Tag: Song Premiere

LISTEN: Dustin Bentall, ” If Yer Willin'”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Dustin Bentall
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Song: “If Yer Willin'”
Album: High in the Satellite EP
Release Date: March 1, 2019
Label: Roaring Girl Records

In Their Words: “This is a song about being willing to take that chance in love and those feelings you get when you’re falling in that direction. Sometimes you get on that highway blindly and hope that you can make someone’s life richer in hopes that the same thing returned back to you. And maybe that love is just returning to a place you’ve been going to since childhood.” — Dustin Bentall

Photo credit: Stefan Berrill

LISTEN: Lovers Leap, “Love Is Gonna Live”

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Artist: Lovers Leap
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee / Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Love Is Gonna Live”
Album: Lovers Leap
Release Date: April 19, 2019
Label: Indidog Records

In Their Words: “This song was written by our band members Joel and Shelby during the early days of their courtship, while Joel was living on James Island, South Carolina. Joel was renting an old farm house that had fallen into disrepair, and he was noticing the similarities between his neglected home and his broken heart. The song is a hopeful plea, that love could once again inhabit that old house. The lyrics draw on a deeply personal experience, but began to feel like a political anthem during the run-up to 2018 mid-term elections, with the lonely house symbolizing our broken, loveless political system. The Lovers Leap recording captures a joyful performance with Joel and Shelby swapping lead vocals, Mary chiming in on the choruses, and Billy’s dobro taking flight during the bridge.” — Lovers Leap

Photo credit: Steve Atkins

LISTEN: Silver Lake 66, “Ragged Heart”

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Artist: Silver Lake 66
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Ragged Heart”
Album: Ragged Heart
Release Date: April 5, 2019

In Their Words: “‘Ragged Heart,’ the title track on our new album, was inspired by a documentary we watched about the tragic life of the late, deeply talented Townes Van Zandt. What resonated for me were the consequences brought on by the road taken in the pursuit of the dream. The narrator in ‘Ragged Heart’ yearns to reconnect with an estranged love, even though she realizes that the sacrifices made for the pursuit of a dream demand a heavy price. She’s been through hell and back with her partner, and her heart is worn and ‘ragged,’ although there is still a hint of hope in her words. Musically, the arrangements and instrumentation are stripped down and straight ahead to highlight the vocals. I think of this tune as having a modern California country vibe with a dash of the Bakersfield sound of the ‘60s thrown in for good measure.” — Maria Francis

Photo credit: Jason Quigley

LISTEN: Rainbow Girls, “Daydreaming”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Rainbow Girls
Hometown: Bodega Bay, CA
Song: “Daydreaming”
Album: Give the People What They Want
Release Date: February 22, 2019

In Their Words: “There is a more wistful spirit behind ‘Daydreaming.’ We spend a lot of time on the road and away from the people we love, so this is a song we’ll sing at shows to give ourselves a moment to reflect on those people and relationships we keep with us in our hearts even when we’re 3,000 miles and several time zones away.” — Rainbow Girls

Photo credit: Bradley Cox, Giant Eye Photography

LISTEN: Abigail Dowd, “To Have a Friend”

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Artist: Abigail Dowd
Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina
Song: “To Have a Friend”
Album: Not What I Seem
Release Date: April 5, 2019

In Their Words: “‘To Have a Friend’ was written for an animated film about a dog that’s being created by Out of Our Minds Animation Studios. After they sent me the script, I knew I wanted to write the song from the dog’s perspective, a song that gives a voice to all the dogs out there who need a home. But, however you hear the song, I think a lot of folks can relate, especially to the importance of companionship.

“Writing this song, I would read through the script and then take my dog, who is a rescue, for a long walk. I call them ‘song walks’ and most of this one was written that way, stopping to jot down lyrics as they came. When we were recording the song, my friend Sam Frazier came to the studio and laid down a beautiful second guitar track. There are a handful of musicians who really strike a chord and raise the bar high for me; Sam is one of those. I love any chance we get to play together and so it was a real honor to have him on this song.” — Abigail Dowd

Photo credit: Todd Turner

LISTEN: Big Country Bluegrass, “Keep On Going”

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Artist: Big Country Bluegrass
Hometown: Independence, Virginia
Song: “Keep On Going” (written by Red Allen)
Album: Mountains, Mamas and Memories
Release Date: February 22, 2019
Label: Rebel Records

In Their Words: “’Keep On Going’ appealed to me and my wife Teresa immediately upon hearing it. Red Allen has always been one of my favorite bluegrass lead singers, and when we heard Scotty Stoneman’s fiddling on the original County Records recording, we were hooked. Scotty was part of the Stoneman Family, who were from our neck of the woods here in Southwest Virginia, and his fiddling along with Porter Church’s banjo playing really filled out the song so well. I asked our guitar player Eddie Gill to listen to the song, and when the band cut it in the studio, I was really pleased!” — Tommy Sells

“The lyrics, and the picking and singing stood out, and it was almost like the song was a blueprint of how good bluegrass music should sound.” — Eddie Gill

Photo credit: Sandy Worrell

LISTEN: Vandoliers, “Tumbleweed”

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Artist: Vandoliers
Hometown: Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
Song: “Tumbleweed”
Album: Forever
Release Date: February 22, 2019
Label: Bloodshot Records

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Tumbleweed’ for my father. The poor guy’s has to watch me struggle for a dream he doesn’t really understand — I travel too much, and I know it affects my health and my family. When I get home I’m a wreck most of the time; I’m tired from the long drives, late nights, and spending a month in a different bar or festival every night. But it’s a necessary evil when you’re a mid-level band that’s still cutting its teeth. The album Forever starts with a feeling of wanderlust in the lead track ‘Miles and Miles,’ about a dream of leaving my home town in hopes that I won’t be stuck in the same place the rest of my life. ‘Tumbleweed,’ then, is my return home song — but told from the perspective of my Dad, opening the door to see his son for the first time in months, beat up, broke, and tired from a long adventure. ‘A littler older and no wiser for the wear.” – Joshua Fleming, lead singer/guitar

Photo credit: Mike Brooks

LISTEN: Roses and Cigarettes, “California Going Home”

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Artist: Roses and Cigarettes
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “California Going Home”
Album: Echoes and Silence
Release Date: February 22, 2019

In Their Words: “‘California Going Home’ was written about a relationship that didn’t work out but the love there remains. Not everyone will stay forever and this song is about appreciating that person for who they are and where they are, even if it means your heart is broken in the process.” — Jenny Pagliaro

“This was the last song we wrote for the album. We were over at Jenny’s house, and we were talking about needing one more rockin’ song for the album. I sat on her couch and summoned Janis Joplin to help us out. The chords literally poured out from my hands. Jenny and I looked at each other and she immediately grabbed her phone, a pen, and we recorded the first draft. The song came together fairly quickly. Jenny created this beautiful scenery and imagery with her lyrics and I just love the story she tells in this song. We’ve all been there, and have felt those feelings before.

“We took a lot of inspiration from The Allman Brothers, John Mayer, and Susan Tedeschi for ‘California Going Home.’ After recording our debut album in 2015, I knew I wanted Album 2 to have a song with harmonizing guitar parts. I really had fun playing my Fender Telecaster on this track! Jenny and I both wanted a jam song and a sing-along on this album, and we are so thrilled with how this song turned out! Our producer and bassist, Michael Lyons, really dug deep to create a beautiful production on this song that truly grasps that down-home, sparkly, Americana vibe Jenny and I had envisioned when we wrote it. We were very honored to have Ryan Lipman mix this album, and he really hit it home on this track. Chris Lawrence (pedal steel,) Bobby Victor (keys,) and Vic Vanacore (drums/percussion,) completed the circle with their great energy and musical vibe in the studio to make the song a real jam! — Angela Petrilli

Photo credit: Rachel Louise Photography

LISTEN: Jennah Bell, “Green & Blue”

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Artist: Jennah Bell
Hometown: Oakland, California
Song: “Green & Blue”
Album: Anchors & Elephants
Release Date: February 22

In Their Words: “In my early twenties, I would often find myself trying to have ‘the correct emotional response’ in confrontational situations. Smile instead of cry. Laugh instead of scream. This song was written in a moment of observing how fear was standardizing my ability to be vulnerable. Over time, I realized that one small act of bravery could be crying instead smiling, and living that truth out in the open. This song is an ode to that.” — Jennah Bell

Photo credit: Mallory Talty

LISTEN: The Infamous Stringdusters, “Somewhere in Between”

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Artist:The Infamous Stringdusters
Song: “Somewhere in Between”
Album: Rise Sun
Release Date: April 5, 2019
Label: Tape Time Records

In Their Words: “I remember back when my wife and I had our friend Daniel Walker over for dinner. He brought his guitar and had this little idea he wanted to write about, so we threw on some dinner and started a fire in the outdoor pit. We were both wanting to write about a state of mind we had been experiencing a lot and decided that it was ok to be feeling it. That feeling centered on being somewhere in between where we have come from and where we are going, but not being there yet. Sometimes it’s ok to be in that state of mind and we shouldn’t always be feeling pressure to have it all together all the time. Sometimes when writers write, it’s for our own healing and well-being and when a song is finished, it’s awesome to be able to share it and have other people identify with the meaning.” — Jeremy Garrett, The Infamous Stringdusters

Photo credit: Aaron Farrington