WATCH: Brennen Leigh, “Running Out of Hope, Arkansas”

Artist: Brennen Leigh
Hometown: Moorhead, Minnesota; Austin, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Running Out of Hope, Arkansas”
Album: Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet
Release Date: June 16, 2023
Label: Signature Sounds

In Their Words: “I’m in love with this idea of the real Nashville. The idyllic golden age, which, to me, is around 1967, 1968, because of the alchemy, the explosion that occurred, with the best country music songwriters ever, the best singers in country music. I wrote this with my close friend, Silas Lowe. He’s a writer in Austin and a great musician. I made that trip a million times from Nashville to Austin, and you always pass the exit for Hope, Arkansas. It just hit me one time on that drive, I wondered if anyone had written that title. So we did it. Silas and I were both talking about what it’s like to feel stuck somewhere. So, that’s what that song’s about.” — Brennen Leigh


Photo Credit: Brooke Hamilton

WATCH: Silas Lowe, ‘Death Is the Poor People’s Doctor’

Artist: Silas Lowe
Hometown: Austin, TX
Song: "Death Is the Poor People's Doctor"
Album: Wandering Father, Forgotten Son
Release Date: October 14

In Their Words: "'Poor People’s Doctor' is a critique of how society grants the wealthy disproportionate access to the vital resource of healthcare, while simultaneously judging and punishing low income folks for doing what they must to survive. From a musical standpoint, my favorite bluegrass is when you can hear the old-timey influence — the kind that spans modernity and tradition. I think we did a good job of giving the tune a bluegrass push and the old-time bounce." — Silas Lowe


Photo credit: Tyson Heder