Tag: Song Premiere

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

LISTEN: The South Austin Moonlighters, “Nowhere Left to Run”

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Artist: The South Austin Moonlighters
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Nowhere Left to Run”
Album: Travel Light
Release Date: May 17, 2019
Label: Station House Records

In Their Words: “I had once heard it said from a well-known songwriter, ‘If you ever have a chance to kill someone off in a song, do it!’ I guess this was running through my mind one pale winter’s morning while strumming on a Fender Stratocaster unplugged. I’m not sure who this poor fellow is, or how he was handed such a bad hand in life, but it paints a picture. I particularly like the line that says, ‘Now he’s staring into his child’s eyes telling thinly veiled lies about mamma and baby and things now in the past.’ Pretty damn dark! But then, you get the shift to a major key for the chorus that makes things seem somewhat brighter.” — Phil Hurley, The South Austin Moonlighters

Photo credit: Valerie Fremin

LISTEN: Dan Hubbard, “We Are One”

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Artist: Dan Hubbard
Hometown: Bloomington, Illinois
Song: “We Are One”
Album: Attention
Release Date: April 26, 2019

In Their Words: “When I listen to Top 40 radio, seemingly every song is about having sex (not that there is anything wrong with that) but they are rarely about making love, and more about satisfying our own desires and treating one another like objects. This song is about the sacred experience of being intimate with someone in a relationship based on mutual love and respect. Musically we tried to make the verses feel easy and free, similar to Tom Petty’s ‘Wildflowers,’ with the choruses bringing in the intensity and a change of pace.” — Dan Hubbard

Photo credit: Dani Lang

LISTEN: Chain Station, “Half Full”

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Artist: Chain Station
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Song: “Half Full”
Album: Backroads
Release Date: May 3, 2019

In Their Words: “‘Half Full’ is a laid-back, feel-good bluegrass song that’s all about positivity, living the good life and finding the light on the darkest days. ‘Half Full’ was inspired by my father, Pat Pickett, whose humor and energy were, and are, a comfort to everyone he met. This song is a celebration, so raise your glasses and…keep your glass half full!” — Jon Pickett, bassist, Chain Station

Photo credit: Johnny Brewers