Tag: Song Premiere

LISTEN: Uncle Walt’s Band, “Your Father’s Frown”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Uncle Walt’s Band
Hometowns: Spartanburg/Austin/Nashville
Song: “Your Father’s Frown”
Album: Uncle Walt’s Band
Release Date: March 29, 2019
Label: Omnivore

In Their Words: “This Walter Hyatt tune shows the band’s folk roots with its acoustic picking and three-part harmony. This song was one of the first ever recorded by the band on their original 1970 demo recordings.” — Mark Michel, executive reissue producer

“A real favorite that we played live for a while. I remember us talking about this song and the line ‘the moon comes up in the west.’ He (Walter Hyatt) used words to capture the feeling, which he did very well in his songs. Great lyrics as always.” — David Ball

Photo courtesy of Omnivore Records

LISTEN: Wolf van Elfmand, “Not Pretty”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Wolf van Elfmand
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Song: “Not Pretty”
Album: Gypsum
Single Release Date: March 1, 2019
Album Release Date: September 2019

In Their Words: “‘Not Pretty’ is the debut single off our upcoming album, Gypsum. It’s a bit of a toe-tapping, rockabilly number that the band and I arranged over the past few months. I was listening to a lot of Roger Miller when writing it and wanted to nod to his tongue-in-cheek yet thought-provoking style. Lyrically, ‘Not Pretty’ is expressing the old idea that you won’t know unless you try. You can’t let insecurity or fear run the show. You’ve got to be bold and you’ve got to believe.” — Wolf van Elfmand

Photo credit: Ben Larroquette

LISTEN: Julie Belle, “The Only Way to Mend Is to Forgive”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Julie Belle
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Song: “The Only Way to Mend Is to Forgive”
Release Date: March 1, 2019

In Their Words: “‘The Only Way to Mend Is to Forgive’ is a really long title, and I’ve been particularly stubborn about abbreviating it because I believe so strongly in the message. I love that people are talking about heart-work and wholeness, and I think forgiveness is the most important part. And for sure the worst part. I’ve learned (the hard way) that pain only serves to keep me tethered to the thing that hurts me most, and forgiveness is the only way to get free. This song is really about the idea of exploring that freedom.” — Julie Belle

Photo credit: Julie Belle

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”

Posted on by Editor

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”

Posted on by Editor

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”

Posted on by Editor

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”

Posted on by Editor

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”

Posted on by Editor

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