Tag: singer/songwriter

MIXTAPE: Marie Miller’s Quiet Hope From Home

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“Music has always been a source of hope in the most difficult seasons of life. It possesses that strange quality to make mosaics out of even the most broken places and emotions. As we face this pandemic as a world community, I pray this music fills your heart and gives you quiet hope from home.” — Marie Miller

The Collection – “Becoming My Own Home”

I remember the first time I heard this whole album, and I honestly gasped in joy! This song is about finding home within yourself. I think it speaks to this time as many of us are reconnecting with ourselves in our homes.

Brandi Carlile – “The Mother”

We have all lost something in this pandemic, but we haven’t lost who we are. Brandi Carlile I will love you forever.

Marie Miller – “Little Dreams”

I’m going to be super awkward and put myself on here for two reasons. 1. This song is about believing in your dream when EVERYTHING is falling apart. 2. I just want to be near Brandi in any way I can.

Lowland Hum – “I Will”

I can’t count how many nights I have looked at the sky and listened to this with wonder at the dark sky and bright stars. It just makes me feel like we are going to be OK.

Kelly Hunt – “Across the Great Divide”

Speaking of soothing music, Kelly Hunt makes truly lovely and peaceful music. Also I have yet to meet her, but I imagine she would be the kindest person in the world.

Punch Brothers – “Soon or Never”

I don’t think I will ever get tired of this song. It’s almost hauntingly beautiful. It breaks my heart, but puts it back together before the end of the song.

Joy Williams – “Front Porch”

Going with theme, I feel like I am at the front porch of forgiving myself and loving myself and that’s still home even if its not quite inside. “The light is on. Whatcha waiting for?”

Josh Ritter – “Change of Time”

As we all let go of what we thought this year would be, I am allowing Josh Ritter to serenade me and remind me all will be well.

Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal”

The first time I heard this song I was in love with this boy, and I felt like he might like me. I don’t know that boy anymore, but I feel that hope every time I hear it.

Robby Hecht and Caroline Spence – “I’ll Keep You”

I think Robby Hecht could fill any heart with hope. This song is about keeping things that matter, and I think it’s a great song for today.

The Wailin’ Jennys – “Glory Bound”

This song is about heaven, and the Wailin’ Jennys sing like angels. It would be hard to find something more hopeful and beautiful.

Michelle Mandico – “1,000 Feet”

The world needs to braver and kinder than its ever before to make beauty out of this sorrow. I believe we are far kinder and braver than we know. This song reminds us of just that.

 

LISTEN: James Elkington, “Sleeping Me Awake”

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Artist: James Elkington
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Song: “Sleeping Me Awake”
Album: Ever-Roving Eye
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Label: Paradise of Bachelors

In Their Words: “The lyrics of this song have to do with that moment in the middle of the night where you’re briefly awake, but trying to bat conscious thoughts away in the hopes of getting back to sleep. In my case, these thoughts can usually be collected under the heading ‘What should I be worried about right now?’ Some of these concerns are real, some are imagined, and some are a combination of the two. I accidentally sang the wrong backing vocals on the second chorus and it’s one of my favorite parts of the whole record.” — James Elkington

Photo credit: Timothy Musho

LISTEN: Ruthie Collins, “Wish You Were Here”

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Artist: Ruthie Collins
Hometown: Originally from Fredonia, New York; now based in Nashville
Song: “Wish You Were Here”
Album: Cold Comfort
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Label: Sidewalk/Curb Records

In Their Words: “I decided to take myself on a solo vacation to my favorite beach, a place just outside New Orleans called Pass Christian. I was trying to get over this guy, so the idea was to do whatever I wanted, eat whatever I wanted, just have some quality alone time. But instead, it felt like the guy was haunting me and I was thinking about him all the time. I thought I get over him by leaving town, but instead I was sitting by the beach drinking wine and writing songs about him.” — Ruthie Collins

Photo credit: Cal + Aly

LISTEN: Jeff Crosby, “My Mother’s God”

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Artist: Jeff Crosby
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “My Mother’s God”
Album: North Star
Release Date: April 24, 2020

In Their Words: “I wrote this song with Micky Braun in Boston last year and it ended up on the new Micky and The Motorcars album as well. I’ve never been very religious, but my friend Brian in Idaho sent me the line: ‘I should thank my mother’s god’ and it set the theme for the rest of the song. I’d also been hanging on to the chorus line: ‘Throw your heart in the river and hope it sees the ocean someday’ for a while. Micky came up with some really great lines for both verses and helped me round out the chorus. We probably finished the tune in 10 minutes over a bottle of wine. Lyrically it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album. My favorite songs are always the easiest to write it seems.” — Jeff Crosby

Photo credit: Scott Simontacchi

LISTEN: Matthew McNeal, “Michael”

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Artist: Matthew McNeal
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Song: “Michael”
Album: Good Grief
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Label: Matte Black Sound Company

In Their Words: “This was the first song I wrote for the album. Right before we left for the Good Luck record release tour in 2018, my father passed away out of the blue. I chose to carry on with the tour in [an] effort to heal and cope the only way I knew how — sharing stories with people out on the road and letting the highways settle my mind. Within the first couple of days on tour, my bandmate and best friend Andre and I had a few voice memos that laid the foundation for the song.

“It was a tough loss, losing my dad. I was actually named after him, we share our first name, ‘Michael’ (I have always gone by my middle name) and that gave me an even more introspective look into my own life upon his passing. My folks split up when I was six, but we tried to see each other whenever we could. There was anger held against him on my end, growing up with a single parent for many years was just my ‘normal.’

“We made our memories together over the years, though they were often few and far between due to the quick pace of life, but we had started to become much closer after I graduated college. We could see each other eye to eye a little more, there was a new level of shared understanding between us. I was beginning to find out a lot about myself by being around him, seeing some of the similarities that we shared that I had never noticed. Our relationship was coming full circle in a way that my heart had sought after for a long time, whether I could put a finger on it or not.

“Within the span of two days, he was here and gone. I lost my dad on the morning of my 25th birthday and it completely changed my life. Being able to write a song honoring him, and sharing the feeling that your loved ones are never truly gone — they always stay with you in your mind, your heart, and your soul. Losing loved ones is part of this story that we all live and I hope that ‘Michael’ offers a little bit of peace and comfort to those who have felt that same pain.” — Matthew McNeal

Photo credit: AJ Aiello

MIXTAPE: Bradley & Adair’s Generations and Inspirations Collide

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“We went into the studio and decided to do a whole album of duets. These are old songs, some of them are from the ‘40s, ‘50s, early ‘60s, one from the ‘80s, and a new song. We grew up with these songs and our parents grew up with these songs. Just like our latest record, many of the songs on this playlist are songs we’ve loved all of our lives. At the same time, some of them are newer, or unique takes on previous hits. That’s the great thing about music is the diversity and uniqueness that comes with it. We hope you enjoy some of our picks!” — Dale Ann Bradley and Tina Adair

Jack Greene – “There Goes My Everything”

This was the first song I heard on the radio. – DAB

The Osborne Brothers – “Once More”

I’ve been listening to them my whole life and am a student of their classic and seamless harmonies. This song is an example of that. – Tina

Simon & Garfunkel – “The Sound of Silence”

It’s a prophetic song that is still unraveling today as in the ‘60s. A look at human nature that continues to be so thought-provoking. – DAB

Alison Krauss & Union Station – “So Long, So Wrong”

This song encompasses everything I love about bluegrass. Great playing, fantastic vocals and an absolute amazing production/arrangement. – Tina

Glen Campbell – “Galveston”

It’s just a consummate recording in every way. – DAB

Brandy Clark – “Stripes”

This is one of my favorite written “new” songs. Brandy is one of the most clever songwriters in Nashville right now and this song shows it. Fun fact… I have a version of this recorded. Maybe someday I’ll let everyone hear it. Ha ha! – Tina

The Grateful Dead – “Ripple”

This is a song from The Grateful Dead that so much expresses the way I feel spiritually. – DAB

Blue Öyster Cult – “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”

Talk about drive and timing with an iconic guitar riff, and one of the best rock bands ever. – DAB

Reba McEntire – “Fancy”

Well I’ve always been a huge fan of Bobbie Gentry’s voice and songwriting; however, one of my heroes in this business has been the one and only Reba McEntire (for her ability to interpret a song, entertain you and her amazing business sense). I admire her on so many levels. Her version of “Fancy” is one that can always entertain a crowd … and I love that. Reba was my first concert I attended outside of local bluegrass festivals. – Tina

The Stanley Brothers – “Jacob’s Vision”

Great writing and singing in pure Appalachian style. This song touched my heart the first time I heard it. – DAB

Harry Chapin – “Cat’s in the Cradle”

This is a song that has taken my breath away. – DAB

Poco – “Crazy Love”

I love the harmonies and guitar fingerpicking and just Poco’s overall laid-back feel with this song. It’s always been a fave of mine. – Tina

Mason Williams – “Classical Gas”

I love the guitar and this is so good! We all wanted and tried to play this. – DAB

Ludwig van Beethoven – “The Moonlight Sonata”

It’s such an emotionally driven piece. I always got lost while listening and felt several different feelings. – DAB

Linda Ronstadt – “Desperado”

Any style, any arrangement… we’ve all been “Desperado.” – DAB

Photo courtesy of Pinecastle Records

LISTEN: Christina Courtin, “Life So Far”

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Artist: Christina Courtin
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Song: “Life So Far”
Album: Situation Station
Release Date: April 10, 2020
Label: In a Circle Records

In Their Words: “‘Life So Far’ comes from a place of throwing your hands up in the air and saying, ‘I’ve have enough’ and making things up as you go. There is a lyrical undercurrent of things not ever being good enough, and a musical relentlessness that is not unlike our everyday lives. The lyric, ‘Feelin’ pretty good about life so far’ leaves space for the listener to wonder why it’s only, ‘Pretty good.’ Clearly there are still so many things that are not good, but life goes on with or without all of us. I guess it’s my version of a joke/sarcasm. I suppose I am too young to feel this way, as life has many more twists and turns in store, but it felt good at the time to write a song in this vein.” — Christina Courtin

Photo credit: Austin Nelson

WATCH: Tré Burt, “What Good” (Live From the French Quarter)

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Artist: Tré Burt
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Song: “What Good” (Live From the French Quarter)
Album: Caught It From the Rye
Label: Oh Boy Records

In Their Words: “A really good friend of mine confided in me about a recent falling out she had had with her best friend since childhood. I guess that’s what started me writing the song, at least the first verse, then I got thinking about impermanence, time and how it (time) is like a vehicle that everyone is traveling on together. The jet plane, steamboat, race car references… On a beautiful sunny day in New Orleans in January we took a walk with the folks from Northern Cowboy films (UK) around the French Quarter and found a spot we all felt good about. The homeowner was happy and gracious to let us film outside his house. Traffic on foot, car and horse all slowed down to see what we were up to and stopped to listen too.” — Tré Burt

Artist of the Month: Watkins Family Hour

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Sean Watkins and Sara Watkins have factored into some of the most accomplished and creative ensembles of the last two decades, while building a cool catalog of their own solo albums, too. Familiar to many as co-founders of Nickel Creek (with Chris Thile), the California siblings are once again teaming up as a duo for brother sister, their second album as Watkins Family Hour.

“From the beginning, our goal was to work on these songs to be as strong as they could be, just the two of us,” Sara says. “And with a few exceptions on the record, that’s really how things were. It was a tight little group of us, working dense days where we could squeeze them in.”

Sara won a Grammy earlier this year for “Call My Name” as a member of I’m With Her (with Aoife O’Donovan and Sarah Jarosz). In addition to producing, Sean has recorded with collectives such as Fiction Family, Mutual Admiration Society, and Works Progress Administration. Their appearances at the Los Angeles club Largo have inspired a number of impromptu collaborations on stage as well. Together, however, the siblings make a powerful unit, capturing a band sound with essentially two people — but incorporating a fresh perspective through producer Mike Viola.

“Mike brings a diverse musical history to his production work,” Sean says. “He’s worked with a lot of people [from The Figgs to Fall Out Boy] that surpass just bluegrass or folk, but his sense of the songwriting craft and melody is right in line with us. He was bringing ideas that we would have never had, and vice versa.”

Enjoy new tracks from Watkins Family Hour in our BGS Essentials playlist, plus choice cuts from throughout their brilliant careers.

Our Artist of the Month interviews are here! (Read part one here. Read part two here.)

Photo credit: Jacob Boll

LISTEN: Elijah Ocean, “Good Clean Livin'”

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Artist: Elijah Ocean
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Good Clean Livin'”
Album: Blue Jeans & Barstools
Release Date: May 1, 2020

In Their Words: “I wrote this song a few years back while working a casino in Las Vegas. It started from a snippet of a conversation I overheard and ended up being about an addicted gambler who finds salvation through the modern American dream. I originally recorded a version for my barn record, but it didn’t make the cut. So I wound up recycling the pedal steel (played by my good friend Philip Sterk in Nashville) and re-tracking everything else in my home studio in LA. I was basically trying to find some middle ground between The Byrds and Alan Jackson.” — Elijah Ocean

Photo credit: Sean Rosenthal