Tag: Video premiere

WATCH: Selwyn Birchwood, “Exorcist”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Selwyn Birchwood
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Song: “Exorcist”
Album: Exorcist
Release Date: June 9, 2023
Label: Alligator Records

In Their Words:  “‘Exorcist’ is the most vivid song on this album. It is meant to evoke and stir your emotions as you listen. The music video allowed me to paint the rest of the song’s story and picture visually. I have spent the last four weeks working on and editing this video to create an immersive cinematic experience and I couldn’t be happier with the final product. This is my masterpiece!” – Selwyn Birchwood

Photo Credit: Marilyn Stringer

WATCH: Elias Alexander & Maura Shawn Scanlin, “Wildflower”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Elias Alexander, Maura Shawn Scanlin, Ramblxr
Hometown: Portland, OR
Song: “Wildflower”
Album: Wildflower (single)
Release Date: June 1, 2023 (single); June 7, 2023 (video)

In Their Words: “‘Wildflower’ combines a fiddle tune with a lo-fi disco groove to take the listener on a journey through a field of wildflowers to a sunset dance party with friends. I’ve always loved the presence and emotionality that Maura brings to her fiddle playing. When she sent me this newly composed reel that she had written within the bagpipe scale, I took a lot of time to listen to the tune and tease out the corners of the melody. Like many tunes in the bagpipe scale, the tonality could be interpreted a number of different ways, but as I played around with it, I found this sort-of disco counter melody emerging.

“During the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 I became obsessed with music production, in the way that term is used in pop and hip-hop (i.e. beatmaking), and I’ve been most drawn to the kind of lo-fi groovy bedroom pop sounds of artists like Clairo or Dominic Fike.

“Electronic drum beats, synths, and other pop production techniques are often eschewed in folk and traditional music, but I think it’s time we re-evaluate that. These tools are technology, in the same way that the violin is technology, and they all serve as tools for expression of the human spirit. I started my project ‘Ramblxr’ as a way to bridge the two worlds of acoustic traditional music and electronics, with the goal of staying true to my musical roots, taste, and evolving sensibilities.

“Maura laid down some beautiful strings, and we both hummed the countermelody to bring the track to a climax that feels like a sunset dance party with friends in a field of wildflowers in early June. I hope you enjoy the ride!” – Elias Alexander

Photo Credit: Elias Alexander by Anna Colliton; Maura Shawn Scanlin by Louise Bichan.

WATCH: Joseph Terrell, “Tallest House of Cards” (feat. Charly Lowry)

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Joseph Terrell
Hometown: Durham, NC
Song: “Tallest House of Cards” (featuring Charly Lowry)
Album: Good For Nothing Howl
Release Date: May 5, 2023
Label: Sleepy Cat Records

In Their Words: “Charly Lowry is one of my favorite singers in North Carolina. I love her voice and her presence and I really admire how rooted she is in her community in Eastern North Carolina (AKA “down east” AKA the most interesting part of the state with the most swamps and collard greens per capita). We met up in Pembroke, NC at Charly’s bar, Credentials Social Club, and she helped me record a beautiful version of this song from my album … thanks to Charly for bringing it to life. Directed by my great buddies Sandra Davidson and Cameron Laws, we made a day trip out of it, got Mexican at Charly’s favorite spot beforehand, and then Cook Out milkshakes afterward (banana pudding). It was a pleasure all around.

“‘Tallest House of Cards’ is about some great duos who burned hot and bright for a little while. You know Bonnie & Clyde, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. Y’all maybe don’t know the story of Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon, the surveyors who drew the famous line, but they were a wild pairing, too. I’ve got some other verses (Bert & Ernie, Siegfried & Roy) that I might bust out live.” – Joseph Terrell

Video directed by Sandra Katharine Davidson and Cameron Elizabeth Laws

Photo Credit: Joseph Blankinship

WATCH: Sean Trischka, “Why You Been Gone So Long” (feat. Jacob Jolliff)

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Sean Trischka
Hometown: Fair Lawn, New Jersey
Song: “Why You Been Gone So Long” (feat. Jacob Jolliff)
Release Date: May 19, 2023 (single); June 2, 2023 (video)

In Their Words: “50 years ago, almost to the day, Clarence White melted faces and stole hearts when he sang ‘Why You Been Gone So Long’ at a show in a small room in Stockholm, Sweden. The recording of this essentially punk-rock performance can be found on The New Kentucky Colonel’s Live in Sweden record, which has been living rent-free in my head from the moment I heard it.

“The ruggedness of Clarence’s voice paired with the comfortable looseness of the band reminded me why I love bluegrass, but also why I love rock music. I wanted to do something that would pay tribute to both the song and the energy of that version.

“I played all the instruments on the basic track and, during recording, left a space for a guitar solo that I assumed I’d clumsily crank out myself at a later date. But as dumb luck would have it, I had lunch with Jacob Jolliff shortly after recording and immediately thought his unabashed, incredible, stream-of-consciousness playing style would be perfect for the track. We recorded his performance at my apartment in New York City – and he melted my face and stole my heart.

“As for the video, it’s my chaotic visual rendering of a bluegrass/rock mind-meld. I hope you enjoy. <3” – Sean Trischka

Photo Credit: Sam Kassirer

WATCH: David Sasso, “Lecha Dodi”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: David Sasso
Hometown: Hamden, Connecticut
Song: “Lecha Dodi”
Album: Sasson v’Simcha: Selections from a Bluegrass Erev Shabbat
Release Date: June 9, 2023

In Their Words: “Here’s a straight-ahead bluegrass setting of a 16th-century Hebrew poem that’s central to the Friday night Jewish liturgy. I’m a classically-trained composer who grew up in Bill Monroe’s stomping grounds of Indiana, but found bluegrass in Connecticut, where I work by day as a psychiatrist.

“Over the pandemic, I wrote original bluegrass songs to the traditional Hebrew prayers of the Friday evening Sabbath service. I recorded seven of the songs in February along with members of the Boston-based Jewish bluegrass band, Jacob’s Ladder, and premiered them live at my father’s retirement as rabbi in Indianapolis. My parents are both rabbis, and these texts have always been close to my heart. The title of the album, Sasson v’Simcha, is Hebrew for Joy and Delight.

“This song, ‘Lecha Dodi,’ (the ‘ch’ pronounced like in Bach) is the high point of the service known as Kabbalat Shabbat, a collection of Psalms and poems that get us in the spiritual mood to welcome the Sabbath. The chorus translates to ‘Come, my beloved, to greet the Bride; let us welcome the Sabbath presence.’ Bluegrass can often feel like a transformative and prayerful experience, so I think the mash-up works … no knowledge of bluegrass or Hebrew required!” – David Sasso

Photo Credit: Sean Casini

WATCH: Zoe & Cloyd, “Up and At ‘Em”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Zoe & Cloyd
Hometown: Asheville, NC
Song: “Up and At ‘Em”
Album: Songs of Our Grandfathers
Release Date: May 19, 2023
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘Up and At ‘Em’ is one of my favorite Jim Shumate compositions and the title track to his 1991 album of that name. Jim was always proud that this record made it onto the Library of Congress/American Folklife Center’s list of outstanding folk recordings of that year, as it marked his return to recording after a decade-long hiatus. Since this tune is in a minor key, it really dovetails well with the klezmer material on Songs of Our Grandfathers, especially with Natalya’s added doina intro. We were psyched to have Andy Statman play mandolin on it for the album and he gave it a really cool treatment using the Monroe ‘Get Up John’ tuning for some old school flavor.

“For the video we had Kevin Kehrberg and Ben Krakauer with us and Aaron from Old Home Place Recordings thought it would be fun to have the camera in the middle while we played the tune in a circle, jam style. It’s a different approach that makes you feel like you’re inside the performance and it turned out great!” – John Cloyd Miller

Photo Credit: Sarah Johnston

WATCH: The Lonesome Ace Stringband, “Crossing the Junction / Deer River”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: The Lonesome Ace Stringband
Hometown: Toronto, ON / Horsefly, BC
Song: “Crossing the Junction / Deer River”
Release Date: June 2, 2023

In Their Words: “The Junction is the neighborhood in Toronto that John and I live at either end of. In the early days of the pandemic, one of us would have to cross the Junction every time we wanted to get together to play music. There was such an uncertain and ominous vibe to everything at that time, even something as simple as walking across your own neighborhood seemed fraught and uncertain. I think you can feel that tension in this tune we wrote together.

“The second tune in this medley is named after a river I grew up fishing in Eastern Ontario. There are lots of waterfalls, and plunge pools as the river runs from pool to pool – I think you can hear it tumble along, especially in the first part of this tune.” – Chris Coole

Photo Credit: Joel Louis Varjassy

WATCH: Keturah Allgood, “Rosary Beads”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Keturah Allgood
Hometown: Brevard, NC
Song: “Rosary Beads”
Album: Shine 
Release Date: May 29, 2023 (single); August 25, 2023 (album)
Label: Charlotte Avenue Entertainment

In Their Words: “This song was written in my cabin on my farm where I was living at the time. It was a snowy day and everything outside was beautiful and peaceful. I closed my eyes and this song unfolded like a movie. I could see a young man driving down a Southwestern highway with rosary beads hanging on his rearview mirror. He was grappling with his childhood memories which were beautiful and his current reality which was formed from trauma, from war, from pain. The movie in my head was beautiful and tragic all at the same time. My partner is a combat vet and as the person who loves him and is close to him I watch him struggle with his past and how to live a happy and fulfilled life while still being faced with the trauma of war. No matter where we come from all of us have darkness that we have to confront and deal with in order to heal and move forward. I don’t want anyone to ever feel alone with that struggle and that is why it was so important to add a message at the end of the video for this song to remind everyone that they are not alone and that there are resources out there if you find yourself struggling. You don’t have to be afraid to ask for help.” — Keturah Allgood

“As a Director, working on a song as beautiful as ‘Rosary Beads’ and an artist as gifted as Keturah, leaves you a wide open pallet to work with. Keturah and I discussed some issues that were near and dear to her when coming up with this powerful story and I couldn’t be more proud of this video and Keturah. The cast was amazing and our production crew and DP were all stellar.” – Michelle Robertson (producer, Charlotte Avenue Pictures)

Photo Credit: Jeremy Ryan

WATCH: Gary Brewer, “Old Brown Case”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Gary Brewer
Hometown: Louisville, KY
Song: “Old Brown Case”
Album: House of Axes
Release Date: May 26, 2023 (single); June 30, 2023 (album)

In Their Words: “This is the main axe I’ve carried on the road with me all these years. It’s a 1941 D-28 Herringbone. All-original. You can see she’s got quite a bit of wear on it. One of 183 ever made and she’s still doing good. A good and strong guitar. Going to see if I can go way back and do an old Norman Blake song I recorded a number of years ago. It’s called ‘Old Brown Case.'” – Gary Brewer

Photo Credit: Alyssa Brewer

WATCH: ISMAY, “Stranger In the Barn”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: ISMAY
Hometown: Petaluma, CA
Song: “Stranger In the Barn”
Album: Desert Pavement
Release Date: May 25, 2023 (video)
Label: Ismay Music

In Their Words: “‘Stranger In the Barn’ depicts a child living on a farm who goes to do chores in the morning, when they encounter a man sleeping in the barn. After running to their parents, the family has to make a decision about how to confront him – should they attack the man and chase him away? They decide to offer him food and drink, and he makes his way on to the grange hall down the road. The story is about taking down our walls, and rather than meeting the unknown with contempt and anger, instead offering curiosity.” – ISMAY

Photo Credit: Aubrey Trinnaman