Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Nothin’ Fancy, “Leaving’s Up to You”

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Artist: Nothin’ Fancy
Hometown: Lexington, Virginia
Song: “Leaving’s Up To You”
Album: Undeniable
Release Date: October 11, 2019
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “‘Leaving’s Up To You’ is one of the more traditional-style songs on this new album. When I penned this song a couple years ago I was trying to write a straightforward, cookie-cutter bluegrass song, and I believe I was able to achieve that. Lost love, cheating, leaving, and a traditional melody are the foundation for ‘Leaving’s Up to You.’ Hope you enjoy!” — Caleb Cox, Nothin’ Fancy

Photo credit: Susie Neel

LISTEN: Raina Rose, “One One Thousand”

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Artist: Raina Rose
Hometown: Austin, Texas
song: “One One Thousand”
Album: Vesta
Release Date: January 31, 2020
Label: Folk Potions

In Their Words: “I woke with a start at midnight, mid-fall in south Austin, Texas; I forgot to take the garbage to the curb. My husband and our two boys were long since asleep, muttering the proof of their dreams. I walked outside to a bright full moon, a soft but constant wind moving the leaves, and an electrical storm on the horizon. I stood out there in the glistening night until the storm moved into our neighborhood. I walked back inside and wrote this song in bed.

“My sixth studio album, Vesta, will be released January 31, 2020. This collection of 10 songs written during the past six years explore the common miracle of matrescence. Vesta, the Roman goddess of the Hearth, is the keeper of the flame as well as the embodiment of the flame itself. She is the knowledge that sex, motherhood, and family are one and the same.” — Raina Rose

Photo credit: Hunter Paye

LISTEN: Miss Tess, “The Moon Is an Ashtray”

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Artist: Miss Tess
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The Moon Is an Ashtray”
Album: The Moon Is an Ashtray
Release Date: February 7, 2020
Label: Miss Tess/Tone Tree Music

In Their Words: “This song came out of an experiment with metaphor, smashing two unrelated words together to derive a new meaning. This is one of the few songs in my writing career than just fell out of my brain in about an hour. I grew up with a lot of fairy-tale ideas of how life and love might pan out, but reality can be a harsh mistress. ‘The Moon Is an Ashtray’ is a tongue-in-cheek vintage-kitsch metaphor discussing the idea that romance isn’t real. When you get up close to the moon, you realize it’s not as pretty it seems from a distance, or is just plain fake, or not as it originally appeared. The whole idealism and cruel optimism wrapped up in an image like the moon — or new love — is just an illusion.

“For me, it kind of ties into getting older and realizing some of your childlike views are not what they seem. On a professional level the music industry is really rough when you get up close. Fairy-tale ideas of relationships are never real. I think a lot of the songs on the album speak to that.” — Miss Tess

Photo credit: Gina Binkley

LISTEN: Jake La Botz, “Are We Saying Goodbye?”

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Artist: Jake La Botz
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Song: “Are We Saying Goodbye?”
Album: They’re Coming For Me
Release Date: Oct 18, 2019
Label: Hi-Style Records

In Their Words: “I wrote this song around the time my mother was dying. I wasn’t consciously writing it about her, but later when I listened to it I realized it was mostly about her. I didn’t grow up with my mother and didn’t know her much until I was 9 years old. At that time we were both living in Detroit and I got know her a bit.” — Jake La Botz

LISTEN: Band of Ruhks, “My Ol’ Tattoo”

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Artist: Band of Ruhks
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee / Kentucky
Song: “My Ol’ Tattoo”
Album: Authentic
Release Date: October 18, 2019
Label: Rebel Records

In Their Words: “‘My Ol’ Tattoo’ is a song that I had tinkered with for several years. I thought I had it finished a few times but really didn’t. We were having a writing session at Ronnie Bowman’s place with the awesome up-and-coming writer Billy Droze and I pulled this one out. They both loved it and we retooled it, making several changes that really nailed it. I had a Cajun feel in mind when I initially came up with the song and then when we got together to finish it, it took on a life of its own. I really like this one and owe Billy and Ronnie a ton for making it what it is!” — Don Rigsby, Band of Ruhks

Photo credit: Jeromie Stephens

WATCH: Jon Stickley Trio, “Animate Object”

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Artist: Jon Stickley Trio
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Animate Object”
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘Animate Object’ is the trio’s current theme song. At heart, it’s a little flatpicking tune to have fun with, but we’ve rhythmically turned it on its head like we like to do. This video was shot in three different locations with deep significance to us. The World Famous Station Inn represents our love and respect for our bluegrass roots. Spirit of the Suwannee is where our band was born, and where we thankfully return every year to connect with that spirit and experience rebirth under the live oaks. And finally, the [Caverns and] Bluegrass Underground symbolize the deep, introspective dive we’ve taken into ourselves in search of the meaning of our music and where it is coming from. This track is the next step in a never-ending evolutionary journey that is the Jon Stickley Trio.” — Jon Stickley

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: David Starr, “Rise Up Again”

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Artist: David Starr
Hometown: Cedaredge, Colorado
Song: “Rise Up Again”
Album: Beauty and Ruin
Release Date: October 18, 2019 (single)
Label: Cedaredge Records, LLC

In Their Words: “‘Rise Up Again’ is one of the songs inspired by the places, characters, and situations in my grandfather Fred Starr’s novel, Of What Was, Nothing Is Left. This song found its way into the new project by way of a very vivid dream I had while in the hospital for surgery in August of 2018. My father and grandfather came to me in that dream as if to tell me that things would be all right despite the life-threatening nature of my medical situation. I sent a rough draft demo to John Oates with a brief narrative about the song. He took it to another level with his arrangement and sensitive lyrical additions. The song has come to feel almost anthemic when I play it. It feels inexorably connected to the book and to the whole journey of making this record.” — David Starr

Photo credit: Jason Denton

LISTEN: Heather Masse & Jed Wilson, “Crazy”

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Artist: Heather Masse & Jed Wilson
Hometown: Accord, New York
Song: “Crazy”
Album: Hold On
Release Date: October 11, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote the song ‘Crazy’ after a gathering where a friend of mine told me I was crazy. Normally, I would laugh that off, or even take it in with a sense of pride since some of the greatest minds are a little out of their minds, but at that particular moment I was in fact feeling pretty wacky and emotional, so it hit a little too close to home. I got in the car feeling a little mad/sad and this song came out and had me feeling a whole lot better. Jed brought this tune to a whole other crazy on his piano solo. He ended up in some many different places and keys it really brought the song to life!” — Heather Masse

Photo credit: Darren Miller

LISTEN: Libby Koch, “How Long”

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Artist: Libby Koch
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Song: “How Long”
Album: Redemption 10: Live at Blue Rock
Release Date: October 18, 2019
Label: Berkalin Records

In Their Words: “This record definitely incorporates spiritual themes into love songs, and ‘How Long’ is a great example of that. I structured this song around the text of Psalm 40, with lines of each verse and the chorus tracking the Psalm: ‘I waited patiently for the Lord, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of a slimy pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand.’ This piece of scripture has been put into song and hymn many times, and I hope this song is a worthy addition to that tradition. When I originally cut this song 10 years ago, it was a more somber, stripped-down track… for the live anniversary cut, Patterson Barrett and I decided to pick up the tempo and give the song a bluegrassy feel, which I just love. It’s one of my favorite tracks on this live album.” — Libby Koch

Photo credit: Valerie Fremin

WATCH: The John Byrne Band, “Special Place in Hell”

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Artist: The John Byrne Band
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Special Place in Hell”
Album: A Shiver in the Sky
Release Date: November 1, 2019

In Their Words: “The album is about living, about moving forward, the challenges of moving forward, the challenges of living. It is an album about self-preservation and holding on to love and hope. There are cautionary tales, songs about dealing with addiction, about immigration, about relationships of all kinds, about facing prejudice, about leaving things behind. They all ultimately carry a similar message, that living carries with it the possibility of balancing out regret or mistakes with a future that contains something brighter, and that something is love. The shiver in the sky is the remnants of trauma, but it’s not permanent.

“The idea behind the video was to take imagery from the song and write a simple narrative. Nathan Morrow (the animator) had the idea of the underwater setting representing two people who save each other from drowning. The helmets represent the (flawed) armor we develop to protect ourselves. Love, or at least the possibility of love, sees us discard this protection and embrace the possibility of something brighter.” — John Byrne

Photo credit: Suzanne Kulperger