Every Friday, BGS shines a light on some of our favorite new tracks in bluegrass, folk, Americana and beyond. Then we ask the artist about the inspiration behind the music and pass their wise words along to you.
This week, country fans will find a lot to like in Alicia Blue’s mysterious “Rose of Tennessee” and Riley Downing’s self-deprecating “Like I Always Was.” Virginia troubadour surprises us with a love song, while Brennan Wedl takes a wholly different approach to love songs, writing a platonic one called “Two Dollar Pistol.”
Bluegrass queen Rhonda Vincent teams up with Americana all-star Sierra Ferrell on “Would You Like to Buy Some Flowers,” a thoughtful duet that should greatly appeal to audiences of each artist. Folk fans will certainly be pulled into new tunes from Stephanie Sammons and Brittany Ann Tranbaugh, who offer a unique response to relationships that have unraveled. And taking a page from the history books, Miko Marks immerses herself in the history of Battle of Little Big Horn on “Death Rolls Like Thunder.”
We mean it when we say, You Gotta Hear This!
Alicia Blue, “Rose of Tennessee”
Artist: Alicia Blue
Hometowns: the San Bernadino line, California; McAllen, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Rose of Tennessee”
Album: Country Desire
Label: A Blue Lion
In Their Words: “I love old country and folk tunes filled with all that good stuff, like death, murder and infidelity. The darker and sadder they are, the more they do it for me. ‘Lily of the West’ is an old traditional song that greatly inspired ‘Rose of Tennessee,’ although I flipped things around a bit. Rose is the anti-hero full of strength, chaos and seduction. Her self-awareness is what makes her so worthy. Aubrey Richmond brought out that Appalachian sound with the riff on her fiddle that lets you know something ominous is coming. It’s also the hook that makes the ‘Rose of Tennessee,’ whoever she may be, so memorable and forever in our minds.” — Alicia Blue
Riley Downing, “Like I Always Was”
Artist: Riley Downing
Hometown: Holt, Missouri
Song: “Like I Always Was”
Album: Landfill Poetry
Album Release Date: August 28, 2026
Label: Oh Boy Records
In Their Words: “It’s about knowing you need to do one thing but then doing another and being well aware of it but not too hard on yourself. The world is hard enough–-with this one I kinda wanted to just admit fault and then laugh about it before anyone else can, so you can get on with what you was supposed to be doing in the first place. Some of the best advice I never asked for came when I first had to get my picture taken for my passport. The first person that took one in Missouri didn’t tell me to take my hat off, but the second person I met at the office to get my passport in New Orleans did. So I went to go take a new picture as fast as I could and when I did I asked the lady who took it if I could take another one and she said, ‘No, that’s what you look like.’ Well, she wasn’t wrong and I think about her often. That’s what I look like, just like I always was.” — Riley Downing
Colby T. Helms, “Fireside Love”
Artist: Colby T. Helms
Hometown: Boones Mill, Virginia
Song: “Fireside Love”
Album: One for the Losers
Album Release Date: October 23, 2026
Label: Photo Finish Records
In Their Words: “‘Fireside Love marks a new chapter in my songwriting because it is the first happy love song I’ve ever written. As you know, Tales of Misfortune is chock-full of sad love songs. I wrote ‘Fireside Love’ with my girlfriend and partner in mind. We both work diligently at our own crafts, and more often than not, we find ourselves forgetting to stop and smell the roses. Let’s face it: we all need some time away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. Whether it’s a romantic campfire with your sweetheart or a wild night of belting out campfire jams with the boys, ‘Fireside Love’ is sure to satisfy that primal spirit inside you that tells you to put your phone down and start gathering up a pile of kindling.” — Colby T. Helms
Miko Marks, “Death Rolls Like Thunder
Artist: Miko Marks
Hometowns: Flint, Michigan, and Oakland, California
Song: “Death Rolls Like Thunder”
Album: Hell or High Water
Album Release Date: October 30, 2026
Label: Redtone Records
In Their Words: “This song is about victory over the forces of greed, ego, inhumanity. It uses the Battle of Little Bighorn as its setting, also known as Custer’s Last Stand. The battle is an example from our own history about the power of a people defending their land and their right to remain. The devil rides in on a pale horse, his army following. Death and destruction for the people look inevitable, but the tables turn. The riders who have come to conquer are driven back and defeated. It’s a reminder of people throughout history who have fought against the undoing of their world. People who have found ways to hold on, to resist, to rebuild. Remembering these stories feels so important today, to remind us that we have that same power.” — Miko Marks
Stephanie Sammons, “Marathon”
Artist: Stephanie Sammons
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Song: “Marathon”
Album: Head Noise
Album Release Date: August 21, 2026
Label: Point Guard Records
In Their Words: “I had finally reached the resolution that there was nothing more I could do to help a dear loved one trapped in the cycle of addiction now for two decades. She will get close to collapse and somehow manage to come back from the brink, only to self-destruct again and again. That’s when the idea for ‘Marathon’ came to me. How does the person I love so much continue to get up after going to the extreme and falling on her face? There is a special kind of resilience within her to never give up regardless of how difficult the circumstances are. Her ability to keep running this race of life with endurance in the face of recurring self-destruction, and still come out alive, is nothing short of a miracle. I wanted to write about her strength as something positive, and ‘Marathon’ is what came out.” — Stephanie Sammons
Brittany Ann Tranbaugh, “Dinner With a Divorcee”
Artist: Brittany Ann Tranbaugh
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Dinner With a Divorcee”
Album: Lucky Broke Girl
Album Release Date: August 28 2026
In Their Words: “I wrote this song for an online School of Song class taught by Adrianne Lenker. The prompt was to write a song on an unfamiliar instrument and/or in an unfamiliar tuning. I picked up the banjo I had impulse bought a few years back but never learned to play, and quickly wrote this tune.
“At the time I was still living with my ex who I’d been with for a decade (we had decided to split about two months prior) and was busy apartment-hunting and reimagining my life as a single person. It was honestly a stressful and dark time, but instead of writing a sad song about how I felt in the moment I decided to write a lighthearted and funny one from the perspective of myself a year later. I imagined myself dating for the first time in over a decade, living in a new apartment with a roommate, being broke and carless, and having to explain the quirks of my continued relationship with my ex, for example staying on her health insurance and sharing custody of pets.
“When it came time to record the song, it helped to have bandmates (Shona Carr on fiddle and Liz Faure on acoustic guitar) who are veteran old-time festival jammers to give it the feel I’d been dreaming of.” — Brittany Ann Tranbaugh
Rhonda Vincent, “Would You Like to Buy Some Flowers”
Artist: Rhonda Vincent Featuring Sierra Ferrell
Hometown: Greentop, Missouri
Song: “Would You Like to Buy Some Flowers”
Album: A Possibility
Label: Upper Management Music
In Their Words: “Loved getting to record with Sierra Ferrell. The call came at 10:30 pm that she would sing the next day. She was on tour and not expected to sing her part for several months. We stayed up all night preparing a track for this very special duet. When Grammy Award-winning engineer Gary Paczosa mixed a sample of what he recorded and sent, I was amazed to hear the blend of our voices. Our voices were similar, yet there was a true distinction. I felt the song, ‘Would You Like To Buy Some Flowers,’ written by Conrad Fisher, had a true authentic sound that our voices could interpret with a rich, yet raw innocence. It seems to be a favorite from the new project A Possibility and my dream now is to perform the song with Sierra, and it would be extra special if it was on the Grand Ole Opry!” – Rhonda Vincent
Brennan Wedl, “Two Dollar Pistol”
Artist: Brennan Wedl
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Two Dollar Pistol”
Album: S/T
Album Release Date: August 21, 2026
Label: ANTI-
In Their Words: “‘Two Dollar Pistol’ is a platonic love song that slowly came together over time like most dependable friendships do. I started writing it in 2023 and finished key lyrics in the studio right before recording vocals. A time crunch like that can help me buff out diamonds from lines that weigh down the song like a big bag of rocks. A little pressure can help me get out of my own way.
“This song demanded lines that show the listener what I’m singing about vs. simply telling them. I learned this trick from Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison. For instance, the lyrics in verse 3 — ‘Sharpen up your teeth, become a saber tooth tiger, coming out of your cage, step in the light of desire.’ This has far more juice than what the line was in its first draft — ‘Show them your teeth, come on out of your cage, look them dead in the eye.’
I try to write songs that have ample square footage. There’s not much room to party when every little detail is being described in a song. Letting the listener fill in the gaps is much more exciting.” — Brennan Wedl
Photo Credit: Linden Stackley (Rhonda Vincent), Tori Mills (Riley Downing)
