Tag: Song Premiere

WATCH: Hannah Kaminer, “Heavy on the Vine”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Hannah Kaminer
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina (technically Black Mountain, North Carolina)
Song: “Heavy on the Vine”
Album: Heavy on the Vine
Release Date: November 17, 2023 (single); January 5, 2024 (album)

In Their Words: “Over the last few years I started gardening and going to the community garden to learn whatever I could. One day in late summer I showed up and the gardener in charge told me we had to take out all the tomatoes and summer plants. I was stunned because all of those plants were still going strong, in full bloom. She gently let me know that it was time: If we did not take the summer plants out, there would be no fall planting and no fall harvest. Pulling the tomatoes out was a spiritual experience – letting go of one thing so another could grow – but it’s a lot harder when it’s not just tomatoes that you have to let go of. This song is about those moments when your vision narrows and you realize that only a few things in life are actually important, and you find yourself bargaining with the universe for the one thing you want but can’t have.” – Hannah Kaminer

Track Credits: Hannah Kaminer – vocals, guitar
Kevin Williams – keys
Ross Montsinger – drums
Melissa Hyman – bass, harmony vocals
Jackson Dulaney – pedal steel

Photo Credit: John Dupre
Video Credits: Produced by Old Home Place Recordings
Director – Aaron Stone
Audio Engineer – Mike Johnson
Photography – John Dupre
Executive Producers – Tim & Susan Griffin

LISTEN: The FBR, “Empty Room”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: The FBR
Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee
Song: “Empty Room”
Album: Ghost
Release Date: January 19, 2024

In Their Words: “Tim and I had hardly spent any time apart at all for nearly two years during the pandemic. There are times, especially in the winter, that I seem to struggle spending time on my own. I don’t like being left alone with my thoughts too long. He was heading out of town for a long weekend in Colorado, and I found myself riddled with the same old apprehension and anxiety about being alone for four days.

“I usually get kind of moody/cold and distant, so a few days prior, as the feelings began to surface, I communicated that I was struggling. I asked him to work on some sad lyrics for me to write music to while he was gone, so it would give my unwanted energy an outlet. I came home from a day of running around to the words of a tune, at the time titled ‘An Empty Room,’ sitting on the piano.

“He said the first thing that came to his mind when sitting down to write was quite literally an empty room, kind of symbolizing that loneliness. The first night he was gone I sat at the piano just reading the words over and over, and trying to find the right chord progression.

“It is really cool listening back to the earliest phone recordings I took that weekend, and slowly hearing the song come to life. It was a monumental moment for me, being able to be vulnerable enough to express my struggles and for both of us to be able to communicate it through a song.

“After he returned, we both felt the song needed a bridge, so we worked on the music and lyrics together to wrap it up. A few months later, while at rehearsal, the guys were upstairs taking a break, and I had asked Brandon (our keys player) to run through the song with me, as I had pictured it as a piano ballad up to that point.

“After the first verse, the guys were inspired, came quickly back downstairs and jumped in at the perfect time on the perfect beat, and we had what I call a ‘Holy Shit!’ moment. The intensity was so awesome that we all knew that is how it needed to be recorded!” – Malarie McConaha

Track Credits:

Lyrics by Tim Hunter
Music by Malarie McConaha
Produced by Tim Hunter, Malarie McConaha
Mixed by Jim Scott
Lead Recording Engineer – Kevin Willis
Assistant Mix Engineer – Martin Cooke
Vocals – Malarie McConaha
Background Vocals – Malarie McConaha, Zachary Goforth, Tim Hunter
Drums – Mike Malinin
Bass Guitar – Chopper Anderson
Rhythm Electric Guitar – Kevin Willis
Lead Electric Guitar – Evan Opitz
Acoustic Guitar – Tim Hunter
Keys – Brandon Mordecai

Photo Credit: The FBR

LISTEN: Amanda Cook, “New Star”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Amanda Cook
Hometown: Fancy Gap, Virginia
Song: “New Star”
Album: Restless Soul
Release Date: November 17, 2023
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “To me, ‘New Star’ perfectly describes the ups and downs of the life of a musician. The incredible highs of performing in contrast with insecurities and self-doubt, no matter the hardships, most musicians will never stop creating art and working towards their goals. As soon as I heard this Theo MacMillan-penned tune, I knew it would be the anthem for our new album. The third verse really stands out to me: ‘I could put down roots like a parachute that lets me land… but a restless soul is bound to go when the calling comes.’ I think Aaron [Ramsey] and the band did an incredible job bringing this song to life and I’m so happy to share it with everyone.” – Amanda Cook

Track Credits:

Amanda Cook – lead vocal
Carolyne Van Lierop – banjo and harmony vocal
Troy Boone – mandolin and harmony vocal
Brady Wallen – guitar
Josh Faul – bass
George Mason – fiddle

Engineered by Aaron Ramsey at Mountain Fever Studios, Willis, VA.
Vocals engineered by Aaron Ramsey at Black Crow Studios, Morganton, NC.
Produced by Aaron Ramsey and the Amanda Cook Band.
Mixed and mastered by Aaron Ramsey.
Executive Producer: Mark Hodges.

Photo Credit: CDC Artistry, Christina Stevens

LISTEN: The Resonant Rogues, “What Happened To That Feeling”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: The Resonant Rogues
Hometown: The Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina
Song: “What Happened To That Feeling”
Album: The Resonant Rogues
Release Date: November 10, 2023

In Their Words: “‘What Happened To That Feeling’ is a reminder that everything goes in cycles, and sometimes the disconnect we can feel in our relationships is really just exhaustion and overwhelm. Keith and I have been together for 10 years, married for 6, and we work our asses off. Two years ago, we moved onto raw land in our short bus and started building our own house. Even the best relationships feel strain sometimes, especially during periods of stress and overwork, and sometimes I just need a beautiful, soothing melody to help me remember that I am indeed on the right path, with the right person. This is that song.” – Sparrow

Track Credits:

Sparrow – vocals, accordion, banjo, songwriting
Keith Josiah Smith – vocals, guitars, songwriting
Kristen Harris – fiddle
Landon George – bass, drums
John James Tourville – pedal steel, lap steel, dobro, guzheng, butter knives, 12 string guitar, vibraphone

Produced, recorded, & mixed at Bomb Shelter Studio by Andrija Tokic.
Mastered by John Baldwin at Infrasonic Sound.

Photo Credit: Cory Marie Photography 

LISTEN: Jayme Stone, “Wreckage of the Fall”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Jayme Stone
Hometown: Longmont, Colorado
Song: “Wreckage of the Fall”
Release Date: November 10, 2023

In Their Words: “‘Wreckage of the Fall’ is a fever dream about transformation, mystical experience and emotional healing. I wrote it during a weeklong retreat at the Banff Center of the Arts. It emerged alongside a lot of tears, wild dreams, old wounds and a brief experience of clairvoyance. For a few days, I could see voices coming out my phone. I could feel the exact distance between me and other people in faraway cities like some kind of telepathic Google Earth. The song is full of witchy magic — runes, talismans, pentacles, and crystals. They started appearing and I just followed them.

“‘Wreckage’ is the first in a song cycle I’m currently calling ‘Anima,’ one the archetypes in Carl Jung’s map of the collective unconscious. I spent three years producing it — the longest I’ve ever worked on a track. There are many layers of guitar, my trusty Juno 106 from the late ’80s, an OB-6 synth and a lot of backup vocals care of Daniela Gesundheit. I programmed the drums in Abelton and then had John Hadfield play a real kit, which I then blended with the programming. The song feels like an MRI of my emotional state at the time. It’s some kind of magic to have a sonic postcard I can share now.” – Jayme Stone

Track Credits: Written by Jayme Stone.

Recorded and produced by Jayme Stone.
Mixed and mastered by David Travers-Smith.

Jayme Stone – voice, guitar, synth, drum programming
Emanuel Alexander – guitar, bass
Daniela Gesundheit – voice
John Hadfield – drums
Greg Harris – synth

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

LISTEN: Matt Blake, “Ohio”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Matt Blake
Hometown: Warren, Ohio
Song: “Ohio”
Album: Cheaper to Fly
Release Date: February 16, 2023
Label: JTM Music

In Their Words: “My friends and I always talked about escaping Warren, Ohio, the minute we graduated high school. The night sky glowed orange from the Youngstown steel mills, the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland. That’s probably why I thought living in Los Angeles was a dream. It was exotic everyday. I didn’t appreciate Ohio until years later. Ohio felt like home and that’s a feeling I never want to escape.” – Matt Blake

Photo Credit: TB Scott

LISTEN: Jon Dee Graham, “there’s a ghost on the train”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Jon Dee Graham
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “there’s a ghost on the train”
Album: only dead for a little while
Release Date: November 10, 2023
Label: Strolling Bones Records (a subsidiary of New West)

In Their Words: “So, my old friend Charlie Hunter, who started Roots on The Rails – Train adventures with live music. We’ve been to see polar bears in Churchill, [Manitoba] on the Hudson! – had made friends with the guy who found and restored The City of New Orleans train of Steve Goodman fame. Charlie asked if I’d play the [train’s] first run from Chicago to NOLA. I was in.

“It’s such an old and iconic train, I got to talking with one of the porters and I said, ‘I bet this train’s got a few ghosts.’ He got all serious and said, ‘Oh, this train is haunted as hell!’ No matter how I wheedled him he wouldn’t say anymore than that.

“So I’m playing on and off late into the night. At one point during a break I’m heading back to the baggage car to have a smoke and as I’m approaching one of the doors between cars, I see a hazy figure on the other side, I get all gooseflesh, and it keeps coming and I think, ‘Sweet Jesus! I’m seeing a ghost on the City of New Orleans!’ When I reached the door, I realized that I was seeing my own reflection in the door’s window. Relieved, but disappointed, I pushed on through to the baggage car. When I entered the dark baggage car, I caught a brief glimpse of 3 or 4 guys sitting in the back and then it was gone… another trick of the light.” – Jon Dee Graham

Track Credits:

Produced by Jon Dee Graham, Michael Hardwick, and Stuart Sullivan.
Recorded by Stuart Sullivan at Wire Studio in Austin, Texas.
Engineered by Stuart Sullivan.
Mastered by Carter Greeves.

Photo Credit: Darrin Back

LISTEN: Nora Jane Struthers, “Life Of A Dream”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Nora Jane Struthers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Life Of A Dream”
Album: Back To Cast Iron
Release Date: October 27, 2023

In Their Words: “Co-written with my husband Joe Overton, this song is an inquiry into our own dreams and how our season of life shapes and reshapes those dreams. I think the pandemic gave most people a new perspective on their dreams… in many cases redefining them. My dream of building a family has taken a front seat for the past few years and as I think about what this song means to me right now, I realize that I am standing on a precipice: We are planning our final embryo transfer and if it takes, that means 3.5 more years of living in baby-world. If it doesn’t, we’re only a few years away from having two kids in school and all of the ‘free’ time that comes along with that. What will I do if I am in fact leveling-up and out of the baby-mom season of my life? Pour all my day-light hour energy into writing? Can I refocus on touring on weekends and summers? What is the dream now?” – Nora Jane Struthers

Photo Credit: Bree Marie Fish

LISTEN: Carley Arrowood, “Moondancer”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Carley Arrowood
Hometown: Newton, North Carolina
Song: “Moondancer”
Release Date: October 27, 2023
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “‘Moondancer’ tells the story of a Cherokee girl who sneaks out at night and is obsessed with capturing a wild white horse. I started writing it one evening several years ago after looking for arrowheads in my Mamaw’s garden, ironically around this time of year. As that chilly breeze blew, the line, ‘Her longing echoes on the breeze, but it never finds relief,’ just took root in my mind, and the girl’s repetitious, hopeless calling is what shaped the chorus and the rest of the tune. Eventually she learns to just love the horse she names from afar, but the deep longing in her heart still lingers as she realizes Moondancer can never be hers. I’m so grateful to Daniel, Nick, Tabitha, Jeff, and Tony for lending their talents, and to Jim and Clay for producing and mixing what has become one of my favorite tunes on my upcoming record.” – Carley Arrowood

Track Credits:

Carley Arrowood – fiddle, vocal
Daniel Thrailkill – acoustic guitar
Jeff Partin – acoustic bass, Dobro
Nick Dumas – mandolin
Tony Creasman – drums
Tabitha Benedict – banjo

Photo Credit: Laci Mack Photography

LISTEN: Bobby Osborne & C.J. Lewandowski, “Too Old To Die Young”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Bobby Osborne & C.J. Lewandowski
Hometown: Hyden, Kentucky (Bobby Osborne); Grubville, Missouri (C.J. Lewandowski)
Song: “Too Old To Die Young”
Release Date: October 22, 2023
Label: Turnberry Records

In Their Words: “Bobby Osborne was a gift to music and [it was] truly a gift to have him as a friend. I can’t tell you how emotional finally bringing one of his last songs to the public has been. Our last conversation was about ‘Too Old To Die Young’ and it being his pick for the first single. Originally set to release June 31 of this year, I asked to halt everything the day of Bobby’s passing on June 27. Looking back, I almost feel like he knew something that day. As I left, I’d said ‘Stay tough, Chief.’ His reply was ‘No, you stay tough, my boy.’ Though it was hard to pick up again without him, we have that ‘stay tough’ mindset. To have such a giant as a close friend has been such an unthinkably incredible experience and I miss him every day. It does my heart so good to hear his voice again on this song. All I want to do is make my buddy proud and I hope that is happening. I love you, Bobby!” – C.J. Lewandowski

Photo Credit: Aynsley Porchak