Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Possessed by Paul James, “When It Breaks”

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Artist: Possessed By Paul James
Hometown: Kendall County, Texas
Song: “When It Breaks”
Album: As We Go Wandering
Release Date: January 31, 2020
Label: PPJRECORDS

In Their Words: “When the world comes crashing down around us what will we do? I ask this question when thinking of my children. How will I react when tragedy strikes? I think of this as a teacher, when the systems in place simply are not adequate in meeting the level of need on a day to day basis. Will I quit and move on from the classroom or persevere? The blending of harmonies and the soulful fiddle song take my mind to a place of wonder.

“It’s fitting that this track happens to share the same name of the documentary produced by Milk Products Media of Chicago. In 2015 we took a journey for a full year advocating for the rights of students and families receiving special education services. I was personally at a loss when trying to understand why we simply weren’t doing more regarding resources and supports within the classroom.

“Thus, we loaded up the RV, the two kids, the dog, spouse, supplies, instruments and hit the road for a full year touring and advocating for special ed reform. The children were ‘roam’ schooled, the meetings were plentiful, the message was heard, and the songs were song. Ultimately we chose to return to the classroom at the end of the year while still balancing music performance, yet the ongoing question continues, ‘What are you going to do when it breaks?'” — Konrad Wert, Possessed by Paul James

Photo credit: George Blosser

LISTEN: Eric Brace & Last Train Home, “Dear Lorraine”

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Artist: Eric Brace & Last Train Home
Hometown: Washington D.C./ Nashville
Song: “Dear Lorraine”
Album: Daytime Highs & Overnight Lows
Release Date: January 31, 2020
Label: Red Beet Records

In Their Words: “This was a fragment from the early days of the band, one that needed another verse. I’d been nominally inspired by the song ‘Sweet Lorraine’ so I recently went back to it and gently lifted a slew of lyrics. Please don’t tell Mitchell Parish. (Longtime LTH listeners will recognize my brother Alan’s harmonica playing and harmonies right away, and Jen Gunderman’s elegant, defining piano.)” — Eric Brace

Photo credit: Bill Thompson

WATCH: Nora Jane Struthers, “Nice to Be Back Home”

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Artist: Nora Jane Struthers
Hometown: Nashville via New Jersey
Song: “Nice To Be Back Home”
Album: Bright Lights, Long Drives, First Words
Release Date: February 21

In Their Words: “Neilson [Hubbard] produced Bright Lights, Long Drives, First Words as well as my previous album, Champion. Josh [Britt, who filmed and directed the video] has also worked with us before, so there was already a comfort level there. It made it easy for me to have fun and feel relaxed, especially since I was in a room full of people I love! I think the video shows off our drummer Drew Lawhorn really well, which is fitting. This was actually a finger-picking, soft and mellow love song when I wrote it. Then Drew took it in a new direction.” — Nora Jane Struthers

Photo credit: Joseph Llanes

LISTEN: Nick Pagliari, “When I Leave”

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Artist: Nick Pagliari
Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
Song: “When I Leave”
Album: Midway
Release Date: January 31, 2020
Label: Ride the River Records

In Their Words: “Written a couple months after the death of Tom Petty, my musical hero, ‘When I Leave’ takes the perspective of how he might have wanted others to remember him and his beautiful legacy. He was a brilliant songwriter and extremely hard worker. Tom was so into his craft that at times he would sacrifice his own well being for the sake of his music and for his fans. ‘When I Leave’ honors the man’s life that had such a huge impact on not only myself, but so many people in this world. Thank you Tom.” — Nick Pagliari

Photo credit: Barbara FG

LISTEN: Sarah Morris, “All Mine”

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Artist: Sarah Morris
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Song: “All Mine”
Album: All Mine
Release Date: February 21, 2020

In Their Words: “To me, writing ‘All Mine’ was this acknowledgment/celebration that I while tend to lose myself in the details, and miss the big picture — maybe that’s OK. Maybe the gift from being wired that way is ‘I can tell you the secret of a single pine.’ As soon as I finished writing it, I knew it was the title track, and the umbrella that was going to cover all the other songs on the album. This is the one song on the album that has all of the players on it, and I love the way everyone finally came together on it.” — Sarah Morris

Photo Credit: Katie Cannon

LISTEN: FRETLAND, “Must’ve Been Wild”

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Artist: FRETLAND
Hometown: Snohomish, Washington
Song: “Must’ve Been Wild”
Album: Fretland
Release Date: May 22, 2020
Label: Tone Tree Music

In Their Words: “We all know how it feels to love someone who doesn’t love us back. To be the friend, to pine from afar. I wanted to capture a love triangle where the characters were earnest in wanting what was best for each other. Of course they all deeply want to be seen and loved in return, but when they recognize that same struggle in each other they are moved to be a good friend and have compassion. To love someone and know they might never love you the same way is so beautiful and heartbreaking to me. That’s true love.” — Hillary Grace Fretland

Photo credit: Jake Hanson

LISTEN: Seamus Egan, “Two Little Ducks”

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Artist: Seamus Egan
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Two Little Ducks”
Album: Early Bright
Release Date: January 17, 2020
Label: THL Records

In Their Words: “This mandolin-driven track is inspired by my love of Baroque music. I spent many hours as a teenager sitting in the front room of the great Irish musician and folklorist Mick Moloney’s house in Philadelphia, listening to mandolin concertos and trying to learn them by ear. I was never very successful in that endeavor, but my love of Baroque, and in particular, mandolin music endured.

“This track is also a nod, in its own way, to an old De Dannan track called ‘Arrival of the Queen of Sheba to Galway,’ from their 1983 album, Song For Ireland. This was their interpretation of the Handel piece, The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. Hearing that track was a watershed moment for me. It opened my ears to what could be possible with Irish music. It was like getting permission to look outside the tradition and see what you could find and bring back with you. It was incredibly liberating. Joining on this track is Kyle Sanna on guitar and Owen Marshall on bouzouki.” — Seamus Egan

LISTEN: James Steinle, “Back Out on the Road”

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Artist: James Steinle
Hometown: Pleasanton, Texas
Song: “Back Out on the Road”
Album: What I Came Here For
Release Date: February 7, 2020
Label: Shotgun House Records

In Their Words: “‘Back Out on the Road’ is about putting a face on in a relationship — and how one day the final straw breaks the camel’s back and you’re off to the races. One of the topics I visit a bunch on this record is the idea of being unhappy in a relationship and having the hunch it won’t work out in the long run, competing with a personality type that makes it hard to see people hurt. And so the vicious, drawn-out cycle begins. It always makes matters worse.” — James Steinle

Photo credit: Juliet McConkey

LISTEN: Thunder and Rain, “Two Ships”

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Artist: Thunder and Rain
Hometown: Golden, Colorado
Song: “Two Ships”
Album: Passing in the Night
Release Date: January 3, 2020

In Their Words: “I wrote a poem based off the old saying ‘two ships passing in the night.’ It seemed to perfectly sum up a fragile but fun relationship I was in at the time. When we started arranging it as a band, we cranked up the speed and started passing speedy licks between the dobro and mandolin. Being one of the grassiest songs on our record, we had our engineer, Aaron Youngberg, rip some banjo on it. This song sets the tone of the record, describing the moments in relationships that are meaningful but don’t last very long.” — Erinn Peet Lukes, Thunder and Rain

Photo credit: Scott McCormick, McCormick Photos and Design

WATCH: Scott Mulvahill, “Say I Love You”

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Artist: Scott Mulvahill
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Say I Love You” (Single)
Label: Soundly Music/West Sterling

In Their Words: “‘You don’t trust anyone, got a mouth like a loaded gun’ is one of my favorite first lines that I’ve ever written. And to me, ‘Say I Love You’ is all about the lyric — it’s about our ability to love and choose each other even though we’re so flawed. I came up with a draft of this song and then finished it in stages with Ben Shive and Beth Nielsen Chapman, and they really made it deeper and ring more true. To let the words come through, I kept this arrangement simple — it’s just my voice, my guitar, and a beautiful string arrangement by Maestro Lightford.” — Scott Mulvahill

Photo Credit: Lindsey Patkos