Tag: Song Premiere

LISTEN: Bill Filipiak, “Conesus Lake”

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Artist: Bill Filipiak
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Conesus Lake”
Album: Medicine I Need
Release Date: October 1, 2021

In Their Words: “I don’t think it’s any secret that our lives can quickly become overwhelming. The blues are all around us and can hit us at any time for a multitude of reasons. The past year in particular has been hard on everyone. We’ve all had to deal with unprecedented stress. It’s left so many of us mentally and physically spent. When life becomes overwhelming like that, we all need a place we can go that soothes our soul. For some it’s the beach, for some it’s the mountains, for me it’s Conesus Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York.

“Conesus Lake has been an oasis for me for 12 years now, and when I’m struggling with something, that’s where I go to recharge and clear my head. It’s like a baptism, a rebirth, a natural state of solitude that serves as a medicine. In the song, I’m singing about a specific place, but really Conesus Lake is a state of mind — that place you go when you need to look inward, put things behind you and start with a fresh perspective. And when you find that place, it becomes possible to take a piece of it with you, to help you cope with life’s pitfalls until the next time you can return to your own Conesus Lake.” — Bill Filipiak

Photo credit: Kristi Filipiak

LISTEN: Ruby Landen, “Self Help”

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Artist: Ruby Landen
Hometown: Arcata, California; currently Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Self Help”
Album: Martyr, well
Release Date: August 27, 2021
Label: Slang Church

In Their Words: “‘Self Help’ is a song meant to convey the self-indulgent contempt I feel for myself at the lowest of times. Though not really a conscious choice, I find myself often juxtaposing pretty instrumentation and melody with somewhat ugly subject matter. I don’t ever try to make myself seem good in any of my songs, but I do portray most of the people referenced in the record especially badly, and I think in bearing all of my ugly nakedness I’m trying to communicate that I’m no different from any of these people — maybe I’m even worse. It’s by far the most personal and vulnerable song I’ve written, so I’m a little nervous for people to hear it.” — Ruby Landen

Photo credit: Brynn Lewis

LISTEN: Mike Younger, “Killing Time”

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Artist: Mike Younger
Hometown: Halifax, Canada/Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Killing Time”
Album: Burning the Bigtop Down
Release Date: August 27, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Killing Time’ is a sideways glance at another time and the dreams and people of that time. I had survived the Hall Of Horrors which was the street/squatter experience in New York City in 1992/1993 — and I’d lost more than a few pals along the way. The lyrics take comfort in the remembrance of past friendships forged in the fire of struggle, but swept apart like grains of sand. … I’ve always been deeply affected by the struggles faced by our disenfranchised communities. I greatly admire those writers and creative people in general, who, through their work, have lent their voices to the struggle for equity in our society, like John Lennon, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, and others. Artists have nothing to lose by speaking their truth, and doing so unapologetically, especially these days. That’s what I strive for in my work. There are enough great songs about pickup trucks already.” — Mike Younger

Photo credit: Michael Weintraub

LISTEN: Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, “Carolina Line”

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Artist: Seth Mulder & Midnight Run
Hometown: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Song: “Carolina Line”
Release Date: August 24, 2021
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “We’re so excited for everyone to hear our new single, ‘Carolina Line.’ It features our guitar player Ben Watlington singing lead in a Osborne Brothers-inspired arrangement that we had fun coming up with. Ben really connected with the song vocally and personally and always finds a way to make each song he sings his own. ‘Carolina Line’ was brought to us by our good friend Jerry Salley, and we feel that it represents our various musical influences. We hope everyone enjoys it as much as we enjoyed recording it.” — Seth Mulder

Photo credit: Miranda Goff

LISTEN: The Grascals, “Maybelle”

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Artist: The Grascals
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Maybelle”
Album: Up All Night
Release Date: August 27, 2021
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “It’s very rare when looking for a song that you find exactly what you’re looking for. This was the case with ‘Maybelle!’ The song sounds like it came from deep within the mountains. From the haunting words to the clawhammer banjo and fiddle, this song will grab your attention.” — John Bryan, The Grascals

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: The Felice Brothers, “To-Do List”

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Artist: The Felice Brothers
Hometown: Harlemville, New York
Song: “To-Do List”
Album: From Dreams to Dust
Release Date: September 17, 2021
Label: Yep Roc Records

In Their Words: “The take we chose for this song was the first time we had ever played the song. It had a very loose and playful quality that we liked. We had just learned the chord progression five minutes before playing it. We listened back to more takes but this was the one that had the best feeling. The song was originally a slow waltz with the lyrics: ‘Into the fire that burns them/that’s how the idiots run,’ but I didn’t know where to go from there. I had written down a to-do list on the adjacent page and began to sing it and it seemed to work well with the phrasing. I wrote down many pages of ridiculous things and chopped them up into the melody. This is how the song came into being.” — Ian Felice

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

LISTEN: The Way Down Wanderers, “Everything’s Made Out of Sand”

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Artist: The Way Down Wanderers
Hometown: Peoria, Illinois
Song: “Everything’s Made Out of Sand”
Album: More Like Tomorrow
Release Date: September 10, 2021
Label: Soundly Music

In Their Words: “‘Everything’s Made Out of Sand’ was written to create a dialogue on the temporary nature of all things: one day everything here will to turn to dust. I was inspired in the writing process while struggling to feel like I was using my short time here wisely. Humans are connected by our perception of time and the understanding of our own mortality. Through this mutual connection that we share as neighbors, I feel that a certain amount of accountability exists between us to try and live our best life for each other. We captured this tune with the band belting and stomping into a single antique microphone. By recording the song in just one take, it is set aside from the rest of the album and meant to capture the idea behind the track itself in a sonic way: we have a short time to live the most impactful and fulfilling life we can, so let’s try our best.” – Collin Krauss, The Way Down Wanderers

Photo credit: Keith Cotton

LISTEN: AJ Lee & Blue Summit, “Monongah Mine”

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Artist: AJ Lee & Blue Summit
Hometown: The Bay Area
Song: “Monongah Mine”
Album: I’ll Come Back
Release Date: August 20, 2021

In Their Words: “In my teen years, I went through a phase where I would Google historic events and I came across the Monongah mining accident from 1907 in [West] Virginia. There’s a line in the first verse, ‘where darkness down below is lit by wicks,’ that I wrote because an open flame or spark is what most likely caused an explosion, trapping the immigrant miners inside. The second verse starts with ‘wives and daughters and mothers gathered around, to sing to all the souls trapped underground’ — all true, according to the story. The workers’ loved ones tried to offer whatever comfort they could in such a hopeless time. Eventually ‘came the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1910’ to provide thorough investigations in areas including the mining process and safety regulations. I’m no history buff by any means, but this story is so powerful I had to write about it.” — AJ Lee

Photo credit: Hannah Ballinger

LISTEN: Andy Peake, “Hip Replacement”

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Artist: Andy Peake
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Song: “Hip Replacement”
Album: Mood Swings
Release Date: August 20, 2021
Label: Biglittle Records

In Their Words: “A friend of mine was talking about needing a hip replacement and I immediately locked into the double meaning of the term. The music for the song was inspired by an often-heard melodic hook found on some of Miles Davis’ and other popular jazz compositions of the ’50s and ’60s. Lay that hook on top of a salsa rhythm and spice it up with some Middle Eastern modal rock guitar and you have a danceable international flare that is uniquely American. Regarding the lyrics/theme… Sometimes as we get older, we get set in our ways — and may need a jump start. ‘Hip Replacement’ is intended as a poetic, virtual set of jumper cables.” — Andy Peake

Photo credit: Karen Leipziger

LISTEN: Nora Brown, “The Very Day I’m Gone”

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Artist: Nora Brown
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “The Very Day I’m Gone”
Album: Sidetrack My Engine
Release Date: September 24, 2021
Label: Jalopy Records

In Their Words: “‘The Very Day I’m Gone’ is a prime example of the timelessness of old-time music; it has opportunities for a more contemporary sound, but still holds on to its ancient roots. This song comes from ballad singer Addie Graham, an incredible artist from Eastern Kentucky. Me and my fam were listening to this song by Anna & Elizabeth off a tribute record called The Very Day I’m Gone in the car and found the song so mesmerizing we played it again and again.” — Nora Brown

Photo credit: Benton Brown