Tag: premiere

WATCH: Cody Tinnin, “No Man for Workin'”

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Artist: Cody Tinnin
Hometown: Durango, Colorado
Song: “No Man for Workin'”
Album: Perennial
Release Date: March 26, 2021
Label: Western Yoke Records

In Their Words: “No Man for Workin’,” from my debut solo album Perennial, is the tale of two prospectors in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado in the late 19th century: a murder ballad with a twist. Clawhammer banjo and high tenor vocals, recorded on vintage analog recording gear, help convey the darkness that dwells within the song’s protagonist. ‘No Man for Workin” is an original composition that captures the lo-fi familiarity of a classic old-time ballad. The song’s video also documents the Perennial home recording session with Jon Atkinson of Bigtone Records. Perennial is a snapshot into my personal study of clawhammer banjo, old-time, and my lifelong relationship with music. Years before I joined Stillhouse Junkies and became a full-time musician, my grandmother Mary Bartee told me that she believed music was my true calling. It has taken some time and searching to find my path as a musician but in the past few years, I believe I have finally found what it is I’m supposed to do in this life. Turns out, Grandma was right.” — Cody Tinnin

Video produced by Rees Gibbons. Photo credit: Renee Cornue

WATCH: Jomo & the Possum Posse, “Self Quarantine”

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Artist: Jomo & the Possum Posse
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Self Quarantine”
Album: Self Quarantine EP
Release Date: March 26, 2021
Label: Guy on a Buffalo

In Their Words: “I started 2020 with a challenge to myself to write a song every week for a full year. I had no idea the year would give me so much material! ‘Self Quarantine’ was written right at the time of the lockdown, when things were starting to get really crazy. People were hoarding groceries and supplies and generally freaking out. I loved the idea of using that as an excuse/metaphor to break it off with somebody. After more than a year of weekly songs, and the pandemic being such a big part of our lives, we decided to release an EP of some of our favorites.” – Jomo Edwards

Photo credit: Mike Wolfe

LISTEN: Helena Rose, “What’s Killing You Is Killing Me”

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Artist: Helena Rose
Hometown: Waynesville, North Carolina
Song: “What’s Killing You Is Killing Me”
Album: Girls Like Me EP
Release Date: March 26, 2021

In Their Words: “Several years ago, I desperately wanted to tell someone in my family how I felt about their addiction, but couldn’t find the right words to say to get my message across. So I wrote a song about it with Deanna Walker and Rick Beresford in Nashville. Not only did I hope it would help my own situation, but I was also hoping it would help others who have friends or family members struggling with addiction. It is a very truthful song about the self-destruction that can happen on both sides, but also has a hopeful tone to signify that there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. I want people to know that they aren’t alone in this struggle and give them the right words to say.” — Helena Rose

Photo credit: Nico Humby

WATCH: Natalie D-Napoleon, “Gasoline & Liquor”

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Artist: Natalie D-Napoleon
Hometown: Freemantle, Western Australia and Santa Barbara
Song: “Gasoline & Liquor”
Album: You Wanted to Be the Shore but Instead You Were the Sea
Release Date: March 26, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Gasoline & Liquor’ came about after traveling through California’s Mojave Desert so when it came to making a video for the song the other ‘Wild West’ — that of Western Australia — seemed the perfect location. We were headed out to Joshua Tree to catch some music at Pappy & Harriet’s when we passed a sign at the side of the highway that read ‘Gasoline and Liquor.’ I pointed at the sign and said to my husband, ‘That is a song — but it’s a man’s song.’ I then blurted out, ‘You’ve gotta help me write it!’ We passed lyrics back and forth while I honed the music. A week before we were set to record the new album I started fingerpicking the song and the arrangement fell into place. We recorded the album live in an old church in the hills behind Santa Barbara and the take you hear was captured during a momentary pause between someone chainsawing trees nearby!

“I wanted to make a video that reflected the bleak desert landscape of places like Victorville and Barstow, which inspired the song. Since we’re currently in Australia we went to the western mining town of Kalgoorlie where there is no shortage of abandoned gas stations and outback pubs. One of my favorite places is the Broad Arrow Tavern, a quintessential outback pub, miles from town in the middle of anywhere with writing scribbled all over the walls giving it an edge-of-civilization atmosphere. The crusty outback characters and bar flies stared at us menacingly during the entire shoot, leaving us pondering whether we were going to get out of there alive. We almost didn’t, managing to grab our cameras and equipment and get out of there before a bar brawl broke loose. Music sure takes you down some interesting roads!” — Natalie D-Napoleon

Photo credit: Brett Leigh Dicks

LISTEN: The 502s, “Leading Lady”

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Artist: The 502s
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Song: “Leading Lady”
Album: Could It Get Better Than This
Release Date: October 15, 2021

In Their Words: “One day I showed up to rehearsal with a new voice memo called ‘I.D.N.F.S’ which stood for ‘Incredibly Dope New Fast Song.’ The idea behind the song was to make something everyone at our live shows would be able to sing along to while dancing with us. The lyrics are about the feelings that love gives you. The nerves-in-the-belly, heart-skipping-a-beat kind of stuff. It’s also about how years of worry can melt away in a minute when you meet the right person. Being in love makes you the stars of your own movie. We’re big believers in following your heart as that’s how you get the best things out of life.” — Ed Isola, The 502s

Photo credit: Gabriel Lugo

LISTEN: Sweetlove, “Things I Didn’t Say”

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Artist: Sweetlove
Hometown: Currently based in Los Angeles. Originally from Simi Valley, California
Song: “Things I Didn’t Say”
Album: Goodnight, Lover
Release Date: March 26, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Things I Didn’t Say’ is a very personal song for me, full of ache, and when I wrote it I was reeling after the suicide of a longtime love of mine, and the only thing that brought me some comfort was writing songs. I wrote it on a rainy day in Silver Lake with the wonderful Stolar and Evangelia. Evangelia came in with the opening line, ‘I took off my makeup, and took on the madness,’ and it really resonated with me, so we wrote this mournful, stripped-down song about all of the things you can’t say anymore to the person you’ve lost, and how you struggle for a place to put those things for a long time. The end of the song has this beautiful outro piece, almost like a wave of love to send David off, into a place where he would always be at peace, and I will be forever comforted by the fact that his spirit is free, and that I was fortunate enough to know him and love him my whole life. If you are reading this piece and are struggling and in despair, I beg of you to hold on, to reach out, to get help — I promise you there is more love around you than you know, more hope than your pain lets you see.” — Sweetlove

Photo credit: Anna Azarov

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WATCH: DL Rossi, “Tumbling”

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Artist: DL Rossi
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Song: “Tumbling”
Album: Lonesome Kind
Release Date: April 16, 2021

In Their Words: “It was great to work with Jax Anderson on the music video for ‘Tumbling.’ We wanted to create a feeling of youth and innocence while introducing the harsher realities of life. ‘Tumbling’ is a song about realizing traditional norms don’t work out for all of us, but we still have a place in this world and can still find happiness that works for us. There is a specific and beautiful journey for each individual, and while we can’t ‘opt out’ of the hurtful experiences and memories, we can share our experiences and hopefully encourage and support each other. That’s what I hope people take away from this tune and the music video.” — DL Rossi

Photo credit: Rachel Hurley

WATCH: CeeLo Green, “Slow Down” (Live From Easy Eye Sound Studio)

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Artist: CeeLo Green
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Song: “Slow Down”
Album: CeeLo Green… Is Thomas Callaway
Label: BMG / Easy Eye Sound

In Their Words: “The song ‘Slow Down’ is ironic because it actually speeds up the process, pulling you closer to the climatic heights of this heartfelt album and the consumer just continues to soar from there. Recording this video with Dan was like experiencing déjà vu… surreal and exciting. To be able to get that feeling working with him on the album and then reliving it to record this live version was amazing. This album was just a thought and we turned it into a full body of work. From start to finish, to express ourselves the way we did writing this song… it was like an out of body experience.”” — CeeLo Green

Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen

LISTEN: Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, “Date With an Angel”

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Artist: Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass
Hometown: Landenberg, Pennsylvania
Song: “Date With an Angel”
Album: Bluegrass Troubadour
Release Date: April 23, 2021
Label: Pinecastle Records

In Their Words: “When I heard ‘Date With an Angel’ for the first time, I knew I wanted to record it. Great story songs like this have become synonymous with bluegrass music, because folks can associate the struggles and yearnings in the lyrics to their own lives. I hope you will enjoy this song as much as we do.” — Danny Paisley

Photo courtesy of Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass

LISTEN: Aaron Burdett, “Arlo”

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Artist: Aaron Burdett
Hometown: Saluda, North Carolina
Song: “Arlo”
Release Date: March 19, 2021
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “Years ago I used to drive down to play the open mic night at a place called Eddie’s Attic in Georgia. It was a weekly event and I’d go down every six weeks or so. I’d work on my chops and mingle with other writers in one of the premier songwriter venues in the Southeast. Among the semi-regular performers those evenings was a songwriter named Arlo, and although we haven’t seen each other in person for probably 15 years we’ve kept in touch and still talk every week or so. We wax poetic about music and songs and audio gear and guitars or any number of oddball subjects.

“He’s not exactly the character in this song, but he is a character in his own right. Almost every line in the song ‘Arlo’ is something he said to me directly, verbatim. I’ve twisted the meaning and implications of the phrases to suit my vision for the narrator in the song, but the words more or less came from real life, from a real live Arlo, over the past 10 years. We’d talk and afterwards some sentence he said would stick with me so I’d write it down on the ‘Arlo’ sheet. Eventually this song fell out of that collection of phrases and snippets of conversations. Goes to show that you should be careful when you’re being clever around a songwriter, you may hear something you recognize in the next draft.” — Aaron Burdett

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither