Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Kitchen Dwellers, “Driftwood”

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Artist: Kitchen Dwellers
Hometown: Bozeman, Montana
Song: “Driftwood”
Album: Muir Maid
Release Date: November 8, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Driftwood’ after living out of a kayak in Alaska one summer. The trip changed my life in many ways, but one was just appreciating what you have at any given moment in time. Life isn’t perfect and comfortable and sometimes curveballs get thrown your way, but ultimately how you come out the other end is based on your perspective and resilience. We were so fortunate to have Jason Carter add a fiddle track and he did some amazing work. Once we heard it we knew it had to be the last song on the album.” — Max Davies, guitar/vocals

Photo credit: Silky Shots

WATCH: Andrew VanNorstrand, “Boy With Gray Eyes”

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Artist: Andrew VanNorstrand
Hometown: Central New York
Song: “Boy With Gray Eyes”
Album: That We Could Find a Way to Be

In Their Words: “There’s this moment when you realize something; when it finally clicks and the clouds part and you see things as they are. It feels like you’re just… hovering. Suspended between worlds. That moment when you first face a truth, but before you know what happens next. Before you know what it really means. There is so much life in those moments. They are brief, rare, terrifying and beautiful. May we be better than we’ve been. And everyone said ‘Amen.'” — Andrew VanNorstrand

Photo credit: Louise Bichan

WATCH: Bowregard, “The Henrys”

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Artist: Bowregard
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
Song: “The Henrys”
Album: Debut to be released early 2020

In Their Words: “‘The Henrys’ is the tale of a desperate outlaw attempting to escape his fate in the Henry Mountains of Utah. Written by Bowregard guitarist and vocalist Max Kabat and led by a driving dobro and fiddle melody, ‘The Henrys’ is a barnburner that has become a staple of our live set ever since its debut at the 2019 Telluride Bluegrass Festival band contest, which we were honored to win.

“The video was recorded by Mineral Sound in Lyons, Colorado, live in one take around a stereo pair of mics with no edits or overdubs. We’re currently in the studio working with producer Nick Forster (of Hot Rize fame) on our debut album, which we plan to release in early 2020 and can’t wait to share with the world.” — Bowregard

Photo credit: Daniel Herman

LISTEN: Charlie Hager, “Never Good”

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Artist: Charlie Hager
Hometown: Las Vegas/Nashville
Song: “Never Good”
Album: Truth and Love
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Label: Flour Sack Cape Records

In Their Words: “I think this song is reflective of what I was feeling at that time in my life. I had recently gone through a divorce and my work was stressful as well. I think my state of mind when I asked myself what ‘I’m good at’ became clear to me that I mess things up a lot. So in a sense, what started out as a narcissistic song actually ended up a little more truthful.” — Charlie Hager

Photo credit: Francis Myron Calara

LISTEN: The Hackles, “The Show Goes On”

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Artist: The Hackles
Hometown: Astoria, Oregon
Song: “The Show Goes On”
Album: A Dobritch Did as a Dobritch Should
Release Date: November 8, 2019
Label: Jealous Butcher Records

In Their Words: “‘The Show Goes On’ is an homage to and a reflection on the life of Bulgarian-born circus impresario Al Dobritch. The song arose from a circus-themed song challenge that sent me down a ‘Circus Circus’ research rabbit hole. Deep in that hole I discovered Al Dobritch, whose byzantine life got me thinking about the interaction between self-determination and outside, decisive forces in all our lives. It was recorded by us and Adam Selzer at The Rope Room studio in our hometown of Astoria, Oregon. Luke’s guitar & James Owen Greenan’s pedal steel converse, Cory Gray’s organ elevates, Gabrielle Macrae’s vocals elaborate, Olaf Ydstie’s drums are the train that goes off the cliff, and Adam Selzer’s percussion and mixing cause everything to make sense.” — Kati and Luke, The Hackles

Photo credit: Courtesy of HearthPR/Lauren Jacobsonᐧ

LISTEN: Stoney LaRue, “You Ought to Know Me by Now”

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Artist: Stoney LaRue
Hometown: Born in Taft, Texas; raised in the Buffalo Valley in Oklahoma.
Song: “You Ought to Know Me by Now”
Album: Onward
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Label: One Chord Song/Smith Entertainment

In Their Words: “Gary Nicholson wrote this one with his writing buddy Shawn Camp and suggested it would be a good fit for the album — with which I agreed. It has gotten wonderful feedback from the live crowds and is very relatable, especially to the demographic I play to and for. Wonderful, fun tune. I hope to write some more like it with Gary.” — Stoney LaRue

Photo credit: Richard Arp-Barnett

LISTEN: Steel City Jug Slammers, “Make That Money”

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Artist: Steel City Jug Slammers
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Song: “Make That Money”
Album: Hot Butter
Release Date: October 31, 2019

In Their Words: “It’s hard sweating it out, every day, down in the working class. You stand so long your feet always hurt, hands work so hard they don’t even feel. Every day you get home, shower, and the salt from your sweat runs down your face and burns your eyes. When you finally make it to the comfortable place you’ve been thinking about all day, breathe in your favorite flavor of smoke, sip something to ease your aching muscles, then you’re glad you did it. Because if you didn’t, somebody else would, and you’d be in the ditch.” — G.W. Henderson, Steel City Jug Slammers

Photo credit: T.J. Burks

LISTEN: Natalie MacMaster, “West Bay Road”

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Artist: Natalie MacMaster
Hometown: Troy, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; currently the tiny village of Douro, Ontario.
Song: “West Bay Road”
Album: Sketches
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Label: Linus Entertainment

In Their Words: “‘West Bay Road’ starts with an O’Carolan piece, a famous Irish composer. Then followed by a tune written for a good family friend who was battling cancer at the time of the recording. He unfortunately didn’t make it and has passed on since, but he got to hear his jig before he died. It will always be a special tune for me.” — Natalie MacMaster

Photo credit: Rebekah Littlejohn

LISTEN: Jamie McDell, “Worst Crime” (Feat. Robert Ellis)

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Artist: Jamie McDell
Hometown: Mangawhai, New Zealand (currently Toronto-based)
Song: “Worst Crime” feat. Robert Ellis
Album: The Botox EP
Release Date: October 25, 2019

In Their Words: “‘Worst Crime’ was inspired by a conversation surrounding the idea that some of the worst crimes a person can commit are actually the legal ones. Phil Barton, Nash Chambers, and I threw around some of the everyday mistakes a person can make that can really hurt people. With that idea in mind I started off with the first lyric about forgetting your mother’s birthday and then we all basically made a list from there. After recording the demo Nash and I got the feeling it would be an interesting duet, especially if a male voice represented the victim. Top of my list was Robert Ellis. I’d been a fan for years and as a lot of these relationships begin in the modern era we were ‘Instagram friends.’ I messaged him and he said yes! He recorded his vocal in Fort Worth, Texas and completely brought a unique dynamic to the track.” — Jamie McDell

“I think Jamie is super rad. Her voice is unbelievable and I love the song. I was really psyched to get to try and keep up!” — Robert Ellis

Photo credit: Katie Sadie

LISTEN: Volume Five, “Somewhere”

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Artist: Volume Five
Hometown: Boonville, Mississippi
Song: “Somewhere”
Album: For Those Who Care to Listen
Release Date: October 25, 2019
Label: Mountain Fever Records

From the Artist: “Each week on stage I am surrounded by the best of the best in the music business. All of the guys in Volume Five are really talented, and I always love to feature them as much as possible. The song ‘Somewhere’ was written by our bass player, Jeff Partin. Jeff is a multi-talented guy. He’s not only a great musician, but he’s an extraordinary songwriter and singer as well. As a band, we love what we do, and we want to bring the very best music we can to our fans and bluegrass listeners around the world.” – Glen Harrell, Volume Five

Photo credit: Samantha Harrell