Artist:Jen Ambrose Hometown: Elmira, NY Song: “Plenty Of Nothin’ To Do” Album:Plenty Of Nothin’ To Do Release Date: July 7, 2023 (single); October 6, 2023 (album)
In Their Words: “An evergreen blues tune and tempo, a smoking and biting band, and a voice as smooth as molasses. A winning recipe and you all are not ready to be swept away from it. ‘Plenty Of Nothing Nothing To Do’ is the second single from the homonym album, a feel good song to get over that nasty heartbreak. “The level of catchiness is over the roof, thanks to the biting guitar riffs from the mind of Ken Orsow, co-writer on the album, and the lyrics, sung with a Shania-Twain-arrogance.” – Jen Ambrose
Artist:Jeremy Garrett Hometown: Loveland, Colorado Song: “How Low” (featuring Bonnie Sims) Release Date: July 7, 2023 Label: Organic Records
In Their Words: “‘How Low’ is a cover of a solo artist named José Gonzalez. He describes the song as being about ‘mindless consumerism.’ I fell in love with the vibe this song encompasses and had a vision to see what it would be like to produce the song as a bluegrass-type ensemble piece. I brought in a couple of special guests for this one — Bonnie Sims of Taylor and Sims, Everybody Loves An Outlaw, and Big Richard is my singing partner (and she tears it up!) I also had Ryan Cavanaugh guest on banjo. I hope you dig it!” – Jeremy Garrett
Photo Credit: George Trent Grogan, Mountain Trout Photography
Artist: The Two Tracks Hometown: Sheridan, Wyoming Song: “Canyon Wren” Album: It’s a Complicated Life Release Date: August 25, 2023
In Their Words: “I started writing ‘Canyon Wren’ as a series of two poetic pieces inspired by pictures from our place in Baja, Mexico, one of which is the cover of the single. From our place there, the sun rises over distant mountains and shines right into the faces of breaking waves along the Pacific coast. You check the surf while the arroyos and hillsides buzz with the sound of birds. The canyon wren is one of those birds. Often there can be fog, or dew hanging in the air – an elusive hint of moisture in this otherwise dry place. We love the calm, quiet, empty feel of those mornings as the landscape wakes up and I tried to capture a bit of that scene, and our time spent down there. Julie and I love empty, wild places as much as we love the busy life of performing music. I was musically inspired by the laid back, chill vibes of early J.J. Cale records, which I’ve listened to a lot over the years while driving through Baja, and tried to channel that sound into this track.” – Dave Huebner
Artist:Leon Creek Hometown: Los Angeles, California Song: “High Hopes” Release Date: June 28, 2023
In Their Words: “The origins of Leon Creek as a band stems from our love of story songs in the country tradition. ‘High Hopes’ incorporates this approach, creating a song that is our ode to perseverance. We got the band together in the studio and cut this to capture the energy of our live show blending newly-mined honky-tonk influences with our singer Chris Pierce’s powerful soul vocals.” – Leon Creek (Chris Pierce, Matthew Stevens, and Erik Janson)
Artist:The Chuck Wagon Gang Hometown: The current members are pretty scattered, but The Chuck Wagon Gang originated in Fort Worth, Texas Song: “I Will Not Cry Today” Album:Come Go With Me Release Date: June 30, 2023 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “Our main focus for this Chuck Wagon Gang recording was to find new songs. We had received several from writer Tami Pockstellar, who had written ‘Two Gardens’ from our previous project. Tami’s lyrics and melodies capture the freshness we were searching for, and ‘I Will Not Cry Today’ is a perfect example. It was challenging but fun to add this exciting bluegrass-styled song. I really believe these lyrics will be uplifting to listeners because they encourage us to keep pressing on, no matter the situation we find ourselves in.” – Shaye Smith, The Chuck Wagon Gang
“’I Will Not Cry Today’ was a great opportunity to feature The Chuck Wagon Gang as a trio and bring in some bluegrass-styled accompaniment, which the group wanted to feature on this album. The bluegrass world has always had a kinship with the music of the original Chuck Wagon Gang and it was special to be able to blend the two worlds together on this new song for the Gang.” – Jeremy Stephens, producer
Artist:Christian Parker Hometown: Canton, New York Song: “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” Album: Sweethearts Release Date: August 18, 2023
In Their Words: “I first heard this song by Bob Dylan on an acoustic guitar. But I was hooked when I listened to the opening pedal steel guitar from The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. This song has been in my repertoire for decades, and it felt like I was recording an old friend! Tracer James’ interpretation of Lloyd Green’s pedal steel guitar perfectly opens the Sweethearts tribute. Earl Poole Ball played piano on the original album; hearing him on this tribute is a testament to his influence on the 1968 classic album! ‘You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere’ is the opening track on the Sweethearts album, and it sounds like a train leaving the station and moving on down the tracks.” – Christian Parker
(Editor’s Note: Watch a brand new music video for the title track of Lauren Calve’s upcoming album, “Shift,” below.)
What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?
I was a visual artist before I was a musician, so visual art has always played a role in my music-making. Interestingly, though, my songs usually inform my art. After I finish writing and recording a collection of songs, I usually go through a kind-of sensory transition from auditory to visual. For instance, after I finished my forthcoming album Shift, I painted a self-portrait incorporating the imagery from Shift for my album cover in the style of surrealist painter Rene Magritte. For me, creating art to accompany my releases enriches the experience of making music.
Which artist has influenced you the most… and how?
Patty Griffin is probably my biggest influence. Her songs have always captured my heart and imagination. And I love how she constantly evolves her sound and songwriting while maintaining her authenticity. In my opinion, she is one of the best living singer-songwriters.
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
Walking the Anacostia River paths behind my house is my favorite and most accessible way to be in nature. These walks have elicited everything from song ideas and lyrics to notes for mixes. There’s something about walking in nature that clears my head and allows my creativity to flow more freely.
If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?
If I had to write a mission statement for my career, especially in light of my recent personal shift, it would be “Songs for Seekers on their quest to know and be known.”
What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?
My favorite memory from being on stage was when I performed with the Mountain Stage band for the first episode of Mountain Stage’s 40th Anniversary year in January. Prior to the show my guitarist, Jonathan Sloane, had been in touch with the band leader; I was pretty much in the dark regarding the instrumentation for my set. It was the day of the show during soundcheck that I learned that the entire 7-piece house band would accompany me — including Kathy Mattea on background vocals! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that such an illustrious group — many of whom had been at Mountain Stage since its inception 40 years earlier — would be my backing band. Unsurprisingly, that set was the best my songs have ever sounded!
Artist:Bibelhauser Brothers Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky Song: “Place In The Sun” Album:Close Harmony Release Date: June 15, 2023
In Their Words: “In the past few years, Louisville, Kentucky has been shaken to its core, amid a global pandemic, racial inequity, gun violence, and the fallout surrounding the death of Breonna Taylor. Our hometown, seemingly a microcosm of the country at large, has struggled with social justice and a level of political unrest not seen since the 1960s. During a time when it felt impossible to find bits of optimism on social media I stumbled upon a video from way back in 1969. It was an epic duet with Stevie Wonder and Tom Jones singing ‘Place In The Sun.’ In the video, the two superstars traded off singing powerful lead vocals, then switched back and fourth singing harmony parts. This reminded me of how Aaron and I have traded singing parts on many of our songs over the years. The lyrics gave me hope that we might soon find ourselves moving to a better place, and the image of Stevie & Tom singing together at the height of the civil rights movement was beyond inspiring. I knew right away, this was a song we should sing together, and I hope our interpretation of it moves and inspires a new generation.” – Adam Bibelhauser
Photo credit: Winston Garthwaite Video credit: Brennan Clark
Artist:Larry & Joe Hometown: Durham, North Carolina Song: “Linda Barinas”
In Their Words: “’Linda Barinas’ is a song so well known that most Venezuelans can sing along.
“Eladio Ramón Tarife composed ‘Linda Barinas’ to honor his homeland, Barinas. It’s part of the Llano region and where this style of music, llanera, originated.
“The typical música llanera rendition would include harp, cuatro, maracas, bass and vocals, which makes our harp and banjo version quite unorthodox. Nonetheless, many Venezuelan traditional musicians have taken note of how seamlessly the five-string banjo melds with their instrumentation.
“Though Venezuela and Appalachia are thousands of miles apart, our folk traditions aren’t so different, and the sounds of our strings come together like old friends. Who would’ve thought?” – Joe Troop
Artist:JD Graham Hometown: Yukon, Oklahoma Song: “West Virginia” Album:A Pound Of Rust Release Date: June 23, 2023
In Their Words: “Growing up in rural Oklahoma, I was surrounded by all things oil field. I used to watch my friends roughneckin’ the rigs before they were old enough to buy smokes. By the the time they were 18, they were chasin’ money and workin’ 80 hours a week or more. The relationships they had with friends and lovers took a back seat. Years later the regret set in and they started to look back at what they missed. The character in this song wants another chance at the love he left behind and wonders if she has moved on.” – JD Graham
Photo Credit: Alex Chacon
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