Tag: premiere

LISTEN: The Isaacs, “Turn! Turn! Turn!”

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Artist: The Isaacs
Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee
Song: “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
Album: The American Face
Release Date: August 13, 2021
Label: House of Isaacs

In Their Words: “When selecting cover songs for our project, The American Face, one of my first suggestions was the song ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ Growing up in New York City in the ’60s, I was a big folk music fan. I had a folk album out on Columbia Records in 1968, so I followed so much of that scene. The song was taken from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and seemed like such an appropriate song for nowadays. It was written by Pete Seeger in 1959 and released in 1965 by the Byrds. Once my family and I listened to the song, we just knew we had to record it. We wanted to do the song with The Isaacs feel to it. So, we tried to build the song with harmonies throughout the lyrics. It certainly brought back so many memories to me personally… living through the music era in the ’60s, which was such a turning point in history. An exciting time in many ways.” — Lily Isaacs

Photo credit: Frederick Breedon

WATCH: Alexa Wildish, “The Well”

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Artist: Alexa Wildish
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The Well”
Album: Alexa Wildish

In Their Words: “‘The Well’ was originally written years ago, then released in 2020 on my eponymous EP, and it was not until this year that I fully lived its meaning. This video was filmed in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. The pristine beauty and undeniably loud earth presence helped me to see myself more lucidly than ever before. It seems as if the surrounding volcanic energy erupted from me all that I was unwilling and too afraid to see, and then the water offered me grace in return in its loving reflection. The footage was captured over a few days of adventuring and playing with the elements. We collected video during a torrential downpour, parts of it at 5 in the morning when no one was on the lake other than a few local fishers, and the rest tucked away in the deep parts of the forest. My gratitude for this land and the way it brought me back home to myself will forever be imprinted on my heart.” — Alexa Wildish

Photo credit: Jacob Blumberg

WATCH: Del Barber, “Nothing Left to Find”

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Artist: Del Barber
Hometown: Inglis, Manitoba
Song: “Nothing Left to Find”
Album: Stray Dogs: Collected B-Sides Volume One
Release Date: August 20, 2021
Label: acronym Records

In Their Words: “Stray Dogs is a result of over 10 years of writing and recording music. When the pandemic began I was lost, scared about the future and in the depths of an unprecedented creative slump. I built a studio out of an old shed on my farm in an attempt to force myself to try and write songs. Every day I’d go out there in the mornings and struggle to get one line that I liked or one chord progression that was inspired. I wasn’t getting anywhere and it was my first taste of the fabled ‘writer’s block.’ Instead of writing new material like I had intended, I began to delight in the process of looking back. ‘Nothing Left To Find’ was one song I kept coming back to. I had so many versions of it in my files, it begged to be finished. After cutting a dozen of the verses I had written, it’s now a short and sweet song that really ties the tonal landscape of Stray Dogs together.” — Del Barber

Photo credit: Haylan Jackson

WATCH: Claire Hawkins, “Small Doses”

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Artist: Claire Hawkins
Hometown: New York City
Song: “Small Doses”
Release Date: June 18, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Small Doses’ was the last song I wrote before the pandemic, when I was still performing in youth hostels across Europe on the Foreign Voices Travelers Tour. It was a weird, wonderful time that was brought to an abrupt end in March 2020. It wasn’t until several months later that I revisited the song. I reached out to some artist friends, and suddenly we had this fantastic collaborative project to work on together during lockdown. The track was produced by Katie Buchanan, who produced my first-ever single when I was 17; the music video, which will be out later this month, was shot and directed by Florence Bradish, who created the music video for my song ‘Dublin.’ After so many months of staying apart, the opportunity to make art with my friends has made this release all the more special.” — Claire Hawkins

Photo credit: Ryan Cho

WATCH: Jesse Lynn Madera, “Revel”

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Artist: Jesse Lynn Madera
Hometown: LA and Nashville
Song: “Revel”
Release Date: July 23, 2021

In Their Words: “Writing ‘Revel’ changed the way I approach songwriting. It made me understand more about the opportunity we have as artists to positively impact a person’s day. I’ve written a lot of sad, emotional songs, and I’ve seen that those can be therapeutic. Knowing someone is getting cheered up, cheered on, inspired, by listening to one of my songs is pretty mind-blowing. I try to be a source of light for the people close to me, and this is the first time I’ve really been able to tap into that with my songwriting. ‘Revel’ was written around the holidays in 2020, in a living room that was still vibrating with all the good times we’ve had. I needed ‘Revel.’ I needed a reminder of all the light that follows darkness. Being human is rollercoaster enough without a pandemic to further complicate the experience. We’ve all suffered through our share, and hopefully we’ve all experienced the sun coming up over the horizon of despair. This will be no exception. The glow shall return, and we’ll all be reveling in it.” — Jesse Lynn Madera

Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen

LISTEN: Colin Hay, “Wichita Lineman”

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Artist: Colin Hay
Hometown: Topanga Canyon, California
Song: “Wichita Lineman”
Album: I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself
Release Date: August 6, 2021
Label: Compass Records

In Their Words: “‘Wichita Lineman’ was the first song where I realized the importance of the written song, in and of itself. Before that, I had always put artists and songs together, like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, and many others, who all primarily wrote and performed their own songs. ‘Wichita Lineman’ spoke of things I could only wonder at. The geographical vastness of the land, the hopes and dreams of the man working the line, and indeed of all people who inhabit this country. And, a love story contained within achingly beautiful music and melody. I can’t think of a better song.” — Colin Hay

Photo credit: Paul Mobley

LISTEN: Tobacco City, “AA Blues”

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Artist: Tobacco City
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Song: “AA Blues”
Album: Tobacco City, USA
Release Date: July 30, 2021
Label: Scissor Tail Records

In Their Words: “‘AA Blues’ is one of those songs that writes itself. My ex was having to go to AA meetings because of a brush with the law. It was cutting into our plans and I wrote her this ditty to make her feel better. The character in the song is trapped between working in a brewery and staring at beers all day and trying to walk a sober line. I think regardless of your sobriety status we can all relate to those kind of blues.” — Chris Coleslaw, Tobacco City

Photo courtesy of Tobacco City

LISTEN: Leah Shaw, “Pretty Mama”

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Artist: Leah Shaw
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Pretty Mama”
Album: Play Beautifully
Release Date: July 30, 2021

In Their Words: “The guitar, harmonica and fiddle-based song ‘Pretty Mama’ closes the album. I think of ‘Pretty Mama’ as really a prayer to my mom. I wrote it just before she died, I played and sang it at her memorial service, and while she was still physically with us at the time, due to how her condition had worked so slowly over time, I had long been imagining that her spirit had been leaving this world in these sort of waves or pieces, and it made me happy to imagine that she was then constituting herself in a sort of beautiful afterlife place, bit by bit, and maybe waiting there in peace to become whole as the rest of her that was still grounded with us in this world, wrapped up and passed on.

“As I was thinking or praying in this way, I thought, well I am operating out of a very dark place right now, and she taught me better — so while I do hope her spirit is with me somehow, I also kinda hope she didn’t see these latest round of life choices! At this time, I was by myself a lot, without a partner, I didn’t live near my family, and I had just quit my job; I was feeling very alone. I drank too much, I didn’t treat myself with a lot of self-love. So in this song I thought and prayed: Mom, if you are there, and if there is any guidance and protection you can give, please show me that — ‘let me know,’ as the final verse says!

“Of all the album’s songs, ‘Pretty Mama’ was clearest in my mind in terms of arrangement. Along with the bass and acoustic guitar, it would have two instruments in conversation with one another: cello, an instrument my mom adored and I which think reflected her warm and grounded personality, and then violin — a miniature of the cello, beautiful also but less calm, a bit more frantic. In other words, me! And then there would be the very important harmonica solo, which sounds as lonely as I felt at the time writing the song. The beautiful minimal backing vocals bring a little warmth and hope at the end, and this along with the song’s placement at the end of the project is meant to give my listeners and myself a sigh of relief — after the journey, a deep, calming breath. And then we keep on.” — Leah Shaw

Photo credit: Rodgers Dameron

WATCH: Darin & Brooke Aldridge, “Once in a While”

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Artist: Darin & Brooke Aldridge
Hometown: Cherryville, North Carolina
Song: “Once in a While”
Album: This Life We’re Livin’
Release Date: August 6, 2021
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “Shane Nicholson’s writing has always showcased such meaning and depth, yet its simplicity always tells a story that we feel is so relatable to everyone. In every aspect of our music our hope is that it makes you smile… even more than ‘Once in a While.'” — Brooke Aldridge

Photo credit: Kim Brantley

LISTEN: Pi Jacobs, “Broken Cup” (Intro & Live)

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Artist: Pi Jacobs
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Song: “Broken Cup” (Intro & Live)
Album: Live From Memphis
Release Date: August 13, 2021
Label: Blackbird Record Label

In Their Words: “In my late teens and early 20s I wasn’t a person with a much of self-esteem; in fact, I thought pretty damn poorly of myself, so I was habitually getting into relationships with people who would reaffirm my feelings of unworthiness, unlovability, or being damaged goods. I was lucky though — a couple of amazing mentors showed up in my life and wouldn’t let me scare them off. They helped me to start seeing myself in a new and better light, so, by the time I hit 25, I was ready to try some new kinds of relationships. The problem was, I had to learn ALL NEW stuff! I hadn’t operated in the land of ‘healthy’ relationships before, and it felt like I didn’t know how to do ANYTHING, even little things, like returning phone calls. I started to feel as scared and unequipped as Bambi in the middle of a six-lane freeway, but I had had enough of my old ways, so I started to try, and I got very lucky by meeting my now-husband.” — Pi Jacobs

Photo credit: Shots By Morrisson