Tag: premiere

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

LISTEN: The Gina Furtado Project, “The First Pebble”

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Artist: The Gina Furtado Project
Hometown: Front Royal, Virginia
Song: “The First Pebble”
Album: I Hope You Have a Good Life
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I Hope You Have a Good Life is full of experiences of my own life that, together, amount to my pursuit of and theories on how to achieve happiness. Isn’t that the end goal for us all? The songs are my attempt at packaging these theories within common, everyday experiences of tribulation and victory. ‘The First Pebble’ is about the stunning joy of reaching rock bottom only to discover one’s own resilience and strength. It has been so empowering to slowly begin to realize that the ‘worst case scenarios’ are always incredible resources for growth. I hope ‘The First Pebble’ will remind someone of that when they need it!” — Gina Furtado

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: Carrie Rodriguez with Wood & Wire, “Edge of the Colorado”

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Artist: Carrie Rodriguez with Wood & Wire
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Edge of the Colorado”
Label: The Next Waltz

In Their Words: “I love the idea of making something out of nothing. That’s the magic of songwriting. I came to Bruce [Robison] one morning with some phrases and melodies that had been bouncing around my head, and by the end of an hour we had written ‘Edge of the Colorado.’ It’s a song about a yearning for a bygone era; an era when personal connections ran deeper because we weren’t so damn CONNECTED every minute of the day!

“After listening to our demo a few times, the song seemed to be begging for some high lonesome harmony vocals and bluegrass instrumentation. I had recently seen the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band, Wood & Wire, perform at The Next Waltz SXSW party and was completely blown away. So Bruce called the guys up and before I knew it we were all in the bunker together recording the song live to tape. What a gift to get to see the creative process fully realized …from some words and melodies stuck in my head to this track which I’m thrilled to be sharing with you!” — Carrie Rodriguez

Photo provided by The Next Waltz

LISTEN: The Bros. Landreth, “Master Plan”

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Artist: The Bros. Landreth
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Song: “Master Plan”
Album: ’87
Release Date: September 25, 2019
Label: Birthday Cake/The Orchard

In Their Words: “‘Master Plan’ is all about putting your faith in your partner, when you’re really on your knees. We wrote this about halfway through what would end up being a pretty substantial hiatus between records and it was a tremendously difficult time. It talks about asking for grace from the ones you love and stating your intentions: ‘I know that I’m not strong right now, but I’m working on it’ — while simultaneously saying ‘Thank you for having my back and believing in me, even if I don’t right now.'” — David Landreth

“Dave came to the table with this incredibly honest and beautiful tune already finished. He wasn’t convinced that it was and thought it needed more. All I did was write a hook. Which is just his melody anyways. This might be my favourite song on the record!” — Joey Landreth

Photo credit: Josh Dookie

LISTEN: Sarah Lee Langford, “Growing Up”

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Artist: Sarah Lee Langford
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Song: “Growing Up”
Album: Two Hearted Rounder
Album Release Date: November 8, 2019
Label: Cornelius Chapel Records

In Their Words: “‘Growing Up’ is borne not only out of huge changes in my life, but also of some friends grieving the loss of a child. It speaks of how people frequently don’t know how to relate to others when they’re in pain, and how we have to carry on and learn to thrive again in the face of adversity. Put those lyrics on top of minor chords, guitar twang, pedal steel from outer space, and a shuffle beat and you’ve got ‘Growing Up.’ Growing up ain’t for the weak, but it beats the alternative.” — Sarah Lee Langford

Photo credit: Brandon Brown

LISTEN: John Bowman, “Silverthorn Mountain”

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Artist: John Bowman
Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee
Song: “Silverthorn Mountain”
Album: The Hole
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “Last summer, some friends and I were rehearsing for a show at the Wilson County Fair. He said, ‘Let’s do “Silverthorn Mountain.”‘ I knew Merle Haggard had written it and it was a good song. I told my buddy that I was thinking about recording it, and I’m glad I did. I love this simple song about a man who has a checkered past and the piece of land that brings him so much joy and peace. The song also shows Haggard’s love of country and the fact that he received a second chance at life. This is the first ‘bluegrass’ song I’ve cut since the last CD I made with the Boxcars.” — John Bowman

Photo courtesy of Mountain Home Music Company