Tag: tennessee

LISTEN: East Nash Grass, “Magic City Grey”

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Artist: East Nash Grass
Hometown: Madison, Tennessee
Song: “Magic City Grey”
Album: Last Chance to Win
Release Date: August 18, 2023
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “When our buddy Christian Ward and my brother Jarrod wrote this one, we couldn’t help but think of our beautiful home, Madison. They wrote it about Magic City (Birmingham, Alabama) but THEY WROTE IT IN MADISON. Madison IS Magic City to us, and we love the song. This was the first song we recorded that morning at the Tractor Shed. We’re so excited for people to hear our new album, Last Chance to Win, available August 2023.” — Cory Walker, East Nash Grass

Photo Credit: Aaron Fishbein

LISTEN: Jill Andrews, “Dark Days”

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Artist: Jill Andrews
Hometown: Johnson City, Tennessee
Song: “Dark Days”
Label: Vulture Vulture/Tone Tree Music

In Their Words: “Often when I’m confronted with something painful in a relationship, I go into self-protection mode where I hide instead of face the issue at hand. I wrote this song about a specific circumstance where this reaction of mine felt like abandonment to the other person and sent us off into different corners, each feeling alone and misunderstood. This song is my way of trying to revise history and make amends with it. It’s also a promise that I will always try to walk alongside him even on his hardest days. Over the past few years when I’d sit down to write, old memories would flood in, distant smells and visions. At first I dismissed them but they kept coming day after day. Eventually my writing sessions became more of a meditation, with me sitting quietly on the couch listening for ideas flowing from some seemingly magical and unconscious place. I am so excited to be releasing new music this year, stay tuned for much more.” — Jill Andrews

Photo Credit: Fairlight Hubbard

WATCH: Joseph Decosimo, “The Fox Chase / Lost Gander”

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Artist: Joseph Decosimo
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Song: “The Fox Chase / Lost Gander”
Album: While You Were Slumbering
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Label: Sleepy Cat Records

In Their Words: “Here’s one for all of y’all who’ve lost a dog. I recorded it at home, DIY style, singing and playing all the instruments — fiddles, banjo, pump organ — a while back, thinking it was a lovely pairing of old pieces, but when my dear dog Charlie died last August, this ballad about a dog wandering into the cosmos opened up some space for me to grieve my departed friend. I drew both pieces from the beautiful singing and playing of the Tennessee ballad singer and banjo player Dee Hicks, who sang over 400 songs — 200 of which he learned from his family. An old English hunting ballad, ‘The Fox Chase’ dates to the late 1600s but made its way with the Hicks family onto Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, where their hounds sounded out across the tablelands and gorges. The second piece, the ‘Lost Gander,’ is a rare, regional banjo number in a special tuning that allows the shimmering chimes that Dee Hicks said sounded like geese honking in the sky at night. My friend and label pal Gabe Anderson had his departed hound Amos in mind as he put this video together with beautiful watercolors and sketches from N.C. visual artist Larissa Wood. I grew up on the southern end of the plateau and love how her watercolors capture this special landscape.” — Joseph Decosimo

Photo Credit: Libby Rodenbough

WATCH: Adeem the Artist, “Middle of a Heart”

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Artist: Adeem the Artist
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
Song: “Middle of a Heart”
Album: White Trash Revelry
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Label: Four Quarters Records and Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “I wrote this song for my friend Bob in many ways. Bob was a retired Knoxville Police Officer who I’d make bacon and eggs for every morning and we’d watch the news and watch the birds and he’d tell me stories about Carlene and the boys. I miss him, still. He was a richly problematic man who I loved deeply. A photo of him still hangs above my desk. I know he thought of me as one of his kids and even though we disagreed about nearly everything, his care and sensitivity are what drive me to continue to connect and relate with folks who seem so far removed from me.” — Adeem the Artist

Photo Credit: Madison Miles Photography

LISTEN: The Kody Norris Show, “Mountain Rosalie”

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Artist: The Kody Norris Show
Hometown: Mountain City, Tennessee
Song: “Mountain Rosalie”
Release Date: October 7, 2022
Label: Rebel Records

In Their Words: “‘Mountain Rosalie’ is a song that I was first introduced to when I was just a kid. I’ve always considered it as one of the underrated gems of traditional country music. It’s a York Brothers number that was recorded by Reno & Smiley and then later cut by Ralph Stanley as well. We have performed it on some live shows in the past with an abundance of positive audience response. When the opportunity of recording some new music came about, ‘Mountain Rosalie’ was definitely at the top of our list.” — Kody Norris

Rebel Records Bluegrass · The Kody Norris Show – Mountain Rosalie (single)

Photo Credit: Amy Richmond

LISTEN: The Young Fables, “Been Here the Whole Time”

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Artist: The Young Fables
Hometown: Maryville, Tennessee
Song: “Been Here the Whole Time”
Album: Pages
Release Date: September 30, 2022

In Their Words: “There were three songs that we had written that were non-negotiables for me for inclusion on the record. One was for my sister Lindy, one was for my father Big Ron, and one described my experience with losing them both inside the same year. ‘Been Here the Whole Time’ is a song that has been very important to my healing. It is essentially a collection of thoughts that my father shared with me over the years that I wanted to carve in stone so that I never forget them. What better way than to put them in a song? Now that we perform the song regularly, the words have become a mantra of sorts that will remain with me forever.

“I believe it’s important to realize that just because a loved one has moved on, it doesn’t mean they are not still with you. I imagine that my father is looking down on me and still witnessing my growth and my decisions in my daily life. He would not want me to shut down on account of losing him. ‘Been Here The Whole Time’ reminds me that there is so much life yet to live and that I should continue to live in a manner that would make my father proud.” — Laurel Wright, The Young Fables

Photo Credit: Jeremy Ryan

LISTEN: Amythyst Kiah, “Chained to the Rhythm” (Katy Perry Cover)

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Artist: Amythyst Kiah
Hometown: Johnson City, Tennessee
Song: “Chained to the Rhythm”
Album: Pensive Pop EP
Label: Rounder Records
Release Date: August 12, 2022

In Their Words: “I remember watching the ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ music video and being blown away by a kind of infectious, self-medicated joy within an ever-colorful dystopia. It actually inspired the poem that would later become ‘Fancy Drones (Fracture Me).’ I’ve always been fascinated by songs that you can shut your brain off to and dance, while also pointing out that something is terribly wrong. Breaking free of the cycle of mindless consumerism and incessant comparison and creating a life of meaning and some sense of purpose is a difficult task. And while the irony of a famous pop star on a major label singing and performing a song that questions the very listener that is dancing is not lost on me, we do each have to ask ourselves, ‘When will we have enough?’

“The songs on Pensive Pop were chosen before the title, before any real concept came to light. Quite simply, I chose songs that I love and wanted to see if I could keep their integrity while also matching a sound that’s authentic to me. I enjoy games and this process was like a puzzle. The common themes throughout this record address the lamenting external factors that can impede us on our journey in life and the struggle to accept and work through those challenges. Fear is at the center of all of these songs: fear of rejection, fear of change, fear of sobriety, fear of living in the present. Pensive Pop is my reinterpretation of pop/rock songs in order to bring more attention to the stories being told.” — Amythyst Kiah

Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: The Alex Leach Band, “Together (We’re Going All the Way)”

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Artist: The Alex Leach Band
Hometown: Jacksboro, Tennessee
Song: “Together (We’re Going All the Way)”
Album: All the Way
Release Date: August 19, 2022
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “A few months ago I was in my office working on writing some new material, and after playing around with many ideas, a certain melody just kept coming back to me. It was catchy so I decided to write some lyrics with it. It was actually one of the easiest songs I’ve ever written! The words started flowing freely as I pictured being on the road doing what I love with the band, mixed in with some deep thoughts about my personal life, and thinking about how amazing this world would be if we all viewed one another as a brother or sister, even if we all don’t see eye to eye on things. Life is a journey so let’s stand beside one another and enjoy the ride together!” — Alex Leach

Crossroads Label Group · 01 Together (We’re Going All The Way)

Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: Nathan Kalish, “Past the Everglades”

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Artist: Nathan Kalish
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Past the Everglades”
Album: Great Big Motel Bed In the Sky
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Label: JTM Music

In Their Words: “‘Past the Everglades’ is like my ‘Margaritaville.’ It’s about checking out. As a working musician and as any of the many jobs I’ve had in my life. You work hard and often just feel like an impostor at the end of the day or the end of a week or even after years. Stepping away from it and spending the rest of your days on an island. It’s a song about never feeling fulfilled from the results of hard work.

“My producing method is a mix between modern and classic techniques. We track in studio with the whole band playing at the same time. After each take I give some directions and the band talks through stuff together. Usually by the third take we all go in to the control room and listen. Then sometimes we make some micing, tone, arrangement or performance adjustments. We head back in the room together and do a few more takes until we are happy with our parts. Then we eat snacks until we are ready to do another tune.

“After we spend a whole day doing this I take them home to my studio (the Maroon Lagoon red room) and I smear and smudge them until I like it enough to show the world. Sometimes they don’t get to that point. That’s why we track a lot of tunes in a day. Sometimes I have to eat the weak cuts for sustenance on my way down the path of art. The goal is always to find a vibe that serves the lyrics or the mood of the tune. There are methods but no rules and everything can be an exception to a method if it serves the song.” — Nathan Kalish

Photo Credit: Ryan Hartley

LISTEN: Donna Ulisse, “Gray Rock, Red Clay Land”

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Artist: Donna Ulisse
Hometown: Hampton, Virginia
Song: “Gray Rock, Red Clay Land” (written by Donna Ulisse and Becky Buller)
Album: Livin’ Large
Release Date: February 25, 2022
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “My husband Rick Stanley found our eight acres of paradise on a website one evening and talked me into going over for a gander. We had lived in Nashville proper for 31 years and the thought of leaving was bittersweet but when we saw this place in Lebanon, Tennessee, it was love at first sight. There are random, large slabs of limestone running through the fields where the most interesting purple and yellow flowers bloom. We had to dig some of them up to get it looking like we dreamed, which gave me the first line of the song. My daddy and brother were also here to help us when we first moved and I don’t think I can ever look at the sweeping pasture without seeing my daddy bent over working on the land. And YES, there is red clay to shovel through to plant a garden…so the hook fell out as natural as the flowers that grow here.” — Donna Ulisse

Photo Credit: Kim Lancaster