Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Luke LeBlanc, “All My Love”

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Artist: Luke LeBlanc
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Song: “All My Love”
Album: Better Now EP
Release Date: January 12, 2021

In Their Words: “‘All My Love’ came about while I was scrolling through some year-old voice memos on my phone. It was one of those song ideas that I recorded quickly in the moment and then left alone for a while and almost forgot. The lyrics came pretty quickly, but musically it took awhile to figure out what I wanted to do with it. I’m happy with how it turned out; it starts small and builds consistently the whole way through. All the fingerpicking is done on a Les Paul electric which gives you the option to really highlight certain notes louder than others while you’re playing.” — Luke LeBlanc

Photo credit: Mark Walentiny

WATCH: The Rough & Tumble, “You’re Not Going Alone”

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Artist: The Rough & Tumble
Hometown: On the road permanently, with a P.O. Box in East Nashville
Song: “You’re Not Going Alone”
Album: We’re Only Family If You Say So
Release Date: February 19, 2021

In Their Words: “Written in the spring of 2019 in a borrowed kitchen in Michigan, one week after the collapse of our family. This song is one that was written into the darkness, realizing that we could never go home again — not in the way we always have, if at all. But those things — like the maple tree in the front yard, or the blackberry bushes — those can still be ours. As difficult and traumatic as family severance is, we decided we didn’t have to lose everything. We didn’t have to be alone. We have as much right to a family to call our own as the family that won’t call us their own, anymore.” — Scott Tyler and Mallory Graham, The Rough & Tumble

Photo credit: Annie Minicuci Fine Art Photography

WATCH: Scott MacKay, “Romance Novel”

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Artist: Scott MacKay
Hometown: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Song: “Romance Novel”
Album: Stupid Cupid
Release Date: January 8, 2021

In Their Words: “The seed of this song was inspired by my mother’s book collection, which consists of many Jodi Picoult novels. Many evenings I’d find my mother reclined back on her pink chair with a glass of red wine in one hand and a romance novel in the other. At the same time, my dad would be stretched out on the couch with a beer and some chips cursing at the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“I initially brought the idea to a co-writing session with a writer I had never written with before and we wrote a version that was called Harlequin, but I wasn’t crazy about how it turned out. I decided to rework the lyrics and the music myself months later and finally landed on something I was happy with. There is a tradition of humour in country music and I really wanted the album to reflect that. ‘Romance Novel’ is one of the ten tracks on this album that honours that tradition.” — Scott MacKay

Photo credit: Nicole Anne MacKay

WATCH: Buck Meek, “Candle”

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Artist: Buck Meek
Hometown: Wimberley, Texas
Song: “Candle”
Album: Two Saviors
Release Date: January 15, 2021
Label: Keeled Scales

In Their Words: “Have you spoken to your god through a seashell? Have you ever instinctually called a loved one the instant after a near-death experience? Has a nosebleed ever sprung at the definitive moment of personal growth, like a threshold? Has a friend felt you light a candle from 1000 miles away? Do you drive with the windows down and the heat on full blast? Have your eyes changed color?” — Buck Meek

Photo credit: Robbie Jeffers

WATCH: The Wood Brothers, “Honey Jar” (The Muse Live 2020)

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Artist: The Wood Brothers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Honey Jar” (Live)
Album: The Muse (to be released on 2-LP vinyl in March 2021)

In Their Words: “It felt so good to play together for a day and get a small taste of the fun we have touring and playing shows. It’s like we didn’t get to go to summer camp this year. We miss it so bad. We’re looking forward to connecting with fans and friends on the live chat, as well. The community around the band means so much to us, so it’ll be really fun to be together with everyone.” — Oliver Wood, The Wood Brothers

Photo Credit: Come To Life Media

LISTEN: Stephen Kellogg, “I’ve Had Enough”

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Artist: Stephen Kellogg
Hometown: Connecticut
Song: “I’ve Had Enough ”
Album: I’ve Had Enough
Release Date: December 18, 2020

In Their Words: “I’ve always been in theory, and actuality, an optimistic person. This year has tested that. 2020 has been scary and exhausting in myriad ways. Can we agree on that? No? Of course, we can’t. Because that’s what it’s like when you are homeschooling four kids through a pandemic while trying to knock out a living and swallow the bitter injustice of a morally bankrupt president who would rather take down a great nation than admit legitimate defeat.” — Stephen Kellogg

Photo credit: Jeff Fasano

WATCH: The Arcadian Wild, “Fall: War”

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Artist: The Arcadian Wild
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Fall: War”
Album: Principium
Release Date: January 2021
Label: The Arcadian Wild/ONErpm

In Their Words: “I’m really excited about how the arrangement and recording of ‘Fall: War’ turned out. Isaac (guitarist/co-writer) and I pseudo-finished these songs that make up Principium and put a pin in them a few years ago, but they really came into their own when we dusted them off at the beginning of 2020. I think the time simmering on the back-burner served them well, and we were able to bring them to life in a way that wasn’t initially possible. Bailey and Erik (fiddle and bass, respectively) were wonderful collaborators, and they played irreplaceable roles in shaping and refining the music. We’re grateful to have had their artistic voices as a part of this process.

“‘Fall: War’ was actually the creative starting point of Principium, even though it’s the third of four movements. In some ways, it’s the heart of the work. It’s also the most physically intense song in the cycle, which gave us a fantastic opportunity to pretend to be a rock band, so my high school pop-punk dreams have all come true. Moreover, I’m totally blown away by the short-film installment for ‘Fall.’ Greyson Welch has done an incredible job of telling this story visually, and I am so proud to work with such a gifted team of artists as we realize a little passion project that’s years in the making. It’s great to finally get to share it.” — Lincoln Mick, The Arcadian Wild (mandolinist/writer)

Photo credit: Shelby M’lynn Mick

WATCH: Tina Adair, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”

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Artist: Tina Adair
Hometown: Haleyville, Alabama
Single: “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”
Release Date: October 30, 2020
Label: EMG – Engelhardt Music Group

In Their Words: “I have loved this song and been singing it since I was a little girl. I always thought this would make a good bluegrass song and wanted to record it for some time now. So when I joined the EMG team, Adam Englehardt, Glen Duncan and I met to go through material for the album. I brought this song in and they loved the idea of doing a bluegrass version. Once it was all finished, we all looked at each other and almost at the same time said, ‘This should be the first single!’ To me, this is a song about the never-ending love story and about hope and happiness.” — Tina Adair

Photo credit: John Dorton

BGS Wraps: Colin & Caroline, “It Isn’t Even Christmas Yet”

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Artist: Colin & Caroline
Single: “It Isn’t Even Christmas Yet”
Release Date: December 4, 2020

In Their Words: “For the two of us, the holidays have always carried with them fond memories of childhood, and growing up within our families. For me [Caroline], this meant sitting on the steps with my two brothers as Nat King Cole and Sinatra’s holiday songs filled our house, and waiting patiently to run downstairs on Christmas morning. For Colin, it meant reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve with his family (a tradition that still stands today)… There’s a certain nostalgia that we feel around Christmas time that is reflective of our own relationship as well as our individual upbringings. We recognize that this isn’t the case for everyone surrounding the holidays, and that we’re lucky to feel this way. 2020 has been one of the most uncertain and difficult years our world has seen in a long time, and through our Christmas music, we want to spread a message of hope, and bring our listeners a sense of comfort, joy, and some extra love during perhaps the most important holiday season yet.” — Colin & Caroline

Enjoy more BGS Wraps here.

LISTEN: Deutsch & Thorn, “Scorpio Sun”

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Artist: Deutsch & Thorn (Erik Deutsch and Andy Thorn)
Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico and Boulder, Colorado
Song: “Scorpio Sun”
Release Date: December 4, 2020
Label: Thornpipe Music

In Their Words: “When I first wrote this tune, I recorded it with the Colorado Playboys (Travis Book, Jon Stickley, and John Frazier), and called it ‘Sicks Ate.’ (We thought we were very clever.) Over a decade later, playing it with pianist Erik Deutsch, it took on a whole new life. As fellow Scorpios, Erik and I retitled it ‘Scorpio Sun.’ We recorded this EP in Erik’s beautiful Mexico City apartment, between playing shows at Zinco Jazz Club in the city’s vibrant Centro neighborhood. I never thought I’d bring my banjo to Mexico City, to mingle with Erik’s jazz influences and the sights and sounds of a dazzling culture. But that’s kind of what it’s like playing with Erik — you never know what might happen next.” — Andy Thorn

Photo credit: Josh Timmermans