Tag: premiere

LISTEN: Bradford Loomis, “Take a Swing”

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Artist: Bradford Loomis
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Take a Swing”
Album: Where the Light Ends
Release Date: October 11, 2019

In Their Words: “How do we navigate through our differences? I feel like we live in a day and age where this question is becoming harder to answer. We live in a declaration culture; there are so many tools at our fingertips that allow us to plant flags on any given subject, proclaiming our values or opinions for all to see and respond in kind. I think it’s human nature to crave connection and to feel understood by others. We have access to too much information about people, yet we still don’t really know them. It’s easier than ever to dehumanize or disqualify others because of our perceived differences. There is so much more power in being vulnerable, and, through that vulnerability, the opportunity to deeply connect becomes possible. Being vulnerable can be time-consuming and even scary, but the payoff can be incredible.” — Bradford Loomis

Photo credit: Tony Hammons

WATCH: Chris Knight, “Crooked Mile”

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Artist: Chris Knight
Hometown: Slaughters, Kentucky
Song: “Crooked Mile”
Album: Almost Daylight
Release Date: October 11, 2019
Label: Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “I wrote this song with a friend of mine, Gary Nicholson. Carried a verse and a half around for about a year before we worked on it. Wrote it two or three times then I rewrote the chorus that worked for me. It was the same idea, I just changed the way I said it. It’s about a couple of kids that never had much love or anything else. Then they found something good in each other and they’ll fight to the death for it.” — Chris Knight

Photo credit: Ray Kennedy

WATCH: Veronica Stanton, “Wildflower”

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Artist: Veronica Stanton
Hometown: Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Song: “Wildflower”
Album: 827 Miles

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Wildflower’ about having the desire to be seen and loved but also knowing that I’d miss the freedom and independence that comes with being alone. To me, being alone doesn’t have to mean being lonely and this song is my little ode to individualism. Matt Boylson captured the beautiful footage of wildflowers in California and Kentucky and then he and Nathan Powell filmed the studio footage together. The track is off of my debut EP 827 Miles, which was produced by Dan Knobler and recorded by Justin Francis at Goosehead Palace in Nashville. It was tracked live with Dan Knobler on acoustic guitar, Anthony da Costa on electric guitar, Danny Mitchell on keys, Dom Billett on drums, Sam Howard on bass, and Erin Rae on harmony vocals.” — Veronica Stanton

Photo credit: Bridgette Aikens

WATCH: Jeb Loy Nichols and the Westwood All-Stars, “Remember the Season”

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Artist: Jeb Loy Nichols and the Westwood All-Stars
Hometown: Wales
Song: “Remember the Season”
Album: June Is Short, July Is Long
Release Date: Oct 4, 2019
Label: Compass Records

In Their Words: “I’m not sure, exactly, what this song is about. Memory, youth, the replacement of youth with memories. I was out walking, here in the Welsh hills where I live, thinking about growing up in Missouri. How small I was, how vast the world seemed, how endless, how unexplainable. We’re all burning with memories but we’re each consumed at our own speed.” — Jeb Loy Nichols

Photo credit: Jeb Loy Nichols

STREAM: Kacy & Clayton, ‘Carrying On’

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Artist: Kacy & Clayton
Hometown: Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan
Album: Carrying On (produced by Jeff Tweedy and recorded by Tom Schick.)
Release Date: October 4, 2019
Label: New West Records

In Their Words: “Jeff and Tom have taught us a lasting lesson on what’s important and not important when making music. I can recall moments when their suggestions caused me to feel panicky and vulnerable, but I can see now that they were encouraging us to let go of unnecessary fixations. And those moments have all ended up being my favourite parts of the two records we’ve made with them. It’s easy to cling to your own ideas out of insecurity but trusting someone else’s judgment can allow you to be very free.” — Clayton Linthicum

“Making this record felt purposeful. The songs came together nicely and we integrated them into our live set with Mike Silverman and Andy Beisel leading up to recording. Returning at The Loft in Chicago seemed like, ‘Hey guys! We’re back again and we’ve been practicing so let’s make a better record now.’ It was three or four days and the whole thing was tracked and marked with a B. Working with Jeff Tweedy has been a mystical and Midwestern experience for Clayton, Mike, Andy and I. He shies away from seeming authoritative and that style of leadership has strongly resonated with us.” — Kacy Anderson

Photo credit: Mat Dunlap

WATCH: Reina Del Cid, “Goodbye Butterfly”

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Artist: Reina Del Cid
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Song: “Goodbye Butterfly”
Album: MORSE CODE
Release Date: October 4, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Goodbye Butterfly’ a few years ago. I couldn’t sleep one night, so I fired up Logic and started playing around with beats and synths, and out came this lush, wistful song that begged to be re-recorded with real, vibrating strings and percussion. So rather than releasing it as an electronic song, I kept it in my back pocket for an acoustic album.

“For the music video, I had the pleasure of working with Dan Huiting (Bon Iver, Sylvan Esso, Trampled By Turtles). We decided to film most of it on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior, in towns like Grand Marais and Schroeder along Highway 61. Dan used a drone to get sweeping views of the lake and me, as small as an ant in some frames, performing the song on cliff faces or the base of a lighthouse.

“I have strong ties to the North Shore and have been going up there for years, both to perform shows and to escape into the woods and hiking trails. ‘Goodbye Butterfly,’ with its roots in the layered digital grid, ended up being the biggest, most intricate sounding song on the new album, and the mighty Lake Superior was the perfect backdrop for it.” — Reina Del Cid

Photo credit: Nate Ryan

LISTEN: Lizanne Knott, “I Was a Bird”

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Artist: Lizanne Knott
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “I Was a Bird”
Album: Bones and Gravity
Release Date: October 4, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘I Was a Bird’ about coming back to a place you’re meant to be, a home, in whatever form that takes. I was a bird. I’ve always been a bird, flying whichever way the wind blows, at the expense of my soul. I’ve learned some hard lessons, lost some friends along the way, even lost myself. But I came back, and (at least for now) I’m here to stay.” — Lizanne Knott

Photo credit: Tod Elmore

LISTEN: Susan Gibson, “Imaginary Lines”

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Artist: Susan Gibson
Hometown: Wimberley, Texas
Song: “Imaginary Lines”
Album: The Hard Stuff
Release Date: October 4, 2019
Label: ForTheRecords

In Their Words: “This song started with the chorus as simple and repetitive as it is. I think it started when I was driving looking at the double yellow line and how that is just kind of agreement between people. ‘In order that things go smoothly and everyone can get where they’re going, I agree to not cross that line.’ I was thinking of all the examples of those social contracts and sometimes actual contracts that we think are ironclad but maybe they are not. Jana Pochop (one of my favorite writers) and I had a day off in Taos, New Mexico and we finished the song.” — Susan Gibson

Photo credit: Bill Ingram

WATCH: Mike Oberst, “Up on the Roof”

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Artist: Mike Oberst with Clyde Brown and Kate Wakefield
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Song: “Up on the Roof”
Album: Six Feet of Earth
Release Date: October 12, 2019
Label: Reggieville Records

In Their Words: “I think one of the greatest things about experiencing music as a kid is that some songs can take you to a different world. The best songs are the ones that can still work that magic once you’ve become an adult. ‘Up on the Roof’ was always that song for me. I used to scribble the title in notebooks over and over, so as not to forget it, and pray I would hear the opening notes of The Drifters’ iconic version on early morning drives in my mother’s car to school.

“In 2015, at a raucous show with my band, The Tillers, I chanced to meet Mr. Clyde Brown, a legendary member of The Drifters living right here in Cincinnati. I couldn’t believe it! I was starstruck, but kept it cool. Turns out that Clyde Brown is the nicest human being on the face of the Earth. He has the biggest smile and the biggest heart. We became fast friends. It is an absolute honor to get to sing this song with Clyde and to have collaborated with Kate Wakefield, from the band, Lung, on the cello accompaniment. Take a listen. Drift away!” — Mike Oberst

Photo Credit: Rachael Banks
Video Credit: Evan and Alex Hand

LISTEN: Dominique Arciero, “I Wait”

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Artist: Dominique Arciero
Hometown: Manhattan, New York
Song: “I Wait”
Album: Saturday Songs
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Middle Sister Music

In Their Words: “Saturday Songs is a new series of singles I’m releasing on (you guessed it) Saturdays. Self-produced and featuring some of LA’s greatest (Sean Watkins, Tyler Chester, James McAlister and Rich Hinman) these very personal songs come straight from my house to yours. Releasing a new song weekly is my attempt to approach the process of making art in a way that has otherwise been touch and go ever since my band of sisters (country trio The Lunabelles) disbanded in 2012. To confidently bear my stories, record them, let them loose… and start again.” — Dominique Arciero

Photo credit: Devin Pedde