Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Alisa Amador, “Burnt and Broken”

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Artist: Alisa Amador
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “Burnt and Broken”
Album: Narratives EP
Release Date: September 17, 2021

In Their Words: “This song is about rape culture and toxic masculinity: ‘What a world we live in with its endless charms / Blinded lies keep winning over open arms / Sticks and stones and systems built to cause you harm.’ However, this song can be used as a lens with which to examine myriad systems of oppression. Violence stems from fear, and fear grows from a lack of understanding. ‘The bruise of words unspoken’ illustrates the pain caused by an absence of conversation around these violences. Systematic violence is designed to trick you and distract you (‘a ruse, a plume of smoke’) from the reality: ‘the truth is burnt and broken.’

“The arrangement of this song is intentionally spare, like the exposed framework of a house after a fire. It is a fitting metaphor for this song: a hard look at the violence of misogyny, as Kaiti Jones, Hayley Sabella, and I stand among the wreckage, singing with broken hearts, and hot anger pulsing through us. We had to record our vocals apart from one another, but every time I hear this song, I feel stronger and broken open at the same time. Their voices are so poignant on this song.” — Alisa Amador

Photo credit: Jacquelyn Marie

LISTEN: The Barefoot Movement, “Back Behind the Wheel”

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Artist: The Barefoot Movement
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Back Behind the Wheel”
Album: Pressing Onward
Release Date: September 17, 2021
Label: Bonfire Music Group

In Their Words: “‘Back Behind the Wheel’ is basically a dialogue with myself where I’m expressing my fears and then bolstering myself up. This is a theme in a lot of my songs, and especially on this album. I am by nature a pretty hopeful person; even when I allow myself to feel the full weight of whatever I’m despairing over, somehow I just can’t let that part of me be the ultimate winner. So it’s that idea of letting yourself feel what you need to feel, but not allowing that to be the end of the journey. Because unless you just give up, the only way to move is forward. I wrote the song about my experiences in the music industry, but I think it’s a universal concept. The chorus says, ‘When it comes to this, I don’t know what it means to quit.’ The listener can allow the ‘this’ in the line to represent whatever matters to them!” — Noah Wall, The Barefoot Movement

Photo credit: Workshop Media

WATCH: Abby Posner, “Low Low Low” (Featuring Constellation Quartet)

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Artist: Abby Posner featuring Constellation Quartet
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Low Low Low”
Album: Kisbee Ring
Release Date: November 12, 2021

In Their Words: “Whenever I have an opportunity to collaborate with a string quartet, the experience is transformative. Strings take you to a zen-like space where everything feels just right, perfect for the song, and what I wanted to convey. ‘Low Low Low’ is about depression, anxiety, and learning how to be kinder to the darkness within, so working with Constellation Quartet was the sonic hug this song so desperately needed to feel complete. Constellation Quartet are currently making a name for themselves as both performers and collaborators, working with the best of the Los Angeles musician scene through their residency at the Garden Concert Series in Redondo Beach. The video was shot live during sunset deep in the Malibu hills with a battery-powered setup, hikers passing by, and a reverence for the creative process.” — Abby Posner

String arrangements: Max Mueller (cello). Cinematography: Ian McIntire.
Photo credit: Rollence Patugan

LISTEN: Chris Robley, “Love Is a Four-Letter Word”

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Artist: Chris Robley
Hometown: Lewiston, Maine
Song: “Love Is a Four-Letter Word”
Album: A Filament in the Wilderness of What Comes Next
Release Date: September 14, 2021
Label: Cutthroat Pop Records

In Their Words: “Bob Dylan wrote a song called ‘Love Is a Four-Letter Word.’ I didn’t know that until I was on stage announcing my new song and someone shouted, ‘I LOVE Dylan!’ Anyway, you can’t copyright titles and I didn’t borrow any other lyrics — so we’re not in Darius Rucker or Old Crow Medicine Show territory here. It’s all mine, Bob! I don’t know if there’s much to explain except the obvious: love can be a double-edged sword. We can build beautiful things inspired by love. Or we can build walls, reactionary political movements, or just act like selfish shitheads, all because of the same basic force. One word, different outcomes.” — Chris Robley

Photo credit: Lauren Breau

WATCH: Jordan Tice, “River Run” (Feat. Paul Kowert)

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Artist: Jordan Tice
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “River Run” (Featuring Paul Kowert)
Album: Yesteryears
Release Date: October 1, 2021
Label: Padiddle Records

In Their Words: “‘River Run’ started with a little lick I had been carrying around in the key of D — a speedy little cascading thing that felt good to let roll off the fingers that I’d find myself playing in idle moments. I slowly built upon it while sitting around during lockdown and my dear friend, Paul Kowert, tied it all together with his wonderful bass part. To me, the song evokes the lightness and constancy of a swiftly moving river as it passes over rocks, rounds curves, and speeds and slows as its channel widens and narrows. Hope you experience the same sense of motion while listening and are able to glean a little bit of levity from it.” — Jordan Tice

Photo credit: Jacqueline Justice

WATCH: Katie Callahan, “Lullaby”

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Artist: Katie Callahan
Hometown: I grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, but currently live in Baltimore, Maryland.
Song: “Lullaby”
Album: The Water Comes Back
Release Date: October 22, 2021.

In Their Words: “‘Lullaby’ was written on the edge of the pandemic, before any of us could’ve imagined the way parenting and work and school and home could be enmeshed so completely. I’m the default parent in our home, and as our time in quarantine wore on, the need for me to have projects and goals and work became more and more evident, and this song became a bit of a meditation for me. It reminded me to be kind to myself and name the courage in those trying to pursue their creativity in the margins of these days that feel both ordinary and overwhelming.

“A friend from my Catholic middle school days, Erin Bagwell, is a filmmaker, and we’d reconnected a few years back. Her latest film (Year One) chronicles her first year of motherhood and her journey with postpartum depression, and I felt like ‘Lullaby’ fit right into her narrative. I shared the song with her and we began constructing the idea for this video: a clearly timestamped snapshot of people doing their best to care for those around them — in work, in the home, wherever — and finding moments of peace, clarity, and purpose in the margins. It’s the arc of a day, at once complicated and simple, an affirmation for those — like me — who need to be reminded that pursuing purpose is courageous, and no matter how anxious the moment, peace is in those quiet, still times of mothering ourselves to bits.” — Katie Callahan

Photo credit: Quinn Struke

LISTEN: Skillet Licorice, “3-in-1 2-Step”

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Artist: Skillet Licorice
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Song: “3-in-1 2-Step”
Album: Allsorts Orchestra
Release Date: September 10, 2021
Label: Tiki Parlour Recordings

In Their Words: “‘3-in-1 2-Step’ was one of the first East Texas Serenaders tunes that we learned. One listen and you feel transported 100 years into the past. It is so named because it borrows its melody from three other tunes: ‘Dill Pickle Rag,’ ‘The Entertainer’ and ‘I Don’t Love Nobody.’ As such, it’s perfectly emblematic of the ETS. They weren’t jazz players and they weren’t classical players, but these talented Texans were able to seamlessly incorporate elements from disparate genres to create something new, something their own, yet somehow familiar. Our version features a driving yet elegant banjo-mando harmony part played by San Diego old-time wunderkind Clinton Davis.” — Elise Engelberg and Matt Knoth, Skillet Licorice

Photo credit: Sean Kelly.
Skillet Licorice Allsorts Orchestra Illustration by ‘The Simpsons’ artist Joe Wack

WATCH: The Kody Norris Show, “Farmin’ Man”

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Artist: The Kody Norris Show
Hometown: Mountain City, Tennessee
Song: “Farmin’ Man”
Album: All Suited Up
Release Date: September 10, 2021 (Single)
Label: Rebel Records

In Their Words: “‘Farmin’ Man” is a true-life account of the American farmer from my perspective. I grew up in a tobacco farming family in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, so I guess I had some firsthand experience of farm life and know all to well the ups and downs that come along with it. I feel that with this video we were able to capture on point the day-to-day life of the Farmin’ Man: the hard work, the struggles and uncertainty they face every day. We had such a great time filming this and it brought back so many memories of my childhood. I hope when fans see this they will take a minute to pay homage to one of America’s greatest heroes, the Farmin’ Man.'” — Kody Norris

Photo credit: Amy Richmond

LISTEN: Ross Adams, “Tobacco Country”

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Artist: Ross Adams
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Song: “Tobacco Country”
Album: Escaping Southern Heat
Release Date: September 10, 2021

In Their Words: “The inspiration behind ‘Tobacco Country’ came from always staying true to your roots and remembering the people who helped you follow your path and dreams. The South raised me and the culture is in my heart, it is family, and reminds me of simpler times. It’s coming to that realization of needing to grow out of your adolescence to make your soul thrive and shape your own destiny. I don’t plan on staying in the South forever. I have this dream of moving out West, but ‘Tobacco Country’ was me sorta remembering my roots, but still wanting to get out and see the world.” — Ross Adams

Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

WATCH: A Tale of Two, “The Letter”

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Artist: A Tale of Two
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The Letter”
Album: A Tale of Two EP
Release Date: September 17, 2021

In Their Words: “‘The Letter’ is a very important song for us. We wanted to capture the romanticism behind writing a letter to someone and it feels as though the song took on a whole new meaning during the pandemic. The main essence of A Tale of Two is focused on live performance. We want to bring a record to life on the stage every time we perform. This video was special to us, as we were lucky to have Nashville fiddler Kyle Pudenz on board, who is a spectacular musician and person.” — Stephanie Adlington and Aaron Lessard, A Tale of Two

Photo credit: Nathan Zucker