ on a racetrack. The re-imagined version of the festival was unique and exciting in its own special way. We hope the same can be said of this new take on an old song of ours.” – Brian Alley, banjo

Photo Credit: Julia Varga
Video Credit: Trent Freeman

LISTEN: Michael Nau, “Painting A Wall”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Michael Nau
Hometown: Cumberland, Maryland
Song: “Painting A Wall”
Album: Accompany
Release Date: December 8, 2023
Label: Karma Chief Records (imprint of Colemine Records)

In Their Words: “Most of my life has been recording music – whether thinking of it as making an album, or learning something new about myself, how to work a piece of gear, etc. – and for the most part, in a room alone.

“But every couple of years it seems I end up in a space recording music with people I love. It’s been a few years since we made these recordings, but in the few days we were together, I was reminded of how special it is to share that space. ‘Painting a Wall,’ like the rest of the songs on this album, is a recording of how it went down in that space.

“It’s Will Brown on organ, Ken Woodward on bass, Mat Davidson on pedal steel, and Seth Kauffman on drums.
Thanks for listening.” – Michael Nau

Track Credits: Written by Michael Nau
Produced by Adrian Olsen and Michael Nau
Engineered and mixed by Adrian Olsen

Mastered by Christopher Colbert
Cover artwork by Evan Aproberts
Art direction and layout by Melissa Lou Castellano

Photo Credit: Whitney McGraw Nau

WATCH: Sully Bright, “Dark” (Live in Appalachia Video Series)

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Sully Bright
Hometown: Forest City, North Carolina; currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Dark”
Album: Darling, Wake Up
Release Date: October 13, 2023

In Their Words: “‘Dark’ is a special song for me. It’s about my struggles with mental health, specifically Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The song tells my journey of learning how to see the light shine through the window; how to push past and break through the darkness of your own bedroom.

“In the video, I got the chance to sing it in a dark room with a window.” – Sully Bright

Photo Credit: Wonderfilmco
Video Credit: Seth and Jenna Herlich, Wonderfilmco

LISTEN: Stoll Vaughan, “Fate”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Stoll Vaughan
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
Song: “Fate”
Album: Dream in Color
Release Date: February 23, 2024
Label: Commonwealth Artist

In Their Words: “When my daughter was born, I was reflecting on the distance my wife and I had covered, welcoming the next chapter of raising our child and finding ourselves surrounded by the demands of parenthood. I realized how fortunate I have been to have such a gracious spirit as my partner. I had known this, but the song was a rediscovery. She has always been the responsible one, always the kindest among us. She softly carries me as I dance in the darkness with my fears and ambition. She could hold me to the fire, but she never does. She loves me unconditionally. I know she could have done better than me, but that’s not how this universe works. I believe in Fate.” – Stoll Vaughan

Photo Credit: Effie Dozier

WATCH: Onoleigh, “Walls”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Onoleigh
Hometown: Mahomet, Illinois
Song: “Walls”
Release Date: November 29, 2023

In Their Words: “This song is personal for me. It’s about going through ups and downs throughout childhood and growing up. There were a lot of tough times in my own life where I felt societal or personal pressure to be someone that I wasn’t, and my childhood bedroom was my safe space. It was the place where I could reflect and think about who I was and who I was supposed to become. So, the idea that the walls could hear what I was thinking and could watch me grow up was something that I wanted to write about. I took this to my co-writers John Oates and Nathan Chapman, and we came up with this beautiful song that tells my own personal journey, and I feel like others will be able to relate.” – Onoleigh

Photo Credit: Allister Ann

LISTEN: Benson, “Lay ‘Em Down”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Benson
Hometown: Boiling Springs, South Carolina
Song: “Lay ‘Em Down”
Release Date: November 24, 2023
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “We love to find songs outside the genre that work with a bluegrass delivery. The hope is that people who have never heard this before will assume it was always intended to be a bluegrass tune.” – Kristin Scott Benson

“‘Lay ‘Em Down’ is such a great reminder of God’s grace and how it’s free for the taking. The world is heavy these days and it’s a gift to be able to lay down our troubles. It’s an encouraging song.” – Wayne Benson

Track Credits:
Wayne Benson – mandolin, bass
Kristin Scott Benson – banjo
Cody Kilby – acoustic guitar
Samantha Snyder – fiddle
Heath Williams – lead vocal
Mickey Harris – harmony vocals

Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: Hannah Kaminer, “Heavy on the Vine”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Hannah Kaminer
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina (technically Black Mountain, North Carolina)
Song: “Heavy on the Vine”
Album: Heavy on the Vine
Release Date: November 17, 2023 (single); January 5, 2024 (album)

In Their Words: “Over the last few years I started gardening and going to the community garden to learn whatever I could. One day in late summer I showed up and the gardener in charge told me we had to take out all the tomatoes and summer plants. I was stunned because all of those plants were still going strong, in full bloom. She gently let me know that it was time: If we did not take the summer plants out, there would be no fall planting and no fall harvest. Pulling the tomatoes out was a spiritual experience – letting go of one thing so another could grow – but it’s a lot harder when it’s not just tomatoes that you have to let go of. This song is about those moments when your vision narrows and you realize that only a few things in life are actually important, and you find yourself bargaining with the universe for the one thing you want but can’t have.” – Hannah Kaminer

Track Credits: Hannah Kaminer – vocals, guitar
Kevin Williams – keys
Ross Montsinger – drums
Melissa Hyman – bass, harmony vocals
Jackson Dulaney – pedal steel

Photo Credit: John Dupre
Video Credits: Produced by Old Home Place Recordings
Director – Aaron Stone
Audio Engineer – Mike Johnson
Photography – John Dupre
Executive Producers – Tim & Susan Griffin

WATCH: The Montvales, “Lou”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: The Montvales
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee, but currently residing in Cincinnati, Ohio
Song: “Lou”
Album: Born Strangers
Release Date: February 2, 2024

In Their Words: “I spent a year teaching English in a small town in France. My baby niece came to visit during that time and I got to take her to the ocean for the first time. I showed her beaches, vineyards, and forests.

“Sometimes being far away makes troubling news of home feel more vivid. Threats to American public land felt especially heartbreaking as I watched my niece grow to love the land for the first time. I wrote this song imagining a future in which she gets to love all the mountains, beaches, and forests that I love. It felt like the only acceptable option was a world passed on to her intact.” – Sally Buice

Track Credits: Produced by Mike Eli LoPinto
Engineered by Sean Sullivan
Mixed by Jake Davis
Mastered by Kevin Butler

Photo Credit: Suzi Kern
Video Credit: Contrary Western