Tag: Song Premiere

LISTEN: Charlie Hager, “Never Good”

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Artist: Charlie Hager
Hometown: Las Vegas/Nashville
Song: “Never Good”
Album: Truth and Love
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Label: Flour Sack Cape Records

In Their Words: “I think this song is reflective of what I was feeling at that time in my life. I had recently gone through a divorce and my work was stressful as well. I think my state of mind when I asked myself what ‘I’m good at’ became clear to me that I mess things up a lot. So in a sense, what started out as a narcissistic song actually ended up a little more truthful.” — Charlie Hager

Photo credit: Francis Myron Calara

LISTEN: The Hackles, “The Show Goes On”

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Artist: The Hackles
Hometown: Astoria, Oregon
Song: “The Show Goes On”
Album: A Dobritch Did as a Dobritch Should
Release Date: November 8, 2019
Label: Jealous Butcher Records

In Their Words: “‘The Show Goes On’ is an homage to and a reflection on the life of Bulgarian-born circus impresario Al Dobritch. The song arose from a circus-themed song challenge that sent me down a ‘Circus Circus’ research rabbit hole. Deep in that hole I discovered Al Dobritch, whose byzantine life got me thinking about the interaction between self-determination and outside, decisive forces in all our lives. It was recorded by us and Adam Selzer at The Rope Room studio in our hometown of Astoria, Oregon. Luke’s guitar & James Owen Greenan’s pedal steel converse, Cory Gray’s organ elevates, Gabrielle Macrae’s vocals elaborate, Olaf Ydstie’s drums are the train that goes off the cliff, and Adam Selzer’s percussion and mixing cause everything to make sense.” — Kati and Luke, The Hackles

Photo credit: Courtesy of HearthPR/Lauren Jacobsonᐧ

LISTEN: Stoney LaRue, “You Ought to Know Me by Now”

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Artist: Stoney LaRue
Hometown: Born in Taft, Texas; raised in the Buffalo Valley in Oklahoma.
Song: “You Ought to Know Me by Now”
Album: Onward
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Label: One Chord Song/Smith Entertainment

In Their Words: “Gary Nicholson wrote this one with his writing buddy Shawn Camp and suggested it would be a good fit for the album — with which I agreed. It has gotten wonderful feedback from the live crowds and is very relatable, especially to the demographic I play to and for. Wonderful, fun tune. I hope to write some more like it with Gary.” — Stoney LaRue

Photo credit: Richard Arp-Barnett

LISTEN: Steel City Jug Slammers, “Make That Money”

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Artist: Steel City Jug Slammers
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Song: “Make That Money”
Album: Hot Butter
Release Date: October 31, 2019

In Their Words: “It’s hard sweating it out, every day, down in the working class. You stand so long your feet always hurt, hands work so hard they don’t even feel. Every day you get home, shower, and the salt from your sweat runs down your face and burns your eyes. When you finally make it to the comfortable place you’ve been thinking about all day, breathe in your favorite flavor of smoke, sip something to ease your aching muscles, then you’re glad you did it. Because if you didn’t, somebody else would, and you’d be in the ditch.” — G.W. Henderson, Steel City Jug Slammers

Photo credit: T.J. Burks

LISTEN: Natalie MacMaster, “West Bay Road”

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Artist: Natalie MacMaster
Hometown: Troy, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; currently the tiny village of Douro, Ontario.
Song: “West Bay Road”
Album: Sketches
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Label: Linus Entertainment

In Their Words: “‘West Bay Road’ starts with an O’Carolan piece, a famous Irish composer. Then followed by a tune written for a good family friend who was battling cancer at the time of the recording. He unfortunately didn’t make it and has passed on since, but he got to hear his jig before he died. It will always be a special tune for me.” — Natalie MacMaster

Photo credit: Rebekah Littlejohn

LISTEN: Jamie McDell, “Worst Crime” (Feat. Robert Ellis)

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Artist: Jamie McDell
Hometown: Mangawhai, New Zealand (currently Toronto-based)
Song: “Worst Crime” feat. Robert Ellis
Album: The Botox EP
Release Date: October 25, 2019

In Their Words: “‘Worst Crime’ was inspired by a conversation surrounding the idea that some of the worst crimes a person can commit are actually the legal ones. Phil Barton, Nash Chambers, and I threw around some of the everyday mistakes a person can make that can really hurt people. With that idea in mind I started off with the first lyric about forgetting your mother’s birthday and then we all basically made a list from there. After recording the demo Nash and I got the feeling it would be an interesting duet, especially if a male voice represented the victim. Top of my list was Robert Ellis. I’d been a fan for years and as a lot of these relationships begin in the modern era we were ‘Instagram friends.’ I messaged him and he said yes! He recorded his vocal in Fort Worth, Texas and completely brought a unique dynamic to the track.” — Jamie McDell

“I think Jamie is super rad. Her voice is unbelievable and I love the song. I was really psyched to get to try and keep up!” — Robert Ellis

Photo credit: Katie Sadie

LISTEN: Volume Five, “Somewhere”

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Artist: Volume Five
Hometown: Boonville, Mississippi
Song: “Somewhere”
Album: For Those Who Care to Listen
Release Date: October 25, 2019
Label: Mountain Fever Records

From the Artist: “Each week on stage I am surrounded by the best of the best in the music business. All of the guys in Volume Five are really talented, and I always love to feature them as much as possible. The song ‘Somewhere’ was written by our bass player, Jeff Partin. Jeff is a multi-talented guy. He’s not only a great musician, but he’s an extraordinary songwriter and singer as well. As a band, we love what we do, and we want to bring the very best music we can to our fans and bluegrass listeners around the world.” – Glen Harrell, Volume Five

Photo credit: Samantha Harrell

LISTEN: Nothin’ Fancy, “Leaving’s Up to You”

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Artist: Nothin’ Fancy
Hometown: Lexington, Virginia
Song: “Leaving’s Up To You”
Album: Undeniable
Release Date: October 11, 2019
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “‘Leaving’s Up To You’ is one of the more traditional-style songs on this new album. When I penned this song a couple years ago I was trying to write a straightforward, cookie-cutter bluegrass song, and I believe I was able to achieve that. Lost love, cheating, leaving, and a traditional melody are the foundation for ‘Leaving’s Up to You.’ Hope you enjoy!” — Caleb Cox, Nothin’ Fancy

Photo credit: Susie Neel

LISTEN: Raina Rose, “One One Thousand”

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Artist: Raina Rose
Hometown: Austin, Texas
song: “One One Thousand”
Album: Vesta
Release Date: January 31, 2020
Label: Folk Potions

In Their Words: “I woke with a start at midnight, mid-fall in south Austin, Texas; I forgot to take the garbage to the curb. My husband and our two boys were long since asleep, muttering the proof of their dreams. I walked outside to a bright full moon, a soft but constant wind moving the leaves, and an electrical storm on the horizon. I stood out there in the glistening night until the storm moved into our neighborhood. I walked back inside and wrote this song in bed.

“My sixth studio album, Vesta, will be released January 31, 2020. This collection of 10 songs written during the past six years explore the common miracle of matrescence. Vesta, the Roman goddess of the Hearth, is the keeper of the flame as well as the embodiment of the flame itself. She is the knowledge that sex, motherhood, and family are one and the same.” — Raina Rose

Photo credit: Hunter Paye

LISTEN: Miss Tess, “The Moon Is an Ashtray”

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Artist: Miss Tess
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The Moon Is an Ashtray”
Album: The Moon Is an Ashtray
Release Date: February 7, 2020
Label: Miss Tess/Tone Tree Music

In Their Words: “This song came out of an experiment with metaphor, smashing two unrelated words together to derive a new meaning. This is one of the few songs in my writing career than just fell out of my brain in about an hour. I grew up with a lot of fairy-tale ideas of how life and love might pan out, but reality can be a harsh mistress. ‘The Moon Is an Ashtray’ is a tongue-in-cheek vintage-kitsch metaphor discussing the idea that romance isn’t real. When you get up close to the moon, you realize it’s not as pretty it seems from a distance, or is just plain fake, or not as it originally appeared. The whole idealism and cruel optimism wrapped up in an image like the moon — or new love — is just an illusion.

“For me, it kind of ties into getting older and realizing some of your childlike views are not what they seem. On a professional level the music industry is really rough when you get up close. Fairy-tale ideas of relationships are never real. I think a lot of the songs on the album speak to that.” — Miss Tess

Photo credit: Gina Binkley