Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Christina Courtin, “Life So Far”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Christina Courtin
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Song: “Life So Far”
Album: Situation Station
Release Date: April 10, 2020
Label: In a Circle Records

In Their Words: “‘Life So Far’ comes from a place of throwing your hands up in the air and saying, ‘I’ve have enough’ and making things up as you go. There is a lyrical undercurrent of things not ever being good enough, and a musical relentlessness that is not unlike our everyday lives. The lyric, ‘Feelin’ pretty good about life so far’ leaves space for the listener to wonder why it’s only, ‘Pretty good.’ Clearly there are still so many things that are not good, but life goes on with or without all of us. I guess it’s my version of a joke/sarcasm. I suppose I am too young to feel this way, as life has many more twists and turns in store, but it felt good at the time to write a song in this vein.” — Christina Courtin

Photo credit: Austin Nelson

LISTEN: Water Tower, “Fly Around” (Feat. Willie Watson)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Water Tower
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Fly Around” (ft. Willie Watson)
Album: Fly Around
Release Date: April 3, 2020 (Single); April 24, 2020 (Album)
Label: Dutch Records

In Their Words: “Recording the track ‘Fly Around’ for our debut album of the same name, we felt like Willie Watson was the best person to help us render a version one of our favorite traditional tunes. Willie has been a strong voice and and an old-time cousin guiding us along on our musical path since we first met him in 2005, on our first tour as The Water Tower Bucket Boys (thank goodness we kicked the bucket). Willie not only has a heart of gold, but he brought us in for a meal that time when we FIRST came to Los Angeles. We felt it was appropriate to ask him to contribute some of his most beloved verses to this old chestnut that has carried us through the roadways of the world.” — Kenny Feinstein, Water Tower

Photo credit: Kenny Feinstein

LISTEN: Dylan McCarthy, “Mosquito”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Dylan McCarthy
Hometown: From Boulder, Colorado; currently living in Lyons, Colorado
Song: “Mosquito”
Album: Lost & Found
Release Date: May 1, 2020

In Their Words: “‘Mosquito’ was one of the first tunes I had selected for the project and in many ways it was the catalyst for the whole thing. The tune got its name from the mosquito bite I received while writing the tune on my front porch in Lyons, Colorado. The overall approach to this tune was inspired in part by the opening track of Béla Fleck’s Drive, ‘Whitewater.’ I’ve always loved the way they start off that tune and I wanted to try to capture that energy on ‘Mosquito.’ The track features Eric Wiggs on guitar, Bradley Morse on bass, Sam Armstrong-Zickefoose on banjo, and Justin Hoffenburg on fiddle.” — Dylan McCarthy

Photo credit: Kyle Ussery, Flat Nine Design

LISTEN: Elijah Ocean, “Good Clean Livin'”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Elijah Ocean
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Good Clean Livin'”
Album: Blue Jeans & Barstools
Release Date: May 1, 2020

In Their Words: “I wrote this song a few years back while working a casino in Las Vegas. It started from a snippet of a conversation I overheard and ended up being about an addicted gambler who finds salvation through the modern American dream. I originally recorded a version for my barn record, but it didn’t make the cut. So I wound up recycling the pedal steel (played by my good friend Philip Sterk in Nashville) and re-tracking everything else in my home studio in LA. I was basically trying to find some middle ground between The Byrds and Alan Jackson.” — Elijah Ocean

Photo credit: Sean Rosenthal

LISTEN: Max Allard, “Rooster”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Max Allard
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Single: “Rooster”
Release Date: April 3, 2020

In Their Words: “My family and I have been keeping chickens in our Chicago backyard for many years. In the past, we’ve only had hens, but in the last round of chickens, we accidentally got a rooster. We named him J.D. Crowe, after the banjo player. He likes to crow, sometimes in the middle of the night. He gets confused in the city, where the line between night and day is sometimes blurry. He’s also skittish and he’s the first one to run in the coop if there’s danger approaching. I don’t think he’s doing a very good job of being a rooster. But he’s definitely entertaining.” — Max Allard

Photo credit: Rachel Allard

WATCH: Lee Henke, “Captain of the Ship”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Lee Henke
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Captain of the Ship”
Album: Captain of the Ship
Release Date: June 26, 2020

From the Artist: “‘Captain of the Ship’ is the title track of the upcoming album. I wrote this tune after a somewhat depressing gig at a casino. I decided to drink as much free beer as I could and spent the entire $50 I made from the show on one hand of poker. I don’t remember going to sleep but I woke up in the morning to some chicken-scratch lyrics on a bar napkin. The theme seems to dance around the romanticized idea of being the only person affected by the decisions you make, or the unrealistic freedom of being all on your own.” — Lee Henke

Photo credit: Ira Wolf

LISTEN: The Contenders, “You Don’t Care or You Don’t Have the Time”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Contenders
Hometown: Vermont / Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “You Don’t Care or You Don’t Have the Time”
Release Date: April 3, 2020

In Their Words: “Life is often a series of made or missed connections. The thoughts and emotions can be the things that wake you up in the middle of the night and get your mind running. They do for me sometimes, anyway. You could call this song a meditation, or maybe even a rumination on that… playing back in your head what you said or what you didn’t say and facing the less pretty qualities of your own character. It’s probably also worth noting that we love sad songs and we feel that they are often the very best vehicle for harmony singing. Our friend (and 2019 Americana UK instrumentalist of the year) CJ Hillman really drove the point home that we were trying to make musically with his sublime pedal steel.” — Jay Nash, The Contenders

https://soundcloud.com/thecontenders/you-dont-care-or-you-dont-have-the-time-master/s-5yqp9

Photo credit: Stacie Huckeba

WATCH: Lisa Lambe, “Dust and Sand”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Lisa Lambe
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Song: “Dust and Sand”
Album: Juniper
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Label: Blue Élan Records

In Their Words: “The inspiration for this song came from a treasured place: Omey Island, a tidal island on the western edge of Connemara County Galway in my homeplace Ireland. From the mainland you can barely see this place. The island is now abandoned but remains a place of devotion with its holy well. It is quiet and beautiful. ‘Dust and Sand’ is an ode to nature. It’s a song that reflects the space in between, and the lyrics are about being in that in-between place. A bit like the now…. Hope it brings you peace and a sense of place.” — Lisa Lambe

Photo credit: Dora Kazmierak

WATCH: The Golden Age, “Weirdo”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Golden Age
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Weirdo”
Album: I’m Sure It’ll Be Fine
Release Date: February 21, 2020
Label: Poke the Bear Records

In Their Words: “This video was made by those wild guys from Neighborhoods Apart, Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard. Josh had this concept he’d always wanted to do that ‘Weirdo’ seemed to fit nicely. Ultimately the video/song is a quick prick to the balloon that suggests that in order to connect with other people we need to present these shiny-flawless images socially and hide our odd nuances under a bushel… But what all that green-screen, horse-hockey magic really does is make us feel isolated. And like little worms that don’t measure up. The video is a trumpet’s call to embrace the fact that, at our nitty gritty, we’re all just a couple of strange brained-lumpy bodies in skin-tight suits plucking on banjos and mandolins in front of someone’s garage in the middle of the afternoon. More or less.” — Bryan Simpson and Matt Menefee, The Golden Age

LISTEN: Thomm Jutz, “Where The Bluebirds Call”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Thomm Jutz
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Where The Bluebirds Call”
Album: To Live In Two Worlds, Volume 1
Release Date: March 27, 2020
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “Englishman Cecil Sharp travelled all over Appalachia in search of ancient British verse and melody thought lost in England. He travelled extensively through the mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee to find these songs. They are documented in his collection English Folk Songs From The Southern Appalachians, which, as my friend and co-writer Tim Stafford says, is ‘as close to the horse’s mouth as you can get.’ I feel Cecil’s fascination with these songs in my bones. It is the essence of what keeps my musical world turning, and it’s always calling me home.” — Thomm Jutz

Photo credit: Jefferson Ross