Tag: premiere

LISTEN: David Quinn, “Letting Go”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: David Quinn
Hometown: Woodridge, Illinois
Song: “Letting Go”
Album: Letting Go
Release Date: October 23, 2020

In Their Words: “The song ‘Letting Go’ is what really got the whole record going for me. It put everything in perspective about what I was trying to say with the album. It all started with that opening line, ‘I’m letting go of everything that’s holding me down.’ I was dealing with a bunch of things at the moment, and I just needed to let it all go. I had a headache for about six months straight, and I reference that in the song: ‘My head, it hurts/Lord you know I’m spinnin’ around.’

“I was also being pulled in a million different directions in my personal life and with music. After the first record, I felt a little pigeonholed by a specific genre, when for me, I’m just making country music the way I hear it. I was tired of even considering those things when I was making music, or any decision with my life. I think we spend far too much time trying to make other people happy, and I decided I am through with it, even if that means getting rid of people or things in your life that hold you back; that’s where that song came from. The song allowed me to put it on paper, and release it from my mind, and it turned into a major theme on the record.” — David Quinn

Photo credit: Jess Myers

LISTEN: Justin Farren, “Fixer Upper”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Justin Farren
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Song: “Fixer Upper”
Album: Pretty Free
Release Date: October 23, 2020

In Their Words: “A reflection on the experience of building the home I currently live in with my wife and daughter. With no previous experience, we broke ground in 2004 and finished construction in late 2007. As the financial market collapsed, our janky new home was initially appraised at a value less than the cost of the materials it took to build it, let alone the three years of exhaustive labor. I felt dumb. 🙂 On the whole album, I used the only acoustic guitar I’ve ever owned. It’s a cheap Simon & Patrick I bought when I was a teenager. The electric guitar is a Les Paul Standard that a friend left at my house 12 years ago. I’m not much of a guitar nerd. I feel like they’re all pretty similar. I took an acoustic approach on this song because it’s about building a home. So a natural ‘wooden’ sound seemed right.” — Justin Farren

Photo credit: Wes Davis

LISTEN: William Prince, “Gospel First Nation”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: William Prince
Hometown: Peguis First Nation – Manitoba
Song: “Gospel First Nation”
Album: Gospel First Nation
Release Date: October 23, 2020
Label: Glassnote

In Their Words: “Gospel is by definition ‘the good news.’ These songs were capable of lifting spirits in the darkest of times. I witnessed it on many occasions. They provided hope and relief. A subject I addressed earlier this year. Maybe that message needs continuing throughout this time. I am as much the grandson of Chief Peguis, the founder of Peguis First Nation, as I am Edward Prince Sr., one of the founding Christian pastors of that same community. Gospel First Nation is an amalgamation of two very important realms in my life.” — William Prince

Photo credit: Jsenftphotography

LISTEN: Sarah Dooley, “Is This Heartbreak?”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Sarah Dooley
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Is This Heartbreak?”
Album: Is This Heartbreak?
Release Date: October 23, 2020

In Their Words: “This song is kind of the thesis statement of the album. I wrote it when I was falling for someone, and terrified. I’d been burned badly fairly recently and yet there I was, making myself vulnerable again. You feel like an idiot. Like, will I ever learn? It’s about that terrifying moment where you lose control and let emotions take over. Your brain’s instinct is always to protect your heart, and attempt to prepare for the two options that every relationship presents: ‘is this love? is this heartbreak?’ But ultimately, living a full life means taking that plunge, regardless of future pain, fully knowing the devastation that may wait for you on the other side.” — Sarah Dooley

Photo credit: Carly Hoogendyk

WATCH: Rock Hearts, “Don’t Let Smokey Mountain Smoke Get in Your Eyes”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Rock Hearts
Hometown: New England area
Song: “Don’t Let Smokey Mountain Smoke Get in Your Eyes”
Album: Starry Southern Nights (Produced by Ned Luberecki)
Release Date: October 30, 2020

In Their Words: “The first time Rock Hearts played ‘Don’t Let Smokey Mountain Smoke Get In Your Eyes,’ we knew we’d stumbled onto something special. It immediately drew each of us decades back to a time when we were falling in love with bluegrass. We each remember being younger and hearing this tune by major influences in our bluegrass lives, the Osborne Brothers. So, we wanted to include it on this album and reintroduce folks to the song as no one was covering it. Mainly, we wanted to include it to pay homage to a couple of our bluegrass heroes, Sonny and Bobby!” — Alex MacLeod, Rock Hearts

Photo credit: Alex MacLeod

LISTEN: Wes Corbett, “Boss Fight”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Wes Corbett
Hometown: Bainbridge island, Washington; now Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Boss Fight”
Album: Cascade
Release Date: December 4, 2020
Label: Padiddle

In Their Words: “‘Boss Fight’ was written in 2014 while I was still a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I set out to write a high-energy minor melody in the style of Ronnie McCoury, knowing that I would use it when I finally made this record. It remained unnamed until we finished tracking it in the studio, and while talking over edits we all agreed it felt like the music you hear when you fight the final boss in a video game, thus the title ‘Boss Fight’ was born. Another memory from that day is how I found myself in disbelief hearing how much life this incredible group of my peers breathed into this track, and the whole record for that matter. Chris Eldridge, who produced Cascade, in particular had some invaluable insight on how to make this tune move the way it does. I am so grateful for everyone who made this music possible!” — Wes Corbett

Photo credit: Kaitlyn Raitz

LISTEN: Suzzy Roche & Lucy Wainwright Roche, “Jane”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Suzzy Roche & Lucy Wainwright Roche
Hometown: New York, New York
Song: “Jane”
Album: I Can Still Hear You
Release Date: October 30, 2020
Label: StorySound

In Their Words: “For my 16th birthday, my aunt Terre gave me a cassette tape of some demos that she and my aunt Maggie recorded in 1973. ‘Jane’ was one of the songs on the tape and it was immediately one of my favorites. The song had never been included on any album, and for many years I thought it would be a great song to record. It finally found a home on this album. I particularly like the line, ‘It’s like remembering rain in the sun, or remembering sun in the rain.’” — Lucy Wainwright Roche

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

LISTEN: The Mastersons, “I’m Your Girl”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Mastersons
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “I’m Your Girl”
Album: Red, White & I Love You Too EP
Release Date: October 16, 2020
Label: Red House Records

In Their Words: “We watched the first episode of Ken Burns’ Country Music and Eleanor wrote this after trying — unsuccessfully — to go to sleep.” — Chris Masterson

“I had Maybelle Carter’s guitar in my head and a little bit of Townes Van Zandt’s and Woody Guthrie’s spirits guiding me. I already had the first verse, which is more abstract, written down in my notebook and then I started thinking about the plight of immigrants today and the rest of the song just flowed out.” — Eleanor Masterson

Photo credit: Curtis Wayne Millard

LISTEN: Ashleigh Flynn & the Riveters, “The Lion and the Lamb”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Ashleigh Flynn & the Riveters
Hometown: Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles
Song: “The Lion and the Lamb”
Album: The Lion and the Lamb (Digital 45)
Release Date: October 20, 2020
Label: Home Perm Records

In Their Words: “‘The Lion and the Lamb’ draws from Bible stories as an overlay for the situation we find ourselves in today — enveloped in the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest/peaceful protests, the rise in domestic terrorist groups in the US, the devastating impacts of climate change/fires that are destroying our communities… things feel hopeless…. While I am not a religious person, I am a spiritual person, and believe the goodness in the hearts of Americans translating into benevolent action is what will heal us as a nation; that ‘savage and cruel beasts’ find their kind and gentle nature, and work to restore of the world to peace and ‘righteousness.’

“This song (with lyrics by Ashleigh Flynn and Virginia Cohen) and the Digital 45 were recorded remotely, with our guitar player Nancy Luca at the helm of arrangement and production from her home studio in LA. She says this about the song, ‘When Ashleigh sent me her song a few months ago, and as we are all locked down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked hard to bring life to this endeavor despite the distance. The Riveters recorded their parts safe at home on their iPhone or DAWs and I mixed it all in the sonic blender of my session. My hope is that you hear the musical emotion of this wonderful and poignant song. Ready world? It’s ready for you.'” — Ashleigh Flynn

https://soundcloud.com/smashedflynn-1/the-lion-and-the-lamb/s-bI67cGnOGMZ

Photo credit: Kate Flather

LISTEN: Cf Watkins, “White Nights”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Cf Watkins
Hometown: Westfield, North Carolina (Currently in Nashville, Tennessee)
Song: “White Nights”
Album: Babygirl
Release Date: October 16, 2020
Label: Whatever’s Clever Records

In Their Words: “‘White Nights’ is based off of one of my favorite Dostoevsky short stories. On this album, I was trying to explore shifting the way I write music and, in a sense, share myself. I felt a lot of my music was coming from a place of my own longing, unrequited love, and heartbreak. Though I think all of those topics are worthy of our time and attention, I felt, as a woman especially, it was important for me to explore and show my strength as well. I started by simply shifting the focus from myself, and writing songs about something outside of myself. This was one of the first songs to come from that effort. I am singing from the male perspective, who has unrequitedly fallen in love with the female character. There was something very powerful for me to recontextualize romantic longing — to sing the male voice, and to have it honoring the power and magic of a woman.” — Cf Watkins

Photo credit: Griffin Hart Davis