Tag: premiere

STREAM: Rachael Sage, ‘The Other Side’

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Rachael Sage
Hometown: Hudson Valley, New York
Album: The Other Side
Release Date: July 21, 2023
Label: MPress Records

In Their Words: “The Other Side is my 15th album and yet, in some ways, it felt like I was starting all over again with this particular collection of songs and recordings. After we were all emerging from lockdown, I noticed there was such an intense awareness that nothing would ever be quite the same, but nor should it be. As a songwriter, how do you chronicle a time of so much loss, but also so much gratitude – just to still be able to live, anticipating all that you will see, do, and experience once you’re able to move freely, beyond a time of immediate crisis?

“My goal in creating this record was to channel a kind of zealousness and to transcend limitations, which we had all largely become accustomed during the pandemic – and, in so doing, to reignite hope. How does music and creative expression in general help us get back to the business of living, with renewed joy, courage, appreciation and even idealism? The dozen originals on the album all circle the theme of transcendence in some way, as do the handful of covers I selected. Yearning, forgiveness, breathing itself – only human beings can thoroughly understand the miracle it is to do all of these with reverence and uplift, after enduring trauma. I hope when people listen they hear not only my voice, but the echoes of refrains so many of us clung to over the last several years: Hopes and imaginings that kept us going, and family and friends, who we were reminded the hard way are the most precious legacy anyone can create in this lifetime.” – Rachael Sage

Photo Credit: Bill Bernstein

LISTEN: Birds of Play, “Stargazer”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Birds of Play
Hometown: Telluride, Colorado
Song: “Stargazer”
Album: Birdsongs of the American West
Release Date: August 25, 2023

In Their Words: “‘Stargazer’ is the first song I ever wrote, and it’s been such an incredible experience bringing it to life with the band. I initially didn’t care much for it, but my bandmates thought it had a lot of potential, and I came around to appreciating it more as each of them added their own sounds to it. It has grown quite a lot since we first started performing it, and it’s an exciting part of each tour to see how it will continue to grow and change.” – Anneke Dean

Photo Credit: Sarah Schwab

LISTEN: Maia Sharp, “She’ll Let Herself Out”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Maia Sharp
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “She’ll Let Herself Out”
Album: Reckless Thoughts
Release Date: August 18, 2023
Label: Crooked Crown

In Their Words: “I was walking around mulling over the line ‘she’ll let herself out’ for a long time before I brought it into a co-write with Dean Fields (also a co-writer on ‘Kind’ with Mindy Smith). I knew he could help me make sure we got the most out of the two angles: the conversational and the revelational. The perspective needed to be casual and powerful with the same words. Then the challenge for me was to make the production stay true to that mission by having a swagger and a drive at the same time. It took me down a few pre-production rabbit holes for sure. One was too urgent, one was too laid back and then I found that middle ground and brought those preliminary tracks to my all-star band of Joshua Grange, Ross McReynolds and Will Honaker, who solidified the hell out of it.” – Maia Sharp

Photo Credit: Anna Haas

LISTEN: The Waymores, “Under Your Spell Again”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: The Waymores
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Song: “Under Your Spell Again”
Album: Greener Pastures
Release Date: August 25, 2023 (album); July 21, 2023 (single)
Label: Chicken Ranch Records

In Their Words: “‘Under Your Spell Again’ was originally recorded by Buck Owens in 1959. It’s been covered lots of times since, but not by anyone in a very long time. This was the first song that we recorded in these sessions. Shel Talmy sent a long list of old standards for consideration and when we saw this one listed, we knew we had to choose it. We did our best to try and combine the original Buck version with the Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter version because we’re The Waymores and if Waylon did it, we kinda have to. Lyrically, it’s near impossible to NOT relate to – and the hook in this song is really hard to let go of. Ask my Mom, who’s had it in her head since we recorded it in July of 2022.” – Kira Annalise

Photo Credit: Lindsay Garrett

WATCH: George Jackson, “Alhaji”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: George Jackson
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Alhaji”
Album: George Jackson’s Local Trio
Release Date: July 18, 2023 (video); August 18, 2023 (album)
Label: Adhyâropa Records

In Their Words: “I feel a much stronger sense of identity with this record. In many ways, it’s still working with the concepts that I was getting at with Time and Place, trying to be a part of something with a long history while also trying to bring myself to the table as an outsider, but now there’s a lot more confidence in bringing together the different elements I’m interested in and continuing to form my voice with less fear of ‘doing it wrong.’

“(Banjoist Frank Evans) can go very deep in old-time as well as bluegrass music, and also has an interest and proficiency as an improviser and with jazz concepts. He just feels like such a natural fit for me musically. (Bassist Eli Broxham) has such a fearless spirit in the way that he approaches music.

“Fellow fiddle player John Mailander (Bruce Hornsby, Billy Strings) produced the record, collaborating closely with the trio to achieve this boundary-pushing vision. Something that I’m proud of with this record is that it doesn’t sound like music that has been made before — we were able to push old-time in genuinely new directions using arrangements, samples, and recording techniques.” – George Jackson

Photo Credit: Libby Danforth

LISTEN: Painted Mandolin, “Shine On”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Painted Mandolin
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Song: “Shine On”
Album: Sweet Rain
Release Date: August 1, 2023
Label: Blender Logic Arts

In Their Words: “‘Shine On’ was the first song I wrote for our record, Sweet Rain. Written early during the pandemic, there is a sense of those times – a collective consciousness of the unknown, being alone and wondering what’s to come; lots of questions. I tried to answer those feelings with a sense of hope, beauty, and what brings us together. A deep confidence that we can survive and thrive, with the help of our community. Nature really comes through and I was inspired by that beauty during these times. It was quieter, so the bird songs seemed louder. I remember gathering outside that fall to see the comet together – that was uplifting – and spending time on my friend’s land, and swimming in the creek, that reminded me: ‘Talk to me, shed your fears, shine on.'” – Larry Graff (guitar, vocals)

“Larry’s eloquent description and interpretation of the lyrics of his song ‘Shine On’ sets a stage of images, hopes and dreams, framed by the music we created. A tender and optimistic groove provides a happy cadence to the improvised solos of mandolin and guitar, only to modulate at the end into a conversation with overlays of musical thoughts towards a positive resolve, as we all navigated our feelings throughout the pandemic.” – Joe Craven (mandolin, violin, percussion, vocals)

Photo courtesy of Painted Mandolin

LISTEN: Daryl Mosley, “Nobody But Her”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Daryl Mosley
Hometown: Waverly, Tennessee
Song: “Nobody But Her”
Album: A Life Well Lived
Release Date: July 21, 2023
Label: Pinecastle Records

In Their Words: “I don’t write a lot of love songs. I try to include one on each album and it is usually my toughest assignment. Love is so powerful and so personal that for me, it’s hard to put those feelings into words that give them the treatment they deserve. I’ve known many relationships where one person ended up in more of a lead role and the spouse took a much more supportive role. ‘Nobody But Her’ is not just a love song. It’s a thank you note to those supportive partners expressing that their sacrifices do not go unnoticed. It’s written from the perspective of a guy who knows that he is a handful, but is blessed to have a woman who somehow manages to love him in spite of it.” – Daryl Mosley

Photo Credit: Candy Seaton

WATCH: Stillhouse Junkies, “Never Going Back Again”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Stillhouse Junkies
Hometown: Durango, Colorado
Song: “Never Going Back Again”
Album: Small Towns
Release Date: September 9, 2022
Label: Dark Shadow Recording

In Their Words: “‘Never Going Back Again’ was always on our short list of cover ideas and it felt like a natural candidate for the lone cover slot on our Small Towns album. The 1977 Lindsey Buckingham song was a fun challenge to arrange for the trio since it’s essentially just a fingerpicked guitar riff to start with. We changed the groove and added some melodic interplay between the fiddle and guitar over Cody’s backbeat bass line and came up with what we think is a fresh take that still honors the spirit of the original.

“Given the source material, it only seemed appropriate to make a video that looked and felt unlike anything we’d ever done before. Our amazing creative team of Hanna Irene (Hanna Irene Motion Pictures) and Renee Cornue (Renee Cornue Studio) came up with a concept that captured the funky, retro vibe of the song and used a stop motion technique to create a unique aesthetic that fit our reworked two-and-a-half minute arrangement perfectly. We shot the video in one day in an old gymnasium in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, as part of an artist residency at Green Box Arts. We’re absolutely thrilled with the outcome and can’t wait to share it with the world.” – Stillhouse Junkies

Photo Credit: Renee Cornue Studio

WATCH: Amanda Fields & Megan McCormick, “Wild As A Flower”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Amanda Fields and Megan McCormick
Hometown: Madison, Tennessee
Song: “Wild As A Flower”

In Their Words: “We started writing ‘Wild As A Flower’ almost two years ago, not knowing how the story that the song reflected would progress. After we lost one of our beloved animals in January, we were finally able to finish the song. It’s been refreshing to allow ourselves to explore new territories in our songwriting together, especially the spiritual elements that come up often in our conversations — we get pretty deep into the existential a lot of times and it’s opened up our writing a lot.” – Amanda Fields & Megan McCormick

Photo Credit: Lindsey Patkos
Video Credit: Rebecca Branson Jones

WATCH: Hog-eyed Man, “Paddy on the Turnpike”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Hog-eyed Man
Hometown: Currently based in Athens, Georgia
Song: “Paddy on the Turnpike”
Album: Kicked Up a Devil of a Row
Release Date: July 14, 2023
Label: Tiki Parlour Recordings

In Their Words: “There are many great versions of ‘Paddy on the Turnpike,’ but this is the best one to blast with the car winows down when you’re sitting in bumper-to-bumper inter­state traffic at 5:15 p.m. on a sweltering Friday. Jason got it from his Yancey County, North Carolina, neighbor Bruce Greene, who recorded it from Sammie Dyer of Macon County,Tennessee, in the early 1970s. Dyer was near 80 at the time and had a unique repertoire of regional tunes from the upper Cumberland Plateau. Reportedly, he lamented the commercialization of traditional music and loss of the old ways. This resonates with Howard Rains’ incredible cover art for our album, which depicts a rainbow dragon swarmed by modern aircraft.

“One of the joys of playing old-time music is forging and maintaining connections with the musicians and tunes of the past even as the contexts and communities around the music continue to evolve. We typically play as a duo or trio and rarely incorporate guitar, so it was fun to go for a slightly fuller string band sound on this one with Max on banjo and David joining on his 1959 Martin D-18.” – Hog-eyed Man

Photo Credit: David Bragger