Tag: Song Premiere

LISTEN: Andy Thorn, “Thornado”

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Artist: Andy Thorn
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
Song: “Thornado”
Album: Frontiers Like These
Release: June 21, 2019
Label: Thornpipe Music

In Their Words: “This tune came from exploring the key of A on banjo with no capo. Playing in A with no capo opens up a lot of different melodic possibilities on banjo and when I found the main riff I started basing a song around it. The tune really comes to life with the tasteful back and forth of Bobby Britt’s fiddle and Andrew Marlin’s mandolin. I love Jon Stickley’s creative use of open strings and harmonics on the jam. And Miles Andrews holds the whole thing together on his gut string bass. At just over six minutes it’s longer than your typical banjo tune, but if you give the whole track a chance it will take you on quite a ride. Enjoy ‘Thornado’!” — Andy Thorn

Photo credit: John Ryan Lockman (Show Love Media)

LISTEN: Birdie Busch, “He Was Looking”

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Artist: Birdie Busch
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “He Was Looking”
Album: If You Swim Far Enough
Release Date: May 24, 2019
Label: Styles Upon Styles

In Their Words: “‘He Was Looking’ was my desire to write a song for a person that was trying to find their own path away from the brokenness of a family. It’s about trying to steady your heart and head, choose your own as family, and move forward. The song kind of floats in that space between the leaving and the arriving elsewhere.” — Birdie Busch

Photo credit: Randy Scott Carroll

LISTEN: The Small Glories, “Secondhand”

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Artist: The Small Glories
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Song: “Secondhand”
Album: Assiniboine & the Red
Release Date: June 28, 2019
Label: Red House Records

In Their Words: “We spend a significant portion of our life out on the road, without our partners, families, or close friends. When we come home we tell stories about our adventures and share all our photos, and everyone seems happy for us. But the reality is that our loved ones want to be in those pictures; they want to be there with us experiencing all these interesting things together. A song written for those we love, dreaming and wishing they could take the plunge and be out on the road with us.” — Cara Luft, The Small Glories

Photo credit: Aaron Ives

LISTEN: Alice Howe, “You Just Never Know”

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Artist: Alice Howe
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “You Just Never Know”
Album: Visions
Release Date: May 17, 2019

In Their Words: “This song came to me as I was driving west on Route 90, affectionately known as the Mass Pike, leaving Boston in my rearview mirror for what felt like the millionth time. It struck me that I had been on that same road in so many different moods and circumstances over the past decade, from weekends visiting my high school boyfriend to my undergraduate years at Smith College in Northampton, and even the time I drove that highway from start to finish, all the way to its western edge in Seattle. Exits and road signs had become inextricably linked to faces and moments in my memory, all vividly flashing before my eyes as I sped past. After all those years, there I was on the same road, and in a way the road was like an old friend who had seen me grow up. This song describes me in a nutshell: a little nostalgic, but looking excitedly to the future, willing to accept the unknown that lies ahead.” — Alice Howe

Photo credit: Jim Shea

LISTEN: Sarah Eide, “Big Mover”

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Artist: Sarah Eide
Hometown: Rochester, New York
Song: “Big Mover”
Album: Dreams on Hold
Release Date: May 6, 2019

In Their Words: “As many songwriters can attest, there are days when you wake up with a sweet little melody swirling around in your head, and your mission then and there is to catch it before it wisps away. One such morning, my husband called me over to my daughter’s crib saying, ‘Look at our big mover.’ She was only a few months old at the time, but she had somehow made her way from one side of the crib to the other. In that moment, the morning melody and my husband’s words coalesced into the chorus of ‘Big Mover.’ I thought about how quickly life moves and the bittersweetness of seeing your child grow just as quickly through it. I could also see myself in her; my need to rush to get to the next big thing, to accomplish goals big and small, to be constantly in motion. I wrote this song as a way to tell her that I’m excited to see how her life will unfold, while reminding her to take in the beautiful but fleeting present.” — Sarah Eide

Photo credit: Helio Sun Photo

LISTEN: Fletcher’s Grove, “Stray Bird”

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Artist: Fletcher’s Grove
Hometown: Morgantown, West Virginia
Song: “Stray Bird”
Album: Waiting Out the Storm
Release Date: May 17, 2019

In Their Words: “I’m a longtime fan of the likes of Bill Monroe and Del McCoury, so I often look to those folks and their ilk for inspiration. I wanted to write a classic country song for our new record. ‘Stray Bird’ is a modern take that pays homage to an earlier era. One of the last songs to be brought into the studio, ‘Stray Bird’ came together quickly and stood out as a different sound for the band that fit this record.” — Ryan Krofcheck, Fletcher’s Grove

Photo credit: Dan Gifford

LISTEN: Irene Kelley, “Highway Back to You”

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Artist: Irene Kelley
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Highway Back to You”
Album: Benny’s TV Repair
Release Date: May 10, 2019
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “David Starr and I started writing together about two years ago. A friend had the notion that David and I might be a good team and that has proven to be very true. We started out on the day we wrote ‘Highway Back to You’ with a melody that I had and a first part of the verse that David brought. We just let the song take us to where we ended up. A song about asking for a second chance. The highway is always a great metaphor for an emotional journey. This one is full of love, sentiment and hope. The musicians nailed the track and Ronnie Bowman’s harmony vocal is a perfect finishing touch. It is one of my favorite songs to sing on Benny’s TV Repair.” — Irene Kelley

Photo credit: Anne Goetze

LISTEN: Chuck Hawthorne, “Such Is Life (C’est La Vie)”

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Artist: Chuck Hawthorne
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Such Is Life (C’est La Vie)”
Album: Fire Out Of Stone
Release Date: July 26, 2019
Label: 3 Notches Music

In Their Words: “‘Such Is Life (C’est La Vie)’ is a biker song with a French chorus…inspired by a story I heard about a biker’s last days and how his motorcycle club took his ashes on one last ride up into the mountains. Here’s a guy too stoved up to ride, so he takes up a guitar and goes on trips in his mind. Such is life.” — Chuck Hawthorne

Photo credit: Valerie Fremin

LISTEN: An American Forrest, “Dark to Dark”

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Artist: An American Forrest
Hometown: Powatke, Oregon
Song: “Dark to Dark”
Album: O Bronder, Donder Yonder?
Release Date: May 10, 2019
Label: OK Records

In Their Words: “When I apprenticed to the study of horsemanship, my wages were bed and board; my hours were dark to dark. This song comes from being just as ‘green,’ or uneducated, as the horse you’re riding, and a song about growing from that, maturing in ways you don’t expect, learning patience and discipline and sensitivity from the horse while teaching those things to the horse. What is a ‘horse as light as morning?’ Well, that horse could be light in color, or it could be finely trained and ‘light’ on the reins. A Barb-y Mustang would be a horse descended from feral North American horses showing characteristics of the old Spanish Barb breed.” — Forrest Van Tuyl, An American Forrest

Photo credit: Nicole Freshley

LISTEN: Luke Winslow-King, “Going to New Orleans”

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Artist: Luke Winslow-King
Hometown: Cadillac, Michigan
Song: “Going to New Orleans” (single)
Release Date: April 26, 2019
Label: Bloodshot Records

In Their Words: “‘Going to New Orleans’ is this song I learned street busking in New Orleans. The oldest version that I can find is that of Babe Stovall. Babe was a notorious street performer through the ’60s and ’70s. His original version was entitled ‘G’wine to New Orleans.’ I also mixed in a few lyrics from Danny Barker’s Mardi Gras Indian classic ‘Chocko Mee Feendo Hey’ and wrote a few of my own verses. Roberto Luti (Playing for Change) is on electric guitar, and Chris Davis (King James and the Special Men) are featured prominently on the track.” — Luke Winslow-King

Photo credit: Victor Alonso