Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Carolina Blue, “Grown Cold”

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Artist: Carolina Blue
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina
Song: “Grown Cold”
Album: Take Me Back
Release Date: June 19, 2020
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “‘Grown Cold’ is the lead single from our forthcoming album, Take Me Back, on Billy Blue Records. I wrote the song specifically for Tim Jones to sing, and boy, does he deliver! What makes this song ideal, in my opinion, is that it’s different from anything that’s out there today, and that was intentional on my part as the songwriter. It really fits our motto of ‘Original yet Traditional.’ As a band, we want the listeners to be able to identify our music the moment that it comes on the radio, and I think we will be successful, not only with ‘Grown Cold,’ but with every track on the album. Hope you all enjoy it!” — Bobby Powell, Carolina Blue

Photo credit: Corey Johnson Studios

LISTEN: Carla Olson, “A Child’s Claim to Fame” (Feat. Timothy B. Schmit and Rusty Young)

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Artist: Carla Olson
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “A Child’s Claim to Fame”
Album: Have Harmony, Will Travel 2
Release Date: March 20, 2020
Label: Sunset Blvd. Records

In Their Words: “Buffalo Springfield was as clever, inventive and multi talented as the Beatles. They had three songwriters, three voices, and a palette as varied as any band American or British. ‘A Child’s Claim to Fame’ is one of many examples of their unique genius and it’s a song I have always loved. It’s sophisticated as well as catchy, out of left field for a rock band, but a hit-in-waiting. When I decided to record it, Timothy B. Schmit’s voice almost called out to me, it seemed like such a natural harmony or duet choice. And when he said ‘yes’ — even better. If that wasn’t enough, creatively and historically, when Rusty Young agreed to play banjo, dobro, and guitar I knew we had a gem in the making if I do say so myself. Could I have imagined as a teen, when I saw the Springfield in concert, later recording Richie Furay’s Buffalo Springfield song with members of Poco and the Eagles? Uh, no. My thanks to both of them.” — Carla Olson

Photo credit: Markus Cuff

LISTEN: Chris Moyse, “Pueblo Dust”

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Artist: Chris Moyse
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Pueblo Dust”
Album: Bitter Ballads & Cynical Prayers
Release Date: March 20, 2020

In Their Words: “It’s a road trip song and a kind of love letter to a friend. And the first song in history about a pretty girl in a vintage car, right? It’s also a jinx — the 1980 El Camino died a few months later. But, I still got the memory and this song.” — Chris Moyse

Photo credit: J.R. Wyatt

WATCH: Laurie Lewis, “Troubled Times” (Feat. Leah Wollenberg)

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Artist: Laurie Lewis
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Song: “Troubled Times”
Album: and Laurie Lewis
Release Date: March 27, 2020

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Troubled Times’ about twenty years ago, I think, in other troubled times than we are experiencing now. But I never sang the song out in public more than about three times. I honestly feel like I was waiting for the right ‘voice to sing in harmony,’ and when Leah and I started singing together, I think I found my match. I have been friends with her parents (jazz guitarist Mike Wollenberg and artist Jenny Bloomfield) since before she was born, and have known her since then, watching her grow into a fearless jazz violinist and terrific Irish fiddler. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but when I heard her sing a piece of a song sitting around the dinner table one night, my ears really perked up. Maybe it’s because Leah has heard my voice her whole life that she is able to get a positively familial blend. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.” — Laurie Lewis

Photo credit: Jeff Fasano

WATCH: Grace Morrison, “Mothers”

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Artist: Grace Morrison
Hometown: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Song: “Mothers”
Release Date: March 13, 2020

In Their Words: “I’m a new mom. My son and I spend our days talking and singing about the world around us. I’ll often find myself in sing-song: ‘Here is a tree, there is a leaf.’ It struck me, however, that I am a very lucky mother. There are mothers right now separated from their children at the US border. Women who fought like hell to get their children to our border. There are mothers who have lost their children to gun violence. It was in that moment of realization that I knew my job is bigger than teaching him about plants and animals. He’s got to see the not so pretty stuff too. And hopefully, if I do my job right, he’ll live his life trying to right some of the wrongs that we all see every day… if we open our eyes.

“My cousin Cecilia is a senior in high school who has fallen in love with American Sign Language (ASL). This past summer at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, there was an ASL interpreter during my set and I was truly moved by it. Because this song has such strong visual language I thought it was a perfect opportunity to include Ceci and her interpretation (which I think is really lovely). The message of this song is really important to me, so I’m hopeful that including ASL will help more people engage with the idea that we need to be mindful of both how lucky we are and the struggles of others.” — Grace Morrison

Photo credit: Paula Mailloux at Bongo Beach Productions

LISTEN: Chris Castino, “Duluth”

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Artist: Chris Castino
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Song: “Duluth”
Album: Brazil
Release Date: March 13, 2020

In Their Words: “When you come out of a fog of drugs or bad love or any addiction, everything seems raw for a while. I guess the truth is raw sometimes. This song is that time where you beg God not to feel this way again, but this time something feels different. Like a new morning; blurry yet full of hope.” — Chris Castino

Photo credit: Storied Life Pictures

LISTEN: Darrell Scott, “Fool About You”

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Artist: Darrell Scott
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Fool About You”
Album: Darrell Scott Sings the Blues of Hank Williams
Release Dates: March 13, 2020 (single); April 24, 2020 (album)
Label: Full Light Records / Soundly Music

In Their Words: “I remember this song from early childhood — it was one my dad sang at home. Hank did not write it, but it was fun, it grooves, and it talks about flop-eared mules and hogs rooting under a fence… what more do you want out of a song?” — Darrell Scott

Photo credit: Gabriel Scott

LISTEN: Dietrich Strause, “Last Man Standing on the Sun”

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Artist: Dietrich Strause
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “Last Man Standing on the Sun”
Album: Last Man Standing on the Sun
Release Date: March 13, 2020

In Their Words: “I once asked my 92-year-old grandfather what he knows now that he wishes he had known when he was my age. He said, ‘I wish I had known that everything is in constant motion and that the fundamental shape of the universe is a wave.’ With that as an impression, I wrote ‘Last Man Standing on the Sun’ looking up at the stars and sky from an island in the middle of a lake, in the middle of the mountains in New Hampshire, thinking about the constant decay and renewal of love, purpose, and nature. I wanted to record this song in particular for this album because it seemed fitting for the constant motion and physical limitations of working on a reel-to-reel tape machine.” — Dietrich Strause

Photo credit: Rose Cousins

LISTEN: Jack Grelle, “Mess of Love”

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Artist: Jack Grelle
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Song: “Mess of Love”
Album: If Not Forever
Release Date: April 17, 2020
Label: Jack Grelle Music

In Their Words: “This is a breakup song without any finger-pointing… where two people are both coming to grips with a change in life and trying to adjust to new chapters. I was listening to a lot of Elvis Costello’s early records when I wrote this tune. I wanted to blend classic honky-tonk with power pop elements. Devin Frank, who played bass on the album, came up with the harmony guitar parts on the chorus along with the lead guitar player, Josh Cochran. It added an overall feel that brought all those elements together and really made the song.” — Jack Grelle

Photo credit: Nate Burrell