Tag: premiere

WATCH: Michael Braunfeld, “Maline”

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Artist: Michael Braunfeld
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Maline”
Album: Driver
Label: Blind Justice Music

In Their Words: “‘Maline’ was written for my daughter and is about the ups and downs of a life spent chasing your dreams. It’s me telling her to always follow her heart … no matter what. The shoot was done live at Doug Lancio’s East Nashville studio. Doug handled the audio and Stacie [Huckeba] captured and edited the video. It was a pretty great day spending time and collaborating with artists that I truly admire. And they nailed it!” — Michael Braunfeld

Photo credit: Stacie Huckeba

LISTEN: Luray, “Mountain”

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Artist: Luray
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Song: “Mountain”
Album: Dig
Release Date: July 26, 2019
Label: 6131 Records

In Their Words: “‘Mountain’ is about noticing a place in nature that is untouched, that is concerned with higher things… more noble, timeless things. I went camping by myself one weekend in this beautiful little spot in central Virginia. This song was part of that time, and I remember working on the lyrics all weekend while hiking alone and feeling this sense of being a tiny dot, of being inconsequential in the scheme of all things. That gave me peace, and put things in perspective. That’s the only real ‘religion’ that makes sense to me. The mountain being holy.” — Shannon Carey, Luray

https://soundcloud.com/6131records/mountain/s-2liqg

Photo credit: Jake Cunningham

LISTEN: Albi & The Wolves, “Canyon”

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Artist: Albi & The Wolves
Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
Song: “Canyon”
Album: This Is War
Release Date: July 26, 2019
Label: Second Hand Records

In Their Words: “‘Canyon’ is about friendship and shared hardship that people go through when they choose to live an unconventional lifestyle. If you want music to be your career it is a road that is full of so many wonderful moments, but each of those is earned by working very hard every day. A very close friend of mine, Zarek, inspired me to write this song last summer. He works harder than anyone I know and even at his lowest moments he still wakes up every morning to practice and pursue his dreams. He does this with kindness and grace and when I have my own struggles I remember I am lucky to have a friend who knows the same ups and downs that I am going through. It makes it easier to keep going on those days.” — Chris Dent

Photo credit: Jane Blundell

LISTEN: Hugh Masterson, “Trouble”

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Artist: Hugh Masterson
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Trouble”
Release Date: July 19, 2019 (single)
Label: Rock Ridge Music

In Their Words: “‘Trouble’ was the first song I wrote with Justin Glasco when we began the process of making this new record at his studio in East Nashville. It’s a song about life and loss and always wanting something more but ultimately realizing that much is beyond our control. I find that the song takes on its own meaning for every listener. After Justin played the song for his girlfriend, she asked, ‘What the fuck is that supposed to mean?'” — Hugh Masterson

Photo credit: Danielle Holbert

LISTEN: Lauren Pratt, “Twenty-five”

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Artist: Lauren Pratt
Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
Song: “Twenty-five”
Album: Young American Sycamore
Release Date: September 13, 2019

In Their Words: “‘Twenty-five’ started out as a song about life on the road and quickly evolved into a ballad of cyclical family dynamics and the things we inherit. One brother is a moonshiner and the other a lawman. One is doing the only job he’s ever known, the one he learned from his father, and the other is trying to feed his kids as a bounty hunter. There’s a brief mention of this occurring in the generation before them: ‘and just like my daddy I am on the run / from a man with the same damn red blood / running in his veins.’ It’s a bit obscure but I wanted to convey a sense of déjà vu, a faded family legend that might reside in the mists of the Appalachians.” — Lauren Pratt

Photo credit: Shelby Nicole Goldsmith

LISTEN: Lisa Bastoni, “Walk a Little Closer” (Feat. Lula Wiles)

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Artist: Lisa Bastoni
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “Walk a Little Closer” (featuring Lula Wiles)
Album: How We Want to Live
Release Date: September 20, 2019

In Their Words: “One day a couple of winters ago, Sean Staples (How We Want to Live‘s producer) and I were writing at my kitchen table and he said, ‘Well, maybe they don’t all have to be devastating.’ Which I thought was an excellent point. We wrote this in 45 minutes, based on a Lynda Barry-inspired writing exercise around the word ‘adore.’ It was refreshing to write something so lighthearted, just a simple bluegrass song that tells the story of a first date. The first time I played it out was at a little bar in Cambridge, with Isa Burke on fiddle and harmony. That was the seed of the new album — to record locally, with some of my favorite musicians and people. I’m so happy to have Isa, as well as Eleanor Buckland and Mali Obomsawin (aka Lula Wiles) playing on this track!
— Lisa Bastoni

Photo credit: Love and Perry Photography and Film

LISTEN: Beth Bombara, “Tenderhearted”

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Artist: Beth Bombara
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Song: “Tenderhearted”
Album: Evergreen
Release Date: August 9, 2019
Label: Lemp Electric

In Their Words: “I try not to write love songs, but sometimes I just can’t help it. That was the case with ‘Tenderhearted.’ I didn’t know what it was going to be about when I started writing, but it kind of all came out in one writing session, which is really rare for me. The song is definitely personal, touching on my relationship with my husband, who also happens to be in my band. We’ve both made sacrifices to support each other’s creative dreams, because we respect and believe in each other. I think that’s the basis of a strong relationship.” — Beth Bombara

Photo credit: Nate Burrell

LISTEN: ClayBank, “Dreamer”

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Artist: ClayBank
Hometown: Claybank, North Carolina, and Southern Virginia
Song: “Dreamer”
Album: Road Signs and Highways
Release Date: July 26, 2019
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “Jamie Harper and I heard ‘Dreamer’ a long time ago by a great band in our region. Sometime after, I texted Shannon Slaughter, who’s a great songwriter, about songs and ‘Dreamer’ was in the batch he sent me. I hadn’t thought about it much until we were looking for material for this new album, but when I shared it with the band, all the guys loved it and thought it fit the style we’re going for. We all love the positive message. In bluegrass there’s a lot of killing and prison themed songs — and we love playing them — but it’s really cool to have a song with a positive message every now and then. I hope everyone enjoys it.” — Jason Davis, Banjo, ClayBank

Photo credit: Kady D Photography

LISTEN: Guy Forsyth & Jeska Bailey, “Things That Matter”

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Artist: Guy Forsyth & Jeska Bailey
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Things That Matter”
Album: Conspirators
Release Date: July 26, 2019
Label: Small & Nimble Records

In Their Words: “I lived a lot of different places while I was growing up. My dad worked for the airlines while I was young and we moved around a lot. Rich or poor, lucky or unfortunate, people are the same everywhere. It has never made sense to me that some have and some don’t. I wrote “Things That Matter” after my daughter was born. She has taught me a bunch, but this more than anything: We are all we have. People are at their best when they are sharing the thing they love. In the poorest places happiness is still possible in the connection of two souls.” — Guy Forsyth

Photo credit: Josh Baker

LISTEN: Erisy Watt, “Treasure Maps”

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Artist: Erisy Watt
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Treasure Maps”
Album: Paints in the Sky
Release Date: July 26, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote this song when I was attending school in Santa Barbara, California. Moving there when I was 18 after growing up in Nashville, Tennessee felt like a dream and a lot of my earlier songs were inspired by that change. I’ve since happily put down new roots in Portland, Oregon, but every time I sing this song, a golden-state nostalgia settles in and carries me back to those seemingly simpler times. While this song may be lighthearted, it archives an important coming-of-age chapter of my life and serves to remind me to hang on to my youth and curiosity and not take things too seriously.

“I love the way this song comes to life with a full band. I feel very fortunate to have such great players on it — Anna Tivel on violin, Jeremy Ferrara on guitar, Hanna Haas singing harmonies, Matt Fabi on bass, and Michael Mitchell on drums. ‘Treasure Maps’ is the second track on my debut full-length album, Paints in the Sky. I’m really looking forward to the full album release show at the Old Church Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, July 25, where I’ll be accompanied by seven other musicians to bring these songs to life. I’ll be taking off on tour for much of August and September around the western US and then to Europe later in the fall. Many of those shows will be with a full band as well. You can find more details at my website.” — Erisy Watt

Photo credit: Bradley Cox