Tag: Video premiere

WATCH: The Rough & Tumble, “You’re Not Going Alone”

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Artist: The Rough & Tumble
Hometown: On the road permanently, with a P.O. Box in East Nashville
Song: “You’re Not Going Alone”
Album: We’re Only Family If You Say So
Release Date: February 19, 2021

In Their Words: “Written in the spring of 2019 in a borrowed kitchen in Michigan, one week after the collapse of our family. This song is one that was written into the darkness, realizing that we could never go home again — not in the way we always have, if at all. But those things — like the maple tree in the front yard, or the blackberry bushes — those can still be ours. As difficult and traumatic as family severance is, we decided we didn’t have to lose everything. We didn’t have to be alone. We have as much right to a family to call our own as the family that won’t call us their own, anymore.” — Scott Tyler and Mallory Graham, The Rough & Tumble

Photo credit: Annie Minicuci Fine Art Photography

WATCH: Scott MacKay, “Romance Novel”

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Artist: Scott MacKay
Hometown: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Song: “Romance Novel”
Album: Stupid Cupid
Release Date: January 8, 2021

In Their Words: “The seed of this song was inspired by my mother’s book collection, which consists of many Jodi Picoult novels. Many evenings I’d find my mother reclined back on her pink chair with a glass of red wine in one hand and a romance novel in the other. At the same time, my dad would be stretched out on the couch with a beer and some chips cursing at the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“I initially brought the idea to a co-writing session with a writer I had never written with before and we wrote a version that was called Harlequin, but I wasn’t crazy about how it turned out. I decided to rework the lyrics and the music myself months later and finally landed on something I was happy with. There is a tradition of humour in country music and I really wanted the album to reflect that. ‘Romance Novel’ is one of the ten tracks on this album that honours that tradition.” — Scott MacKay

Photo credit: Nicole Anne MacKay

WATCH: The Wood Brothers, “Honey Jar” (The Muse Live 2020)

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Artist: The Wood Brothers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Honey Jar” (Live)
Album: The Muse (to be released on 2-LP vinyl in March 2021)

In Their Words: “It felt so good to play together for a day and get a small taste of the fun we have touring and playing shows. It’s like we didn’t get to go to summer camp this year. We miss it so bad. We’re looking forward to connecting with fans and friends on the live chat, as well. The community around the band means so much to us, so it’ll be really fun to be together with everyone.” — Oliver Wood, The Wood Brothers

Photo Credit: Come To Life Media

WATCH: The Arcadian Wild, “Fall: War”

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Artist: The Arcadian Wild
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Fall: War”
Album: Principium
Release Date: January 2021
Label: The Arcadian Wild/ONErpm

In Their Words: “I’m really excited about how the arrangement and recording of ‘Fall: War’ turned out. Isaac (guitarist/co-writer) and I pseudo-finished these songs that make up Principium and put a pin in them a few years ago, but they really came into their own when we dusted them off at the beginning of 2020. I think the time simmering on the back-burner served them well, and we were able to bring them to life in a way that wasn’t initially possible. Bailey and Erik (fiddle and bass, respectively) were wonderful collaborators, and they played irreplaceable roles in shaping and refining the music. We’re grateful to have had their artistic voices as a part of this process.

“‘Fall: War’ was actually the creative starting point of Principium, even though it’s the third of four movements. In some ways, it’s the heart of the work. It’s also the most physically intense song in the cycle, which gave us a fantastic opportunity to pretend to be a rock band, so my high school pop-punk dreams have all come true. Moreover, I’m totally blown away by the short-film installment for ‘Fall.’ Greyson Welch has done an incredible job of telling this story visually, and I am so proud to work with such a gifted team of artists as we realize a little passion project that’s years in the making. It’s great to finally get to share it.” — Lincoln Mick, The Arcadian Wild (mandolinist/writer)

Photo credit: Shelby M’lynn Mick

WATCH: Tina Adair, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”

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Artist: Tina Adair
Hometown: Haleyville, Alabama
Single: “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”
Release Date: October 30, 2020
Label: EMG – Engelhardt Music Group

In Their Words: “I have loved this song and been singing it since I was a little girl. I always thought this would make a good bluegrass song and wanted to record it for some time now. So when I joined the EMG team, Adam Englehardt, Glen Duncan and I met to go through material for the album. I brought this song in and they loved the idea of doing a bluegrass version. Once it was all finished, we all looked at each other and almost at the same time said, ‘This should be the first single!’ To me, this is a song about the never-ending love story and about hope and happiness.” — Tina Adair

Photo credit: John Dorton

WATCH: Katie Oates, “Here in Gastonia”

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Artist: Katie Oates
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Song: “Here in Gastonia”
Album: We Go On: Si Kahn’s Songs of Hope in Hard Times
Release Date: January 29, 2021
Label: Hollow Reed Arts Recordings

In Their Words: “Filmed as a live performance on location at Loray Mill, ‘Here in Gastonia’ (written by Si Kahn) commemorates the 1929 textile strike in Gastonia, North Carolina. Containing historic and current-day footage of the mill and the strike, the music video is dedicated to textile worker and songwriter, Ella May Wiggins. Mother of 10 young children, Ella May used her songs to help union leaders organize and lobby congress for better wages and working conditions. The strike was met with violent suppression. 29-year-old Ella May was shot and killed while in a pickup truck with fellow workers on her way to a union meeting. The song and video remind us of the ongoing struggle for better lives and of the sacrifices people make in the fight for justice — past, present and future. We will continue their fight. We Go On.” — Katie Oates

Photo credit: Charlotte Star Room

WATCH: Stillhouse Junkies, “Mountains of New Mexico”

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Artist: Stillhouse Junkies
Hometown: Durango, Colorado
Song: “Mountains of New Mexico”
Album: Calamity

In Their Words: “‘Mountains of New Mexico’ is an old-school murder ballad about misunderstood victim vs. outlaw, but it’s also an ode to the great wildernesses of the American West and their ability, even in the Information Age, to humble us as they have since the beginning of time. And what better backdrop for this kind of tale than northern New Mexico’s Bisti Badlands, a sun-scarred, alien landscape of hoodoos, gullies, and maze-like washes. The August sun limited our video shoot schedule to early morning and sunset, and the light was nothing short of magical; the song’s windswept climax came to life in a way we had scarcely imagined. ‘Mountains of New Mexico’ is a reminder that trading one kind of trouble for another doesn’t always work in our favor.” — Cody Tinnin, Stillhouse Junkies

Photo credit: Renee Anna Cornue

WATCH: Jeff Cramer and The Wooden Sound, “Aimless Love”

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Artist: Jeff Cramer and The Wooden Sound (Emma Rose, Dylan McCarthy, Dave Pailet)
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Song: “Aimless Love” (John Prine cover)
Album: The Shed Sessions
Release Date: November 20, 2020

In Their Words: “I dreamt up ‘the shed’ late last year — a backyard DIY project fueled by a desire to provide space and community within Colorado’s incredible songwriter scene — which, as luck would have it, I finished building at the end of February this year. During the pandemic, it has become my office and writing space, and it ultimately brought me to a vision for a video series of live-recorded new, old, and cover songs with my new band, The Wooden Sound. I’m excited to be releasing seven videos and tracks from the The Shed Sessions over the next two weeks, starting with a cover of John Prine’s ‘Aimless Love’ here.

“Aimless Love was my first John Prine record, and while it might not be amongst his most prominent, the title track especially has become one of my favorites. Maybe it was discovering it as a teenager — as a small fry kid in a Midwestern town — that caused me to feel a special closeness to it. John Prine was able to add a sense of warmth and humor to the messiest of human conditions and somehow make it personal to everyone (including me) in the process. I also vividly remember playing Aimless Love under the full moon in my backyard in Denver the moment we learned that he had passed. It felt appropriate to release this video as my little tribute to him.” — Jeff Cramer

Photo credit: Payden Widner

WATCH: Tejon Street Corner Thieves, “No Good” (Acoustic)

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Artist: Tejon Street Corner Thieves
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Song: “No Good” (Acoustic)
Album: Monarch Sessions
Release Date: October 16, 2020
Label: Liars Club

In Their Words: “At first glance, ‘No Good’ is about being a party animal. But a more in-depth look reveals the struggle for acceptance and a teetering battle with impostor syndrome. It’s easier to be hard on yourself than it is to understand why people like you. The song is a reminder to practice a positive self-image even though it takes work. Monarch Sessions combines both audio and video mediums so that we were able to portray our most authentic and emotionally-fueled performance in a time when live music isn’t an option. The video accompaniment allows for an inside look at our own reactions to the songs as we perform them, adding a layer to the album that wouldn’t be achievable otherwise. We put our heart and soul into these songs and you can finally see it through Monarch Sessions.” — Connor O’Neal, Tejon Street Corner Thieves

Photo credit: Gabriel Rovick @F4DStudio

WATCH: Ivan & Alyosha, “Whiskey & Wine”

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Artist: Ivan & Alyosha
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Song: “Whiskey & Wine” (with Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth)
Album: Ivan & Alyosha
Release Date: October 23, 2020
Label: Nettwerk

In Their Words: “Within the song, he’s pleading with his love to give him another chance. Throughout the song, it describes what brings a man to the low points of relying on that escape. It’s extreme, but we all can relate to just wanting to check out and be numb. Sometimes it just takes someone seeing the light in our day for us to get to the other side.

“Brandi, Tim and Phil have been a huge inspiration and taught us so much about life on the road, the music industry, and how to stay connected with each other and with our fans. In the early days of Ivan & Alyosha, they gave us the gift of opening up for them on the road. Now they have given us the gift of some pretty amazing harmonies on this track.” — Ivan & Alyosha

Photo credit: Joe Day