Tag: premiere

WATCH: Joh Chase, “Another Lover”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Joh Chase
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Another Lover”
Release Date: June 12, 2023
Label: Kill Rock Stars

In Their Words: “This song began in a writing retreat in Washington State back in 2017 and has had many iterations. This version is the ‘acoustic version’ I recorded and mixed at home in the corner of my living room during insomniatic COVID lock-down nights; [it] speaks of the visceral remorse we feel after nurturing and then losing relationships and just wanting to take it all back.” – Joh Chase

Photo Credit: Lexi Bonin

WATCH: Sarah Morris, “Ruthless”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Sarah Morris
Hometown: Shoreview, Minnesota
Song: “Ruthless”
Album: Here’s To You
Release Date: May 5, 2023

In Their Words: “‘Ruthless’ was a writing prompt in the summer of 2019. My initial response was the opening line, ‘Your calloused fingers, my calloused heart, I bet you earned your lack of feeling by working hard …’ My husband has calloused hands from building a cabin for our family, I have earned my own calloused fingers from guitar strings over the years – it was an easy image to grab on to. So often my songwriting takes me to deeply domestic moments and this song felt removed from that in a way that was so fun to write (and now to sing). I’ve written many songs about kindness; offering one another healing, a soft place to fall – it was fun to explore the other nooks and crannies of human emotion and character.

“On a late winter run I was listening to the masters of the album and when ‘Ruthless’ came on, I saw all these images – the two people, the sink, the dark background, a sense of kaleidoscope. As soon as I landed back at home, I emailed the amazing team of Sarah and Erik Elstan to ask if they were up to collaborating on a video again. On a blustery April day, we hid in a Minneapolis studio with Michael Gay, some great vintage pieces courtesy of Seven Suns Vintage out of Eau Claire, and shot the video. What a gift to find people who you can share a tangle of run-induced ideas with, and then they create something so fantastic!” – Sarah Morris

Photo Credit: Emily Isakson

WATCH: Jacob Sharp, “Other Side”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Jacob Sharp
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Other Side” (feat. Aoife O’Donovan)
Release Date: May 26, 2023

In Their Words: “I wrote this song in early 2020 when I was finally still enough to wrap my head around some of my emotions buried deepest. This one’s about a friend losing a battle with addiction, what I wish I had said more, and what I’ve been trying to say to all my people since. For me, music is for making and sharing with people. It’s why I love bands and being in Mipso. I talked myself out of releasing my own music so many times over the past few years, but when I realized it made for a good opportunity to collaborate with dear friends for the first time, it started to feel alright. I got the band of my dreams together and we recorded this one, mostly in separate locations in 2021.

“There is an amazing winemaker, Jude Zasadski, who is my neighbor in Mt. Washington – it’s a little oasis in the heart of Los Angeles – and he is someone who constantly inspires me. I love that dude so much. When I got the final mix for this tune, he was one of the first people I shared it with and he had an immediate vision for how we could show some of the fuzzier sides of memory whilst memorializing the preciousness of time and those moments when you feel your feelings again. We strolled around the neighborhood, got burgers and milkshakes, and then set up a projector in our friend’s garage. And one of my favorite filmmakers, Brady Lawrence, has been a friend for over a decade. His art always gets to emotional depth quickly and he was the perfect person to edit this video.” – Jacob Sharp

Photo Credit: Cate Parker
Video Credit: Jude Zasadski (director and videographer) and Brady Lawrence (editor)

WATCH: Selwyn Birchwood, “Exorcist”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Selwyn Birchwood
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Song: “Exorcist”
Album: Exorcist
Release Date: June 9, 2023
Label: Alligator Records

In Their Words:  “‘Exorcist’ is the most vivid song on this album. It is meant to evoke and stir your emotions as you listen. The music video allowed me to paint the rest of the song’s story and picture visually. I have spent the last four weeks working on and editing this video to create an immersive cinematic experience and I couldn’t be happier with the final product. This is my masterpiece!” – Selwyn Birchwood

Photo Credit: Marilyn Stringer

LISTEN: Eliza Gilkyson, “Here Comes the Night”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Eliza Gilkyson
Hometown: Taos, NM
Song: “Here Comes the Night”
Album: Home
Release Date: June 23, 2023
Label: Realiza Records

In Their Words: “With the encroaching reality of global warming and extreme natural disasters I find comfort in knowing that the Earth is more resilient than human beings at their worst. Even if I don’t live to see things turn around after they fall apart, I do feel hopeful about the Earth’s supreme thrust to create life in all its myriad forms. I wrote this song just to conjure up some courage to get my emotional ‘sea legs’ in the light of what’s coming within my lifetime, and to find some element of redemption in all of it. Musically, I wanted to keep it all upbeat rather than gloomy, to convey a combination of apprehensive and hopeful feelings. My brother Tony Gilkyson delivered just the kind of twang-and-grit guitar to accomplish that, and I think it pairs well with Don Richmond’s cascading mandolin parts.” – Eliza Gilkyson

Photo Credit: Robert Jensen

LISTEN: Sara Petite, “The Empress”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Sara Petite
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Song: “The Empress”
Album: The Empress
Release Date: June 9, 2023
Label: 40 Below Records

In Their Words: “The Empress rides with a sword of Justice by her side. A tale of the feminine energy through the hand and sands of time. From Joan of Arc to Mary Magdalene and other heroines. A tale of love, perseverance, and rising above.” – Sara Petite

Photo Credit: Kaelan Barowsky

WATCH: Elias Alexander & Maura Shawn Scanlin, “Wildflower”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Elias Alexander, Maura Shawn Scanlin, Ramblxr
Hometown: Portland, OR
Song: “Wildflower”
Album: Wildflower (single)
Release Date: June 1, 2023 (single); June 7, 2023 (video)

In Their Words: “‘Wildflower’ combines a fiddle tune with a lo-fi disco groove to take the listener on a journey through a field of wildflowers to a sunset dance party with friends. I’ve always loved the presence and emotionality that Maura brings to her fiddle playing. When she sent me this newly composed reel that she had written within the bagpipe scale, I took a lot of time to listen to the tune and tease out the corners of the melody. Like many tunes in the bagpipe scale, the tonality could be interpreted a number of different ways, but as I played around with it, I found this sort-of disco counter melody emerging.

“During the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 I became obsessed with music production, in the way that term is used in pop and hip-hop (i.e. beatmaking), and I’ve been most drawn to the kind of lo-fi groovy bedroom pop sounds of artists like Clairo or Dominic Fike.

“Electronic drum beats, synths, and other pop production techniques are often eschewed in folk and traditional music, but I think it’s time we re-evaluate that. These tools are technology, in the same way that the violin is technology, and they all serve as tools for expression of the human spirit. I started my project ‘Ramblxr’ as a way to bridge the two worlds of acoustic traditional music and electronics, with the goal of staying true to my musical roots, taste, and evolving sensibilities.

“Maura laid down some beautiful strings, and we both hummed the countermelody to bring the track to a climax that feels like a sunset dance party with friends in a field of wildflowers in early June. I hope you enjoy the ride!” – Elias Alexander

Photo Credit: Elias Alexander by Anna Colliton; Maura Shawn Scanlin by Louise Bichan.

LISTEN: Dusky Waters, “How Will We Know?”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Dusky Waters
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Song: “How Will We Know?”
Album: Pass It On
Release Date: June 9, 2023

In Their Words: “I am so excited to share the song ‘How Will We Know?’ as the final teaser to the album, Pass It On, that will be released on Friday, June 9! This album captures many special and pivotal moments in time for me and my perspective on navigating the 2020s as a black, southern, millennial woman. I was inspired to write this song during a hiking trip in the Smoky Mountains. The beauty, awe, and uncertainty I experienced on that journey provided some really fitting parallels to the progression and ending of a long-term relationship, which you can hear in the song. My favorite moment on the track is the ending, which features a piano solo by Tommy Henson. Tommy began playing with the band about a year and a half ago and has already left his mark on our sound and brand of Americana. I hope you enjoy the track and also check out the rest of the album when it comes out on Friday!” – Dusky Waters

Photo Credit: Analiese De Saw

WATCH: Joseph Terrell, “Tallest House of Cards” (feat. Charly Lowry)

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Joseph Terrell
Hometown: Durham, NC
Song: “Tallest House of Cards” (featuring Charly Lowry)
Album: Good For Nothing Howl
Release Date: May 5, 2023
Label: Sleepy Cat Records

In Their Words: “Charly Lowry is one of my favorite singers in North Carolina. I love her voice and her presence and I really admire how rooted she is in her community in Eastern North Carolina (AKA “down east” AKA the most interesting part of the state with the most swamps and collard greens per capita). We met up in Pembroke, NC at Charly’s bar, Credentials Social Club, and she helped me record a beautiful version of this song from my album … thanks to Charly for bringing it to life. Directed by my great buddies Sandra Davidson and Cameron Laws, we made a day trip out of it, got Mexican at Charly’s favorite spot beforehand, and then Cook Out milkshakes afterward (banana pudding). It was a pleasure all around.

“‘Tallest House of Cards’ is about some great duos who burned hot and bright for a little while. You know Bonnie & Clyde, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. Y’all maybe don’t know the story of Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon, the surveyors who drew the famous line, but they were a wild pairing, too. I’ve got some other verses (Bert & Ernie, Siegfried & Roy) that I might bust out live.” – Joseph Terrell

Video directed by Sandra Katharine Davidson and Cameron Elizabeth Laws

Photo Credit: Joseph Blankinship

LISTEN: Laith, “Texas Birds”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Laith
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Texas Birds”
Album: Lightning
Release Date: June 9, 2023
Label: Fluff and Gravy Records

In Their Words: “‘Texas Birds’ kind of ‘fell in my lap.’ It’s derived from my hazy collection of memories and being a kid in South Texas obsessed with birds. At the time it was written, it felt like the ethos of the record I wanted to make, so much so that I named the band that played on the record and that plays with me live after it. Laith & The Texas Birds. I hadn’t seen the sun in 3 weeks one winter in Portland and all I wanted to see was some birds, but they were all hiding from the rain. The band started around that time, so I made them birds.” – Laith

Photo Credit: Mandi Jean