Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Maia Sharp, “Things to Fix”

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Artist: Maia Sharp
Hometown: Nashville, TN (originally Los Angeles, CA)
Song: “Things to Fix”
Album: Mercy Rising
Release Date: May 7, 2021
Label: Crooked Crown

In Their Words: “When I moved into my place in Nashville in 2019 (from California where I had lived all my life) there was, of course, a list of things to fix or upgrade or just tailor to my taste. This was all while I was trying to process the end of my 21-year marriage. I knew there were things I said that I wish I hadn’t and things I should’ve said that I didn’t. I wasn’t sure how to fix that yet so instead I painted a room and then another room, I replaced locks and hinges and repurposed picture frames, you get the idea. I brought this situation as a song idea to my co-writer, Noah Guthrie (who has a great version of the song on his new album) and we saw it all the way through. Eventually I did get to say the better things to my ex and we are lifelong friends but in the meantime I had the cleanest house ever.” — Maia Sharp

Photo credit: Emily Kopp

LISTEN: Beth Whitney, “I Go”

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Artist: Beth Whitney
Hometown: Leavenworth, Washington
Song: “I Go”
Album: Into The Ground
Release Date: May 28, 2021
Label: Tone Tree Music

In Their Words: “In the 1960s, my grandparents started a tradition in our family called ‘the 9-day Backpack’ that continues in different forms to this day. I’ve joined about five of these and to tell the truth, I do not backpack gracefully. Mosquito and horse fly bites turn into big welts. I’m blistered from boots and bright pink from the sun… but as the wilderness takes me in, it starts to heal me somehow and I come into focus.

“I wrote this one with Gina Belliveau and Brittany Alvis at a songwriting retreat some friends and I hosted in the mountains. The assignment was to write a song inspired by one of our favorite poems, ‘The Peace of the Wild Things,’ by Wendell Berry. These two were a joy to write with and are both featured in the recording.” — Beth Whitney

Photo credit: Eratosthenes Fackenthall

LISTEN: Ted Russell Kamp, “Lightning Strikes Twice”

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Artist: Ted Russell Kamp
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Lightning Strikes Twice ”
Album: Solitaire
Release Date: May 7, 2021
Label: PoMo Records

In Their Words: “I wrote this one in Nashville last year while I was on tour with Duff McKagan. We had a day and a half off so we got together and started talking about Billy Joe Shaver and wrote this one in his style. I started out with the cool intro riff and we wrote a cool classic story song. It was originally going to be a honky-tonk song but as I got thinking about the record I decided to rework and make it the first bluegrass song on any record of mine. I played all the instruments and then sent it to Don Gallardo and he added his harmony vocal.” — Ted Russell Kamp

Photo credit: Karman Kruschke

LISTEN: Brandon Jenner, “Life for Two”

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Artist: Brandon Jenner
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Life for Two”
Album: Short of Home EP
Release Date: June 11, 2021
Label: Nettwerk

In Their Words: “After a show in Copenhagen, Denmark, I was approached by a woman who felt inspired enough to tell me about how much my music meant to her. As always, I was very humbled by her kind words. She would go on to ask an unexpected favor of me. Little did I know, her confidence in me and my songwriting would change my life forever. She told me that she was diagnosed with a health issue that was sure to end her life within a few years and that she was struggling with the fact that she would be leaving her young children behind to navigate life on their own. She asked me if I would write a song about her experience. I gladly accepted and began thinking about this new song right away. For me, the direction for the song was to write a letter, from her perspective, about what she would want her children to know before she passes. A letter filled with comforting words and some advice on how she thinks their lives would be best lived. ‘Life for Two’ became the title and I hope this song brings some comfort to those who are going through personal loss in their own lives.” — Brandon Jenner

Photo credit: Cassy White

LISTEN: Stash Wyslouch, “Lord Protect My Soul”

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Artist: Stash Wyslouch
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Lord Protect My Soul”
Album: Plays and Sings Bluegrass Vol. II
Release Date: April 30, 2021

In Their Words: “Everything on Plays and Sings Bluegrass Vol. II is a product of years of experimentation with traditional bluegrass. Instead of giving this Bill Monroe classic the four-part gospel treatment, I thought it would be fun to contrast the original melody and lyrics with an onslaught of polytonal backup melodies played in unison. In bluegrass I tend to gravitate towards the gospel flavors, and in my own music I tend to gravitate towards the ‘absurd’ and unexpected. This track exemplifies those two worlds colliding. Accompanying me on the unified front of polytonal backup is Duncan Wickel (fiddle), Max Ridley (bass), and Sean Trischka (drums).” — Stash Wyslouch

Photo credit: Mariel Vandersteel

WATCH: Bhi Bhiman, “Magic Carpet Ride”

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Artist: Bhi Bhiman
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Song: “Magic Carpet Ride”
Album: Substitute Preacher II
Release Date: April 30, 2021
Label: BooCoo Music

In Their Words: “‘Magic Carpet Ride’ is such an instantly recognizable, iconic rock song, but I never realized the lyrics were actually about Aladdin and his magic lamp. The lyrics are super playful and I began playing it for my daughter, who I’ve been homeschooling during the pandemic. Country blues artists like Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Blind Blake have played a big part in my evolution as a guitarist. And it’s still one of my favorite styles to play because it just feels so good. So I took a song basically everybody knew and made it feel like an old country blues song that Steppenwolf merely covered. And I think this version is so soothing to hear, especially as a parent in these times, when everything is uncertain, and we wish we could just float above it all.” — Bhi Bhiman

Photo credit: David Andrako

WATCH: Bob Malone, “The River Gives”

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Artist: Bob Malone
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “The River Gives”
Album: Good People
Release Date: May 21, 2021
Label: Delta Moon Records

In Their Words: “My manager was putting together talent for the Rebuilding West Virginia Telethon, which aired on PBS stations across the country after the devastating 2016 floods in West Virginia. He asked if I could contribute a video for the show, and if it could be done in two days! Immediately after that phone call, I sat down at the piano and this song just came pouring out. The next day I got together with my producer Bob DeMarco and engineer Steve McDonald — we made the video of me playing and singing the song live in the studio, edited it, and sent it off at the 11th hour. The song was never released beyond that original airing, and we never really got the chance to produce the song like we wanted to. So for this new album, we added band and background vocals to that original solo performance.” — Bob Malone

Photo credit: Jim Mimna

LISTEN: Sam Armstrong-Zickefoose, “Heart of Mine”

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Artist: Sam Armstrong-Zickefoose
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Song: “Heart of Mine”
Album: Spark in Your Smile
Release Date: July 5, 2021

In Their Words: “I wrote this song about how it feels to not fit in and the things we do to get a sense of belonging. I imagine we can all get to feeling like we are on the outside looking in or that we are stuck between two worlds. For me I felt like I had to hide my queerness for a long time, but once I was out I felt like an impostor in queer spaces. Luckily, I have been supported by many of the people in my life and keep meeting more folks I can relate to (in part thanks to organizations like Bluegrass Pride). This song is brought to life by Joe D’Esposito on fiddle, Jean-Luc Davis on bass (both from The Railsplitters), Colton Liberatore on drums, Maggie Liberatore on harmony vocals and Aaron Youngberg on synthesizers.” — Sam Armstrong-Zickefoose

Photo credit: Grace Clark

LISTEN: Mark Rubin, Jew of Oklahoma, “My Resting Place” (Feat. Danny Barnes)

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Artist: Mark Rubin, Jew of Oklahoma
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Song: “My Resting Place” (Feat. Danny Barnes)
Album: The Triumph of Assimilation
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Label: Rubinchik Recordings

In Their Words: “‘My Resting Place’ is an old-time bluegrass number inspired by the drive of Jimmy Martin and yet based on a 100-year-old Yiddish poem by Morris Rosenfeld. Known as the ‘poet laureate of the slum and the sweatshops,’ Rosenfeld’s ‘Mayn Rue Platz’ was written to commemorate the tragic events of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in NYC in 1911. The original Yiddish lyric brought to mind the Harlan Howard songs I grew up with as a kid, so the match seemed like a natural. My Bad Livers bandmate and acknowledged five-string banjo master Danny Barnes came in to seal the dark mood to match the lyric. If I’m being honest, I wrote it with Del McCoury in mind as the thought of a 100-year-old Yiddish labor ballad sung on bluegrass stages cheers me to no end.” — Mark Rubin

Photo credit: George Brainard

WATCH: Lady Nade, “Willing”

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Artist: Lady Nade
Hometown: Bristol, UK
Song: “Willing”
Album: Willing
Release Date: June 18, 2021

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Willing’ as a message of acceptance, loyalty and friendship. I’ve often tried to fit in, which has meant I lost myself for a while, I’ve been working really hard in the last couple of years to be aware of that. Realising being individual is what being human means, these feelings are particularly poignant for everyone after this prolonged period of separation we’ve all been through. The video was filmed in my hometown in Bristol along the route of the BLM protests last summer. I end the video at the base of the statue of Slave Master Edward Colston, which was dismantled during those protests. The way the video and song came together portray the message of self, as well as community.” — Lady Nade

Photo credit: Arthur René Walwin