Tag: Song Premiere

BGS Wraps: Colin & Caroline, “It Isn’t Even Christmas Yet”

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Artist: Colin & Caroline
Single: “It Isn’t Even Christmas Yet”
Release Date: December 4, 2020

In Their Words: “For the two of us, the holidays have always carried with them fond memories of childhood, and growing up within our families. For me [Caroline], this meant sitting on the steps with my two brothers as Nat King Cole and Sinatra’s holiday songs filled our house, and waiting patiently to run downstairs on Christmas morning. For Colin, it meant reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve with his family (a tradition that still stands today)… There’s a certain nostalgia that we feel around Christmas time that is reflective of our own relationship as well as our individual upbringings. We recognize that this isn’t the case for everyone surrounding the holidays, and that we’re lucky to feel this way. 2020 has been one of the most uncertain and difficult years our world has seen in a long time, and through our Christmas music, we want to spread a message of hope, and bring our listeners a sense of comfort, joy, and some extra love during perhaps the most important holiday season yet.” — Colin & Caroline

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LISTEN: Deutsch & Thorn, “Scorpio Sun”

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Artist: Deutsch & Thorn (Erik Deutsch and Andy Thorn)
Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico and Boulder, Colorado
Song: “Scorpio Sun”
Release Date: December 4, 2020
Label: Thornpipe Music

In Their Words: “When I first wrote this tune, I recorded it with the Colorado Playboys (Travis Book, Jon Stickley, and John Frazier), and called it ‘Sicks Ate.’ (We thought we were very clever.) Over a decade later, playing it with pianist Erik Deutsch, it took on a whole new life. As fellow Scorpios, Erik and I retitled it ‘Scorpio Sun.’ We recorded this EP in Erik’s beautiful Mexico City apartment, between playing shows at Zinco Jazz Club in the city’s vibrant Centro neighborhood. I never thought I’d bring my banjo to Mexico City, to mingle with Erik’s jazz influences and the sights and sounds of a dazzling culture. But that’s kind of what it’s like playing with Erik — you never know what might happen next.” — Andy Thorn

Photo credit: Josh Timmermans

LISTEN: Ida Mae, “Break the Shadows”

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Artist: Ida Mae
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Break the Shadows”
Album: Raining for You EP
Release Date: November 20, 2020
Label: Thirty Tigers / Vow Road Records

In Their Words: “This was one of the last songs we recorded for our new album as the pandemic put an end to our touring. We played our last show in Texas, round the corner from the Alamo, and flew straight back to Nashville and into quarantine. Our plans to record the next record had been ruined so whilst in lockdown we decided to wire the whole house into a remote recording studio with the analogue equipment we’ve been collecting over the years of touring and got to work. This song was inspired by the Stephen Collins Foster song ‘Hard Times’ written in 1854 … it’s an old song that was hugely popular and has been parodied for over 150 years… it felt an appropriate moment in history to use it as inspiration again. It’s the first song I wrote and recorded with my steel-bodied National Resophonic Style 0 resonator guitar, a very special instrument.” — Chris Turpin, Ida Mae

Photo credit: Zach Pigg

LISTEN: The Suitcase Junket, “Last Man on the Moon”

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Artist: The Suitcase Junket
Hometown: Amherst, Massachusetts
Song: “Last Man on the Moon”
Album: The End Is New
Release Date: November 20, 2020
Label: Renew Records/BMG

In Their Words: “The first version I wrote of this song was an almost entirely sci-fi scenario about a guy who got sent to the moon with a bunch of other people to set up a colony there, because we’d messed up earth so badly. It was a little heavy-handed. So I took it back to the shed and reworked it. I still liked the imagery of the Last Man on the Moon, but figured it would work better as a metaphor for that big lost feeling of not being with the one you love. I tried to write it so it could be heard both ways, as a love song or a sci-fi fantasy. I usually keep both in mind when I play it.” — Matt Lorenz, The Suitcase Junket

Photo credit: Joanna Chattman

LISTEN: The Sharp Flatpickers, “Red Haired Boy”

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Artist: The Sharp Flatpickers
Hometown: Florida and beyond!
Song: “Red Haired Boy”
Album: Sundrops on the Water – Reflections
Release Date: November 20, 2020
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “Scottish and Irish tunes were brought to America and became standard fare in bluegrass and old-time music. ‘Red Haired Boy’ is one of those classics (imbued with plenty of folklore if you dig around a bit). With this instrumental version Bryan McDowell and Kate Lee O’Connor play twin fiddles, and our arrangement fondly pays homage to THE UNIT. I’m proud of the warmth that comes through here and the solid licks all these fine players graciously deliver for it. Nothing not to love.” — Lee Kotick, The Sharp Flatpickers

Photo credit: Mark Schatz

LISTEN: Dave Alvin, “Man Walks Among Us”

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Artist: Dave Alvin
Hometown: Downey, California
Song: “Man Walks Among Us”
Album: From an Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings
Release Date: November 20, 2020
Label: Yep Roc Records

In Their Words: “Marty Robbins, despite his 40-year, highly successful musical career, remains an underrated songwriter (he wrote “El Paso,” one of the greatest songs in American roots music history, and was a huge influence on me and many other aspiring songwriters). “Man Walks Among Us” is a good example of his serious lyrical and melodic talents. Born and raised in Arizona, he celebrates the desert environment he obviously loved and treasured. Being a desert lover myself, when I first heard this song, I was thrilled that Marty Robbins shared my appreciation for the wildlands and had put my feelings into a song. Even though I don’t possess Mr. Robbins’ incredible vocal skills, I always wanted to record this bittersweet rumination on the love for and the potential loss of our beautiful, tough yet fragile Western deserts.” — Dave Alvin

Photo credit: Chip Duden

LISTEN: Josh Merritt, “Tonya Jo”

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Artist: Josh Merritt
Hometown: Owensboro, Kentucky
Song: “Tonya Jo”
Album: Reynolds Station
Release Date: November 20, 2020
Label: JNM Entertainment

In Their Words: “I wrote this song for my momma. This album spotlights a not-so-flattering time in her life, which she has long since moved past. The song is about coming of age, a nest that’s almost empty, and looking back on the ups and down of life so far and wondering what’s next. It’s a message to say, ‘Everything is — and forever will be — ok.'” — Josh Merritt

Photo credit: Jacob Sommerville

LISTEN: Tony Trischka, “Carry Me Over the Sea”

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Artist: Tony Trischka
Hometown: Fair Lawn, New Jersey
Song: “Carry Me Over the Sea”
Album: Shall We Hope
Release Date: January 29, 2021
Label: Shefa Records

In Their Words: “This project began without the intention of making a Civil War album, though I’ve had an interest in the conflict since childhood. ‘Carry Me Over the Sea’ was originally conceived as an instrumental, which I composed on a low-tuned cello banjo. I created the person of Maura Kinnear, a powerful Irish woman who lost her husband in a mine cave-in. After leaving her children in the safe care of relatives, she took a ‘coffin ship’ across the sea to America. Settling in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Maura met the reformed gambler, Cyrus Noble, whom she married and, together, they sent for her children. Cyrus rejected Confederate conscription and ultimately fought for the Union at the Battle of Gettysburg.

“No one but the incredible Maura O’Connell would do to inhabit the character of Maura Kinnear. I first met Maura when she was singing with DeDanaan in the ‘80s. I was bowled over and continue to be to this day. She is joined on most choruses by the equally talented Tracy Bonham.

“A cohesive narrative beckoned, and after a moving visit to a slave graveyard, I adapted the character of John Boston, an enslaved gravedigger in the 1850s. With these three central figures — Maura Kinnear, Cyrus Noble, and John Boston — along with a 1938 reunion of Gettysburg survivors, North and South, I felt I had the elements of a story.

“Shall We Hope, a phrase taken from a Phillis Wheatley poem, evolved to be just that, a story of hope. It was not created to mirror the divisions that currently exist in our nation. However, I would wish that the timeliness of a hopeful message would ring true today, and that, in some small way, this album could bring positivity, healing and hope in these troubling times.” — Tony Trischka

Photo credit: Zoe Trischka

LISTEN: My Darling Clementine, “I Lost You”

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Artist: My Darling Clementine (with Steve Nieve)
Hometown: Manchester / Birmingham, UK
Song: “I Lost You”
Album: Country Darkness
Release Date: November 6, 2020
Label: Fretsore Records

In Their Words: “‘I Lost You’ comes from [Elvis] Costello’s 2010 album, National Ransom, and is co-written with Jim Lauderdale, who was also part of the touring ensemble Elvis put together at that time. Lou and I shared a festival bill with Jim at the River Town Festival in Bristol in 2017 and joined him on stage for a few songs. Our paths have crossed a few times since. Most recently I met him at a songwriter festival in Lafayette, Louisiana. Jim is one of the sweetest and funniest guys, a master of the high harmony, and has the closest living voice to that of the great George Jones. He is also a very fine country songwriter.

“The original version of ‘I Lost You’ opens with a guitar riff which then reoccurs later throughout the song. We replaced that with Steve [Nieve]’s arpeggiated piano motif. Although written originally for one voice, the song works particularly well as a conversational duet. The male character is regretting taking the woman for granted who, due to his negligence, ‘goes to strangers.’ He is feeling bereft and foolish having lost her. Of all the 12 songs we have reinterpreted as a duet for this Country Darkness album this was possibly the most straightforward to adapt for two voices. It also served as a timely reminder to both Lou and I, especially me, not to take each other for granted!” — Michael Weston King, My Darling Clementine

Photo credit: Marco Bakker

LISTEN: Strung Like a Horse, “Lookin’ for Love”

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Artist: Strung Like A Horse
Hometown: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Song: “Lookin’ for Love”
Album: WHOA!
Release Date: October 30, 2020
Label: Transoceanic Records

In Their Words: “‘Lookin’ For Love’ is a tune all about that exciting feeling you only get when first falling in love. It’s meant to invoke the joy of a relationship young enough to not be complicated. I know all our longtime fans are gonna be stoked on this one. The strings were cooling off just a little, and we needed to let them open up again and meet their quota. So we took care of business the way we used to — playing live in a room all together with a few mics scattered about. This one is a helluva good time, and I think our excitement for this song made its way through the wires. We all love to fall in love, and that’s the fun part to focus on. If you’re lookin’ for heartbreak, you’re in the wrong song.” — Clay Maselle, Strung Like a Horse

Photo credit: Vincent Ricardel