Tag: premiere

WATCH: John Scott Sherrill, “Five Generations of Rock County Wilsons”

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Artist: John Scott Sherrill
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Five Generations of Rock County Wilsons”
Album: Copper Tears
Release Date: October 15, 2021
Label: Lobo Libre

In Their Words: “People often ask me how long it takes me to write a song, and some songs I can write in a couple of hours. But ‘Five Generations of Rock County Wilsons’ took 17 years to write. I got the inspiration when I was taking a bus back in my college years to Illinois from New Hampshire. It took seven days, so I was sleeping as we drove, and waking up at all hours of the day, not knowing where I was. I woke up one morning, looked out the window of the bus, and saw all these men standing around, trying to hold their maps in the wind. I thought they must have plans to do something with that cornfield. I made a note in my notebook and left it until years later, when I found the notebook in my mother’s attic. I opened it up and saw my notations and thought that idea was worth writing about.” — John Scott Sherrill

Photo credit: Rich Guglielmo

LISTEN: Jane Bruce, “Best of Me”

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Artist: Jane Bruce
Hometown: Ogden, Utah
Song: “Best of Me”
Album: My Bed
Release Date: February 11, 2022

In Their Words: “This song really flowed out of me. I find it (too) easy to write and sing about my insecurities and the pieces of myself that I don’t love, but I felt that writing a song that clearly laid out those things in the hopes that it might make someone love me more was an interesting twist on a ‘pining-for-you’ love song and an exploration of the ways we present ourselves to the people we desire. Growing up in Utah I felt constantly aware of my different-ness and keenly attuned to all the things that made me unlovable, or wrong. With time I have come to realize that these so-called shortcomings are human and that my deep-seated fears of disappointing others come from a place of empathy, not weakness.” — Jane Bruce

Photo credit: Angelina Castillo

LISTEN: Rodes, “So Well”

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Artist: Rodes
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Song: “So Well”
Album: All of My Friends
Release Date: October 22, 2021

In Their Words: “‘So Well’ was an idea that came to me on the drive home from work one night, that was then fleshed out on a guitar the next day. I was nearing the end of a tumultuous professional relationship and feeling frustrated and powerless. I think there are elements of it that can be interpreted as a breakup song, and in some ways it is. Ultimately, it’s a song about power imbalance and not having the right tools or access to bring someone to justice.

“We tried out a couple different arrangements for ‘So Well,’ but ultimately decided on one that centered on rhythmic acoustic guitar and a straightforward drum beat. I had the slide guitar line in my head, but I couldn’t quite translate it to the guitar while keeping it in tune. Ryan (Johnson, formerly of American Aquarium) stepped in and laid down a beautiful lead part that really anchors the whole song. I think he captured the mournful and resigned spirit of it perfectly.” — Rodes

Photo credit: Chris Frisina

WATCH: Ross Hammond, “Blue Hoodie”

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Artist: Ross Hammond
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Song: “Blue Hoodie”
Album: It’s Been Here All Along
Release Date: October 23, 2021
Label: Prescott Recordings

In Their Words: “This song is dedicated to the inner circle of friends and family that my wife, daughter, and I have relied on throughout the pandemic. As we maneuver and pivot through this time it’s a blessing to have a crew. This song, like all of the songs on this record, was made with a resonator guitar on a two track reel-to-reel recorder. All of these songs use a Freeport tuning (CGCGCD) and the themes are written to be improvised on. For the video I made a collage using a grocery bag and some Polaroid and Sprocket photos from the past year. I thought using physical photos in a video shoot would give the sense of vagueness to the faces, like anyone who saw this could imagine their own crew in a ghostlike, snapshot form.” — Ross Hammond

Photo credit: Lola Hammond

WATCH: Katie Cole, “Short Story Long”

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Artist: Katie Cole
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia, and lives in Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Short Story Long”
Release Date: October 15, 2021

In Their Words: “I wrote this song hoping to channel some old school Aretha and Otis, but applying a little more rootsy instrumentation. Honestly, it’s the first song I’ve penned where I take back my power in a relationship and call a spade a spade. I’ve had my share of relationships where I have tolerated too much for too long. So being familiar with the phrase of making a long story short, where you cut to the chase, I started thinking, ‘What if I could flip that to a short story long?’ where things get dragged out. Right then I knew this would have to be a fun and sassy song that really contrasts with my more acoustic and sparse songs. Luckily when my producer Howard Willing and I started tracking, he managed to bring in Cheap Trick’s bass player Tom Petersson to play on this song. I am really proud of this one!” — Katie Cole

Photo credit: Dire Image

LISTEN: Lilly Hiatt, “Simple”

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Artist: Lilly Hiatt
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Simple”
Album: Lately
Release Date: October 15, 2021
Label: New West Records

In Their Words: “The love that exists in our universe is infinite. My family is a big part of that realization for me, and they all appear in this song. I wanted this to begin the album as if to say hello with a smile.” — Lilly Hiatt

Photo credit: Dylan Reyes

LISTEN: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, “Groundhog’s Retreat”

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Artist: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Groundhog’s Retreat”
Album: Make Each Second Last
Release Date: October 15, 2021
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “Instrumentals I write are often ones that would serve as song melodies, too, if they had words, and that’s the case here. I wrote it on the guitar, but envisioned it as a mandolin tune, so I wanted to bring in Mark Stoffel to join in the composition and take it in that direction.” — Chris Jones

“Chris presented me the idea for an instrumental co-write on ‘Groundhog Day,’ which is an important day in the Stoffel household because we get to watch our all-time favorite movie. Need I say the title? In any case, I loved the melody and the structure of the tune …. and to be honest, I didn’t have to add much to it, just a few minor tweaks. But I do take full credit for the title!” — Mark Stoffel

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: Kristy Cox, “Person of the Year”

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Artist: Kristy Cox
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee, by way of Mount Barker, Australia
Song: “Person of the Year”
Album: Shades of Blue
Release Date: February 4, 2022
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “‘Person of the Year’ is such a special song that pays tribute to nurses and doctors who work tirelessly to save others. The last 18 months have been especially hard on them. Jerry Salley and Bill Whyte brought tears to my eyes with their lyrics that ring so true and we wanted to bring that to life in this video, in a way that was respectful to those on the front line. The producer Steve Kinney and team did an amazing job completing that wish. I am so proud of this song and video.” — Kristy Cox

Photo credit: Katrina Burgoyne

WATCH: Lyle Lovett, “Teach Me About Love” (From ‘Austin City Limits,’ 1997)

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Artist: Lyle Lovett
Hometown: Klein, Texas
Song: “Teach Me About Love”
Album: Mighty Fine: An Austin City Limits Tribute to Walter Hyatt
Release Date: October 1, 2021
Label: Omnivore Recordings

Editor’s Note: This Lyle Lovett performance of Walter Hyatt’s “Teach Me About Love” was filmed in 1997 for Austin City Limits as part of a tribute to Hyatt, who was killed in a 1996 plane crash. Cut from the episode due to time constraints, the performance has been unseen until now, coinciding with the release of the full concert on CD and digital, titled Mighty Fine: An Austin City Limits Tribute to Walter Hyatt. Four unheard Hyatt recordings also appear on the album.

In Their Words: “Walter Hyatt is one of the most creative souls to come out of the Austin music scene in the past two decades. Although raised in Spartanburg, S.C., and spent his last years in Nashville, he represented the spirit of Austin. An artist of personal vision, original style and artistic integrity. During the late ‘70s and ‘80s, Uncle Walt’s Band developed a strong loyal following in Austin thanks to their expressive blend of music styles, songs that were street smart, energetic, honest, and inspirational to a lot of younger singer-songwriters like me. Walter Hyatt explored many styles – New Orleans jazz, country honky-tonk, with a bit of Elvis and course Bob Wills. His dry sense of humor made him very special in the eyes of fans and critics. His death was a personal loss for those of us who knew him, and for anyone who ever heard his music. This program is a celebration of extraordinary music by an extraordinary man with a gift for reaching hearts and minds of so many people.” — Lyle Lovett

LISTEN: Nicholas Edward Williams, “Shake Sugaree”

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Artist: Nicholas Edward Williams
Hometown: Rising Fawn, Georgia
Song: “Shake Sugaree”
Album: Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Label: EarthTone Records

In Their Words: “I’ve taken a keen interest in Elizabeth Cotten‘s famed ‘Cotten picking’ style starting back in 2016 with my mentor Joan Crane. I had no idea how to articulate what Elizabeth was doing and my first successful thumb-led syncopated bass lines — while adding the melody to ‘Freight Train’ with my forefingers — took nearly a year to wrap my mind around and get comfortable with. From there, Elizabeth laid the foundation for so many other fingerpicking styles that I’ve come to study, mostly thanks to Joan, who was an absolute whiz at Delta blues, country blues, and Piedmont blues on guitar.

“I love that Elizabeth actually wrote ‘Shake Sugaree’ with her grandchildren, asking each one to take the chorus home in their heads and figure out a verse before they went to bed. She had such a fascinating life story, and the music she put out was incredibly influential for American folk and blues guitarists in the 1960s when her album Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs was released, thanks in large part to the Seeger family. She won a Grammy at 90, just a few years before passing away, and directly influenced John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, John Fahey and countless other pickers, yet today, she’s not as well-known or revered as she should be. I’ve felt drawn to share her songs and stories for some time. This is just the first time I’m adding it on a record.” — Nicholas Edward Williams

Photo credit: Cypress Rae Photography