Tag: premiere

LISTEN: The Gossamer Strings, “Due to the Darkness”

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Artist: The Gossamer Strings
Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
Song: “Due to the Darkness”
Album: Due to the Darkness
Release Date: September 27, 2019

In Their Words: “Near the Black Hills of South Dakota lie the Badlands, a desolate and harsh landscape filled with steep canyons and towering spires of layered rock. The rain beats down and the wind howls, shaping and changing the land with each passing season. For ‘Due to the Darkness’ we took our inspiration from this stark place to craft a song about finding and appreciating the beauty in the dark and inhospitable places we find ourselves sometimes. Those places can remind us of our vulnerability and, hopefully, of our strength.” — Liat Lis and Kyle McGonegle, The Gossamer Strings

Photo credit: Bill Holderfield

LISTEN: Sofia Talvik, “Pharaohs and Friends”

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Artist: Sofia Talvik
Hometown: Gothenburg, Sweden
Song: “Pharaohs and Friends”
Album: Paws of a Bear
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Makaki Music

In Their Words: “‘Pharaohs and Friends’ is a song about turning the blind eye towards the truth no matter if it’s your own personal health or if it’s the matters of the world. Sometimes it’s easier to believe in fairy tales than fact and truth, something that is getting more and more obvious today. I hope people draw their own conclusions of the lyrics of this song, because I believe it can speak to people in different ways.” — Sofia Talvik

Photo credit: Jonas Westin

LISTEN: Trigger Hippy, “Full Circle & Then Some”

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Artist: Trigger Hippy
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Full Circle & Then Some”
Album: Full Circle & Then Some
Release Date: October 11, 2019
Label: Turkey Grass Records/Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “‘Full Circle & Then Some’ was one of the the first tunes we had for the album. Nick [Govrik, bassist/vocalist] brought it in, and we all thought of it as a great rock ‘n’ roll tune about a relationship that’s been around the bend but managed to survive. But as the album came into shape and focus, the song took on a meaning about Trigger Hippy as well. Nick and I have been chasing this idea for over a decade, through and awful lot of starts and stops. The completed album felt like a new beginning to a long standing vision, and the song seemed to perfectly encapsulate all of that. I’m generally opposed to naming an album after a particular track, but in this case, it made perfect sense. But far more important that any of that, the song just rocks and rolls and makes me feel good.” — Steve Gorman

Photo credit: Scott Wills

LISTEN: Monica Rizzio, “Don’t Keep Me Up Waiting”

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Artist: Monica Rizzio
Hometown: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Song: “Don’t Keep Me Up Waiting”
Album: Sunshine Is Free
Release Date: October 4, 2019
Label: Washashore Music

In Their Words: “Growing up on the music of Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, my first instinct was to count beats like the the old country waltzes, 1, 2, 3… 1, 2, 3. Most of my writing the past few years has been a cocktail of one part Texas Roots, one part the miles of my boots, and I had never written a waltz before. The chorus for ‘Don’t Keep Me Up Waiting’ came to me before the rest of the song, as my husband and his buddies had a pretty good Sunday Night Irish Whiskey and Football ritual going on at the local pub last winter. They are totally harmless, were having a blast, but they are also totally clueless. This song is for them.” — Monica Rizzio

Photo credit: Joe Navas

LISTEN: Shane Alexander, “Everything as One”

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Artist: Shane Alexander
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Everything as One”
Album: A Life Like Ours
Release Date: September 20, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote the song with my good buddy and Grammy-winning producer, Rich Jacques. I came up with the guitar figure right away and we tried to put together stream of consciousness lyrics about how everything is connected. I had been listening to a lot of George Harrison’s solo stuff. The first few lines, ‘Eyes are wide with wonder, never torn asunder, all things come in threes’ just popped out and we were set off in a direction of listing in groups of threes, i.e. ‘Earth and sky and sea, moon and star and sun,’ etc. The production all centers around the guitar.” — Shane Alexander

Photo credit: Matt Pink

LISTEN: John Calvin Abney, “I Just Want to Feel Good”

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Artist: John Calvin Abney
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Song: “I Just Want to Feel Good”
Album: Safe Passage
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Black Mesa Records

In Their Words: “This song was written in a short 20-minute nova of inspiration. I had a nagging cold while up at altitude, staying in a cabin by myself in Colorado, and dodging my troubles through travel and wine. I grew tired of being a people pleaser in order to dodge conflict (the real superficial kind) and was chasing the shadow of happiness in the wake of the real thing.” — John Calvin Abney

Photo credit: Rambo

LISTEN: Coyote Brother, “Lucky Ones”

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Artist: Coyote Brother
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Song: “Lucky Ones”
Album: Coyote Brother
Release Date: September 27, 2019

In Their Words: “‘Lucky Ones’ is a song about going through the worst experience of your life and coming out on the other side with the ability to acknowledge what happened and begin to move on. It is a song about recognizing that being here, being alive, having the opportunity to enjoy love and connection, marks us as lucky when compared to those that never truly had that opportunity. ‘We are the lucky ones’ can become both a concession and a mantra in a time of loss or desperation. We will all face that desperation, and we all will be tasked with absorbing the blows, moment to moment. Finding a bit of defiant hope in the knowing that because we are still here, we have the opportunity to chase down the things that make this life experience worth it, and because of that, we are the lucky ones.” — Coyote Brother

Photo credit: J Hayward Williams

LISTEN: Leeroy Stagger, “These Things”

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Artist: Leeroy Stagger
Hometown: Lethbridge, Alberta
Song: “These Things”
Album: Strange Path
Release Date: September 13, 2019
Label: True North Records

In Their Words: “This quest for something real, I wonder what that’s all about for me? What is it in my life that doesn’t feel authentic? I suppose when I really look at things, we are really living in a very unauthentic society. We are bred to consume, the food we eat is no longer real, our relationships play out on line like some sort of false reality SimCity. Dating isn’t even real anymore with its ‘swipe left’ culture. So yes, when I look around I see scads of humans wanting an authentic experience, especially in the establishments I inhabit. I suppose my job is to lend some authenticity to the music medium.” — Leeroy Stagger

Photo credit: Johann Wall

LISTEN: High Valley, “Single Man” (Bluegrass Version)

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Artist: High Valley
Hometown: La Crete, Alberta, Canada
Song: “Single Man” (Bluegrass Version)
Label: Warner Music Nashville

In Their Words: “We grew up surrounded by bluegrass music. Ricky Skaggs was our hero thanks to a few records our parents introduced to us. When our town finally got a radio station, I spent a few years as a DJ hosting a bluegrass hour. Recently, Curtis and I called up a few of our friends and some of Nashville’s finest bluegrass pickers to turn them loose and let them show off! Recording this bluegrass version of ‘Single Man’ was easily the most natural moment we’ve ever had in the studio. When it came time to work on the mix and make sure everything was produced properly, it was so great to have Ricky Skaggs offer his help as the executive producer on this track. Talk about a full circle moment!” — Brad Rempel, High Valley

Photo credit: Mike Stahl

LISTEN: Violet Bell, “Juliana”

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Artist: Violet Bell
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Song: “Juliana”
Album: Honey in My Heart
Release Date: October 11, 2019
Label: Rainbow Woman

In Their Words: “In the shiny world of social media, it’s easy to get stuck comparing yourself to other people’s perfect images. The truth is, hard times are part of any process. ‘Juliana’ is a song about the power of practice and sticking with your dreams when the going gets tough. The interplay between fiddle and organ give this tune a funky exuberant feel, and Carter Minor on harmonica brings a rowdy vibe that reminds us of Blues Traveler. As silly as it sounds, ‘Juliana’ was directly inspired by an online yoga instructor (Juliana at Boho Beautiful) who has kept our spines in line over 350+ tour dates in the past three years. Inspiration strikes where it will — somewhere between downward dog and baby cobra, this song wrote itself!” — Violet Bell

Photo credit: Kendall Bailey