Tag: premiere

WATCH: Rachel Sumner, “Lose My Love”

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Artist: Rachel Sumner
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “Lose My Love”

In Their Words: “A lot of the songs I write are carefully crafted over long stretches of weeks, months, and even years. ‘Lose My Love,’ however, was one of those songs that came to me fully formed in an instant. I was in the shower when I started singing the chorus and realized there was a little film noir playing in my mind underneath it. I rushed out, wrote it down, and let my imaginary movie guide the verses. At the time I was one of the writers and lead singers of the bluegrass band Twisted Pine, so we recorded and included it on our eponymous album released in 2017. After parting ways with the group in 2019, I decided to reclaim and rearrange this song for my live solo shows where it’s become a favorite of mine to play amid the trove of new songs that I’ve been working on for my debut LP — more on that soon, so stay tuned!!” — Rachel Sumner

Photo credit: Hannah Cohen

LISTEN: Joe Troop, “Purdy Little Rainbows”

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Artist: Joe Troop
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Song: “Purdy Little Rainbows”
Album: Borrowed Time
Release Date: August 20, 2021
Label: Free Dirt Records

In Their Words: “What we now know as ‘Pride’ began at Stonewall in an uprising of New York City LGBTQ people of color demanding the acknowledgement of their human dignity. But in today’s woke rat race for clout, middle-class theatrics flood the echo chamber, and marginalization has become a precious commodity for the privileged. The movement has been convoluted by capitalism to the benefit of corporations and the middle-class opportunist.

“Bourgeois antics coupled with McPride have glorified the contemporary queer, urban experience. Where does this leave rural queers — the groundhogs? In rural areas, LGBTQ people are still duking it out in the arena of backcountry politics, where anonymity is impossible and pride isn’t an asset that gets you ahead in life.

“Pork chop queens and pawn shop trash are down in the trenches. They don’t get to live in a wealthy hyperwoke bubble. They aren’t lauded for virtue signaling on social media. And many times they have to hide their identities just to exist. I wrote this song for them, all the little groundhogs, valiantly waddling far and wide amongst the trappers. For all the purdy little rainbows shining in dark places.” — Joe Troop

Photo credit: Kendall Atwater

WATCH: Erik Shicotte, “Flint”

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Artist: Erik Shicotte
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Song: “Flint”
Album: Miss’ry Pacific EP
Release Date: July 16, 2021
Label: Black Country Rock

In Their Words: “Sprawled along the medicine of a two-lane highway, ‘Flint’ came as the soundtrack to my own cinematic heartbreak and the wandering repercussions of ineffective escapism. Drawn over a steady stalwart 4/4 roll, the desperate defiance of a yearning heart plays out over a defining romance cut short, and the humming tires that follow. This is a song about hurtin’ and runnin’ out from under the inescapable and sometimes inexplicable wanting that often comes from the naiveté and hopefulness of a spark. The instrumentation is deafeningly present, and I even let myself chug out a simple pseudo-lead on the Telecaster. If ever there were to be a movie made about me being all sad and pissed off, this is the song that would accompany the southwestern sunrise and cigarette breath as I drive into the golden ether.” — Erik Shicotte

Photo credit: Destiny Frack

LISTEN: The Brothers Comatose, “Too Many Places”

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Artist: The Brothers Comatose
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Song: “Too Many Places”
Release Date: July 2, 2021
Label: Swamp Jam Records

In Their Words: “This song was a big collaboration with the whole band. It started with a set of lyrics from our tour manager, Joe Pacini, and morphed into a story of a man fighting an internal battle between the road he believed he was destined for and a more domestic life with a woman he loves. It’s a constant push and pull and a common thread with most touring musicians we know. How does one balance a home life and life on the road? It’s a delicate dance that requires a lot of give and take in a relationship and for those that have figured it out, we applaud you! Tell us your secrets!” — The Brothers Comatose

Photo credit: Giant Eye

WATCH: J.M. Clifford, “Kick the Drum”

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Artist: J.M. Clifford
Hometown: Allendale, New Jersey
Song: “Kick the Drum”
Album: On a Saturday Night
Release Date: August 26, 2021

In Their Words: “’Here’s to the music that we make at night till we feel alright.’ I honestly don’t know what would have become of me if I hadn’t fallen in with the bluegrass community at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook, Brooklyn in 2017. The music and the musicians got me through some very dark times. This is really a love song to that whole scene. This was the first tune I wrote for the record (although it went through about a hundred revisions). In fact, it’s the first thing I had written in a long, long time. Stylistically it was very different from anything I had done before. I integrated some of the prominent features of the old folk and bluegrass music I’d been immersing myself in with my singer-songwriter background and landed on something that felt fresh to me. That approach informed all of the songs that came after it.” — J.M. Clifford

Photo credit: Nicole Mago

WATCH: Leon Creek, “Call It A Day”

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Artist: Leon Creek
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Call It A Day”
Album: Far From Broken
Release Date: September 21, 2021

In Their Words: “An element of grain is a part of the Leon Creek records, so working with the photographer and videographer Chase Hart, who only shoots on film and Super 8, has been a great fit for us. We were excited by the Super 8 footage Chase got during our first shoot in Santa Barbara, so we wanted to round out the video with some clips from L.A., where we met and started making music together. Bobby Womack’s BW Goes C&W was an inspiration in making our record, so we aspired to have an element of ’70s country western sprinkled throughout the video. Enter Chicago-based editor and animator Jordan Rundle. Jordan added animation and moving graphics, along with some analog visual effects to his final cut of ‘Call It a Day.'” — Leon Creek (Chris Pierce, Matthew Stevens, and Erik Janson)

Photo courtesy of Tell All Your Friends PR

LISTEN: Lake and Lyndale, “Crooked Path”

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Artist: Lake and Lyndale
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Crooked Path”
Album: In the Nude Vol. 1
Release Date: June 25, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Crooked Path’ came to me during a period where I was holding onto a lot of guilt and self-doubt. While I don’t think that your past is something to run from, I also know it’s not healthy to live there. We had just moved to Nashville and this new chapter of life beginning made me realize how important it was to let go of the missteps from the last chapter — so I put them into a song. ‘I took a crooked path to get to the sun / it’s my crooked path that straightened me up.’ This song is for anyone who may need a reminder to embrace every part of the journey.” — Channing Marie, Lake and Lyndale

Photo credit: Kallyn Lagro

LISTEN: Andy Falco, “The Edge”

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Artist: Andy Falco
Hometown: Sayville, New York
Song: “The Edge”
Album: The Will of the Way
Release Date: July 16, 2021
Label: Americana Vibes

In Their Words: “‘The Edge’ is one of the few songs on my forthcoming album that was written prior to 2020. The lyrics were co-written with Travis McKeveny, also from Long Island, who I’ve written with several times now including ‘2001: A Canyon Odyssey’ off the Dusters’ album Laws of Gravity. ‘The Edge’ is one of the few that I’m playing everything on the track except the drums/percussion (Dave Butler) and the harmony vocals (Jon Preddice and Erica Leigh). I recorded it as a demo, but I felt like the track had a certain magic to it, particularly in the end jam so I left most parts as they were, blemishes and all, including the end lead guitar which was done with just that one take. It’s a song about giving yourself to someone, and hoping they will accept you with all your faults, so I thought the little ‘flaws’ here and there represent the sentiment of the song.” — Andy Falco

Photo credit: Jay Strausser

LISTEN: Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones, “Stop, Drop & Roll”

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Artist: Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones
Hometown: Kingston, New York
Song: “Stop, Drop & Roll”
Album: Here to Tell the Tale
Release Date: June 25, 2021
Label: Sower Records

In Their Words: “‘Stop, Drop & Roll’ tells the tale of two folks who are living their best lives. Everyone wants to hang out with them, folks line up to hear them play music, their style is impeccable, and they just can’t lose. They are doing so well, in fact, that they are “on fire!” I wish this song was written from personal experience, but hey… a girl can dream! It’s about the people we aspire to be! Musically, I was listening to a lot of ’60s girl group music at the time I wrote this, and was trying to channel some of the sass and killer vocal harmonies of groups like The Orlons. Songs are supposed to evoke a certain feeling, this one is supposed to make you dance!” — Lara Hope

Photo credit: Franco Vogt

LISTEN: Jon Byrd, “I’ll Be Her Only One” (Feat. Paul Niehaus)

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Artist: Jon Byrd (Feat. Paul Niehaus)
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “I’ll Be Her Only One”
Album: Me and Paul
Release Date: July 16, 2021

In Their Words: “Me and Paul is dedicated to and a reflection of the people that came to see me and Paul over the years in little watering holes and honky-tonks here in Music City. They are small but mighty, as Billy Block used to say. It’s also dedicated to venues that let us take over their ‘happy hour’ to play the saddest, darkest, most pitiful and tragic songs ever penned. This co-write with Kevin Gordon put me in mind of his longtime music collaborator Joe McMahan. While known mostly as a guitarist/sideman, he’s had a studio for years and produced great work with Kevin and many others. He and Kevin are more on the rockin’ side of things but I was very keen to know what he’d bring to a project like this, so stripped down. And so country. But the Kevin connection is what sent me down this road.” — Jon Byrd

Photo credit: Susan English