Tag: Song Premiere

LISTEN: John Baumann, “Second Wind”

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Artist: John Baumann
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Second Wind”
Album: Country Shade
Release Date: June 5, 2020
Label: The Next Waltz

In Their Words: “When I think of myself from ten years ago, I recall a much more naive and unaware version. Blindly ambitious, I was willing to chase a carrot as far as needed, to feel validated as an artist and writer. It was before I had taken a few licks and gotten knocked down. It was before my expectations had been tempered, before my sight had been adjusted to reality. The highs and lows, the ebbs and flows. I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I could only bottle that feeling of invincibility, and take a dose of it every day for the rest of my life. It really speaks to the power of youth and the strength that people have when they are motivated. This song is about questioning your motives, where you have gone right and wrong, remembering who you can lean on, and ultimately finding how to harness that long lost feeling of unbridled motivation to push forward and find that validation.” — John Baumann

johnbaumann · John Baumann – Country Shade – 09 – Second Wind

Photo credit: Jordan Fischels

LISTEN: Grizzly Goat, “Wallowa, OR 1877”

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Artist: Grizzly Goat
Hometown: Provo, Utah/ Knoxville, Tennessee
Song: “Wallowa, OR 1877”
Album: Bound to Go to Waste
Release Date: May 29, 2020

In Their Words: “While in Oregon, performing in the Joseph Mountain Jubilee festival, I spotted a statue of Chief Joseph. This sparked my curiosity as a history enthusiast and I soon listened to the 18-hour audiobook, Thunder in the Mountains. I learned that the area had been home to Joseph’s Nez Perce tribe which the US government wanted to claim for white settlers. Despite Chief Joseph’s efforts to negotiate rights for his people peacefully, a war broke out causing the tribe to flee 1,170 miles before they were surrounded near the Canadian border. When this ‘spaghetti western’ melody came to me, I was inspired to shed light on the story of Chief Joseph and a neglected piece of American history.” — Nate Waggoner, Grizzly Goat

Photo credit: Ryan Carter

LISTEN: Nell & Jim Band, “Travelin’ the Road West”

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Artist: Nell & Jim Band
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Song: “Travelin’ the Road West”
Album: Western Sun
Release Date: May 29, 2020
Label: Whippoorwill Arts

In Their Words: “The new album has an exciting new band sound, as we have added accordion and keys to the ensemble with Rob Reich, plus the broad array of musical styles mastered by him, our bassist Jim Kerwin and percussionist Alex Aspinall. It took us a few years to really settle into the sound we wanted and this is it. We have the depth to move from folk to polkas to driving bluegrass — but what I really love is that we are just any one of those genres. We are our own blend.” — Jim Nunally

“Lowell Levinger (Banana from the Youngbloods) co-produced the album with us. He was very influential in the recording studio — with tasty, spot-on suggestions and guidance about when to stop. Lowell is a man of few words, and when he speaks we all truly listen. He even suggested lyric changes in two songs and we took his advice and the songs are better for it. What a pleasure!” — Nell Robinson

Photo credit: Kalie Capadona

LISTEN: Gina Sicilia, “For a Little While”

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Artist: Gina Sicilia
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA — with East Nashville as her adopted/current home
Song: “For a Little While” (feat. Luther Dickinson)
Album: Love Me Madly
Release Date: May 29, 2020
Label: Blue Élan Records

In Their Words: “I wrote this tune in a dark room late at night, and I think that moment is captured by the tenderness and melancholy mood of this song, which is about missing someone — something I’ve felt often. I kept the lyrics brief, saying all that needed to be said to express a pretty simple, pure emotion. Luther Dickinson’s guitar solo is stunning and I love how this song almost has the feeling of an interlude, of a fleeting thought that you express, tuck away and don’t dwell on. This is a fragile song and getting my vocals to be as delicate as the song’s temperament was a challenge, but I’m so proud of the overall feeling that was accomplished with the help of my producer, Cody Dickinson, who devoted so much time to making sure we got this song right.” — Gina Sicilia

Photo of Gina Sicilia with Cody Dickinson: Madison Thorn

LISTEN: Gary Brewer, “Daddy and the Old Oak Tree” (Feat. Dale Ann Bradley)

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Artist: Gary Brewer
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Song: “Daddy and the Old Oak Tree” (featuring Dale Ann Bradley)
Album: 40th Anniversary Celebration
Release Date: May 29, 2020
Label: SGM Records

In Their Words: “I’ve always admired Dale Ann’s singing and her ability to capture you in song. I chose the guest artists on 40th Anniversary Celebration because of the connection they had with each song; I chose her for ‘Daddy and the Old Oak Tree’ because of the influence our fathers have had on both of us and how they’ve impacted our lives. I feel that this song really says who we both are and where we came from. We had such a wonderful time in the studio reminiscing. We’ve both played on the same stages over the years, but never had performed together. It was such an honor to have her a part of my 40-year celebration. I hope you enjoy our first collaboration as we share our Kentucky heritage in song.” — Gary Brewer

 

LISTEN: Libby Rodenbough, “How Come You Call Me”

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Artist: Libby Rodenbough
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Song: “How Come You Call Me”
Album: Spectacle of Love
Release Date: May 29, 2020
Label: Sleepy Cat Records

In Their Words: “I’ve always been able to navigate living pretty easily, both because I ride in the lane reserved for white well-off people, but also because I can handle little boxes better than some. I’m talkative and good at standardized tests and if I go through dark times, I can keep it tamped down. This is a good disposition for survival, but it’s something I’ve always felt self-conscious about, like being good at tolerating the intolerable is the sign of an empty soul, and maybe that’s why I’m drawn to people who don’t fit into this world so well. Everybody I’ve ever dated has been a good guy. This song isn’t about shitty boyfriends; it’s about the way you fall into particular slots in a relationship and rarely come out of them again, so if you happen to be the better navigator, you end up usually leading the way.” — Libby Rodenbough

Photo credit: Courtesy of L. Rodenbough

LISTEN: Zoe Guigueno, “Shoreward”

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Artist: Zoe Guigueno
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Shoreward”
Album: Secret Admirer
Release Date: June 5, 2020

In Their Words: “This song is about nature stopping us in our tracks; it’s about not taking our resources or way of life for granted. Taylor Ashton wrote the lyrics and I wrote the music — originally it was a commissioned piece for his grandparents, about the fishing industry in Newfoundland. In the current global situation, however, we can ask the same questions: Do we push forward, or do we wait out the storm that forced our boats shoreward?” — Zoe Guigueno

Photo credit: Josh Dolgin

LISTEN: Tommy Buller, “I Still Call It Home”

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Artist: Tommy Buller
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Single: “I Still Call it Home”
Release Date: May 22, 2020
Label: RBR Entertainment

In Their Words: “‘I Still Call it Home’ is a song written by Billy Droze and Chris Myers. The first time Billy played it for me, I listened to the words and I fell in love with the song because it’s kind of the way I feel. I love being in Nashville, but I always miss being at home with Mom and Dad. I think the direction that country music has taken is really sad. Hearing the ‘bro country’ stuff that is going on in Nashville right now sometimes makes me question what the heck I’m doing there, but I know that real country and bluegrass music isn’t dead. Ya just got to look a little harder to find it these days.” — Tommy Buller

Photo credit: Barbara Potter

LISTEN: Fort Frances, “These Lights Will Shine Again”

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Artist: Fort Frances
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Song: “These Lights Will Shine Again”
Album: These Lights Will Shine Again
Release Date: May 22, 2020

In Their Words: “Pressing pause on the world has felt strange and uncertain, but it’s also given people a chance to reflect on what really matters. Instead of focusing on being scared or sad, I’ve been trying to think about what I’ll do and who I’ll see when life starts to move again. I’ve been looking at a map of the world and thinking about all the places I want to go (even if I’m wearing a mask for the journey). This is a positive song meant to dim the volume of the news to put the present — and more importantly, the future — in perspective.” — David McMillin, Fort Frances

Photo credit: Ehud Lazin

LISTEN: Todd Snider, “I Wish We Had Our Time Again” (A Tribute to John Hartford)

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Artist: Todd Snider
Song: “I Wish We Had Our Time Again” (John Hartford cover)
Album: On The Road: A Tribute To John Hartford (to benefit MusiCares)
Release Date: June 26, 2020
Label: LoHi Records

In Their Words: “John Hartford was a leader on three sides of our town — the bluegrass side, the hippie side, and the troubadour side. I can’t think of anyone else like that. He wrote poetry, played banjo, and exuded freedom at as high of a level as you can. I appreciated getting to be the one who sang this song, because it’s exactly where I am in my life. Me and my friends starting singing in the ’90s and made all the music we could, still do, but now we’re kinda grey and rooting for the younger ones, and wishing we had our time again.” — Todd Snider

Photo credit: Rich Chapman