Tag: premiere

WATCH: Josh Fortenbery, “Sewing the Same Seam”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Josh Fortenbery
Hometown: Juneau, Alaska
Song: “Sewing the Same Seam”
Album: No Such Thing as Forever
Release Date: January 12, 2024 (single); March 8, 2024 (album)

In Their Words: “‘Sewing the Same Seam’ is an uptempo existential crisis. Like many songs on No Such Thing as Forever, it indulges in a bit of fatalism while also worrying that I’m capable of more than I admit. I’m a sucker for worst-case scenarios —maybe things won’t get better and not everything turns out alright. And when I linger on those thoughts, it gets easier to convince myself I know what I’m talking about instead. This live take was filmed at a house in Juneau that often hosts songwriters, with the same band that plays on the record.” – Josh Fortenbery

Track Credits: 

James Cheng – Bass
Lindsay Clark – Fiddle
Andrew Heist – Mandolin/vocals

Photo Credit: Annie Bartholomew

WATCH: Jim Kweskin, “You’re Just In Love”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Jim Kweskin
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “You’re Just In Love” (featuring Fiona Kweskin)
Album: Never Too Late
Release Date: January 26, 2024
Label: StorySound Records

In Their Words: “‘You’re Just In Love’ was written by Irving Berlin, who wrote it for the 1950 Broadway musical Call Me Madam. It’s been recorded many times, but never like this – we do it almost as a folk song. I love the counterpoint, the two different words, and the melodies going on at the same time. Irving Berlin, of course, is a famous American popular music composer. He’s written songs that everybody knows, like ‘God Bless America’ and ‘White Christmas,’ but in fact, he wrote hundreds of hit songs for Broadway musicals, movies, and pop records. He’s one of my favorite composers. And for me, what could be better than a grandfather singing to his granddaughter about what it feels like to be in love?” – Jim Kweskin

Track Credits:

Jim Kweskin – Vocal & Guitar
Fiona Kweskin – Vocal
Cindy Cashdollar – Baritone National Tricone
Suzy Thompson – Fiddle
Sean Staples – Mandolin
Richie Guerin – Mandola
Matthew Berlin – Bass

Video Credits: Directed and edited by Lauren Balthrop
Assisted by James Paul Mitchell and Lawson White
Additional concert footage filmed and edited by Wayne Griffith

Photo Credit: Don West

LISTEN: Alice Di Micele, “Square One”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Alice Di Micele
Hometown: Ashland, Oregon since 1986; Linden, New Jersey as a child
Song: “Square One”
Album: Interpretations Vol 1
Release Date: January 19, 2024
Label: Alice Otter Music

In Their Words: “I’ve been enamored by Tom Petty’s songwriting for most of my life. The depth and diversity of his catalog is inspiring. Back in 2018, shortly after his passing, my co-producer Bret Levick and I formed a tribute band called Petty Thievery. It has been really fun to rock out to his songs and it gave me a new outlet for playing and singing. I absolutely love being a singer-songwriter, but it’s fun to wear a different hat now and again. I chose this mellower tune for my record, because I was driving home from tour with my drummer the first time I heard it and I had to hit replay 6 or 7 times. I went home and learned it. The theme of starting over really struck a chord in me.” – Alice Di Micele

Track Credits:

Alice Di Micele – vocals, acoustic guitars, shaker
Gene Black – electric guitar
Rob Kohler – bass
Bret Levick – backing vocals

Photo Credit: Michelle McAfee

LISTEN: Cary Morin, “Whiskey Before Breakfast”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Cary Morin
Hometown: Born in Billings, Montana; now based in Fort Collins, Colorado
Song: “Whiskey Before Breakfast”
Album: Innocent Allies
Release Date: January 26, 2024

In Their Words: “‘Whiskey Before Breakfast’ is a song that I learned as a child, when my interest at the time was mainly bluegrass music, something I loved very much. Since those early days, I have abandoned the guitar pick and prefer to play fingerstyle guitar. I was inspired to record this old traditional tune by my interest in the famous Montana band, Mission Mountain Wood Band. I loved their combination of bluegrass and other genres of the time. Their album, In Without Knocking, was always on my list of favorite recordings and I particularly liked the album cover, which is the painting by [Charles M. Russell] titled, ‘In Without Knocking.'” – Cary Morin

Photo Credit: Grayson Reed

WATCH: Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley with Molly Tuttle, “John Deere Tractor” (A Tribute to the Judds)

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley and Molly Tuttle
Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee; Jonesborough, Tennessee; Palo Alto, California
Song: “John Deere Tractor”
Album: A Tribute To The Judds
Release Date: October 27, 2023

In Their Words: “It is an incredible honor to be included in this amazing tribute to The Judds. I grew up listening to these songs. I’ve always been a huge fan of The Judds and of that sound that they created with their producer Brent Maher. And ‘John Deere Tractor’ is one of my all-time favorite songs, so when we were asked to perform this song with the great Molly Tuttle, we of course jumped at the opportunity. I’m so proud to be a part of this album, and I’m so excited for everyone to hear it. Thank you to The Judds for creating such wonderful music that we’ll all be listening to forever.” – Trey Hensley

“I remember hearing The Judds on the radio for the first time — it blew my mind! It was a musical oasis on the radio, that’s for sure. As a kid growing up playing bluegrass, I loved their sound with the ACOUSTIC guitars(!), and the Dobros that were front and center in the mix (great production by Brent Maher!), and of course, their harmonies and song choices were impeccable. And Wynonna, what a voice! So strong, an amazing tone… ‘John Deere Tractor’ was a big song for me because my bluegrass hero, Larry Sparks, did a great version of it. I was really impressed when I saw that The Judds recorded it and loved their version also. It was such a thrill to record this awesome song, and I love the vocal performances by Trey Hensley and Molly Tuttle on this track. They hit it out of the park.” – Rob Ickes

Photo Credit: Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley by Jeff Fasano; Molly Tuttle by Bobbi Rich.

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