Tag: Video premiere

WATCH: Handsome Ghost, “Weeds”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Handsome Ghost
Hometown: Worcester County, Massachusetts
Song: “Weeds”
Album: Some Still Morning
Release Date: September 18, 2020
Label: Photo Finish Records

In Their Words: “‘Weeds’ may be the brightest song on our record. The melody, the production — and the lyrics too. It’s about anticipating the inevitable end of a relationship (sounds sad, I know), but recognizing that you’re both going to move on and find your own way, independent of one another. In the simplest terms, it’s: ‘I’ll be here, you’ll be there — but I’m still going to care about you and I hope you think about me too sometimes.’ The song comes from a good place, a steady state of mind.

Nick Noyes has worked on all of our music videos for Some Still Morning and ‘Weeds’ is his latest creation. Typically the three of us will build up a visual concept together — but ‘Weeds’ is all Nick. He had a vision and we trust him and basically said, ‘Go for it, brother.’ Nick and I didn’t speak about the meaning of the song beforehand — and I’m glad we didn’t — because he interpreted it completely differently. To Nick, the song is about memory. About longing for a moment in time that is no longer there. The visual focuses on that feeling and explores it further…without explicitly referencing memory or flashbacks or anything of the like. I love how the video turned out, I find it very powerful and strange at times. And I mean that as a compliment.

“I also love that listeners, in this case someone extremely close to the band, can interpret a song completely differently than it was intended. That’s the best part about music, in my opinion. Once you put a song out there, it’s any listener’s right to make it their own and define what it means to them.” — Tim Noyes and Eddie Byun, Handsome Ghost

Photo credit: Mitchell Wojcik

WATCH: Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, “Hitchhiking to California”

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Artist: Alan Bibey & Grasstowne
Hometown: Walnut Cove, North Carolina
Song: “Hitchhiking to California”
Album: Hitchhiking To California (set for release January 2021)
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “When I was 16 years old, I got the opportunity to play in a regional band that included a musician named Wes Golding, and the seeds of a lifelong friendship were sown. A few years later, I began playing professionally with the New Quicksilver, and we recorded the original version of a song Wes wrote called ‘Hitchhiking to California.’ That was back in 1985. So when we started to record this new project for Billy Blue Records, I had the idea to redo the song, and Jerry Salley and I both agreed we’d love a third verse, which was not included in the original version. With Wes Golding’s blessing, Jerry and I wrote a new verse and reworked a few other things in the song for its new release.” — Alan Bibey

Photo credit: Tina Farmer
Video by Solid Rock Studios, Point Pleasant, WV

WATCH: Jeremy Ivey, “Things Could Get Much Worse”

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Artist: Jeremy Ivey
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Things Could Get Much Worse”
Album: Waiting Out The Storm
Release Date: October 9, 2020
Label: ANTI-

In Their Words: “I don’t write a whole lot of positive songs, but I try to have one per record at least. So this my positive message for the world. These are the good old days no matter how bad they seem. Just remember, life could suck a lot more. This song was written in about ten minutes, this is our first take in the studio and the video was shot in a couple hours. All in the moment and off the cuff, the way it should be! Also, watch out for Elon, I don’t trust that guy.” — Jeremy Ivey

Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen

WATCH: Lizzy Long, “Final Curtain”

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Artist: Lizzy Long
Hometown: Lincolnton, Georgia
Song: “Final Curtain”
Album: Dreaming Again
Release Date: May 1, 2020
Label: Vine Records

In Their Words: “‘Final Curtain’ is one of my favorite songs on my new Dreaming Again project. I made a special trip to Santa Barbara, California, with my producer, Wayne Haun, so we could write a few tunes with the great Joel Lindsey. Writing with Joel and Wayne is pure magic for me. This song is a metaphor for the ending of a relationship and ironically I like to close my concerts with it.” — Lizzy Long

Photo credit: Jeremy Ryan

WATCH: Trae Sheehan, “Paris”

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Artist: Trae Sheehan
Hometown: Martinsburg, West Virginia
Song: “Paris”
Album: Postcards from the Country
Release Date: September 18, 2020
Label: Half Moon Records

In Their Words: “Somewhere in a hazy, black & white, overcast New York City full of briefcases and energy is where I found ‘Paris.’ It was a song I wanted to write for a while but I didn’t know how to approach it. The first line was with me for a few days before I sat down to write, and by the time I was at the kitchen table with my notebook and guitar, all I could see in my head was SoHo in New York City in this strange 1950s kind of way. I mixed that imagery with how out of place someone can feel in the dating world and that’s where the song lives. It’s probably my favorite song on the record.” — Trae Sheehan

Photo credit: Misty Sheehan

WATCH: The Ghost of Paul Revere, “Diving Bell”

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Artist: The Ghost of Paul Revere
Hometown: Portland, Maine
Song: “Diving Bell”
Album: Good at Losing Everything
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Label: GOPR Records

In Their Words: “‘Diving Bell’ was written to process a painful decision made with best intent. At the time I was struggling with partnership, and more honestly, the general concept of connectivity. It was around this period that I heard Nate DiMeo’s historical narrative on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge called “Below, From Above.” His piece, inspired by David McCullough’s The Great Bridge, put a humanistic element on the lengths we can go to, physically and metaphorically, to bridge gaps. I became fixated on the idea that the most grueling and necessary work to complete that connection, was done in a vacuum, at the bottom of the East River.” — Max Davis, The Ghost of Paul Revere

Photo credit: Lauryn Hottinger

WATCH: Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis, “Tennessee Blues”

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Artist: Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Tennessee Blues”
Release Date: August 27, 2020
Label: The Next Waltz

In Their Words: “Nikki Lane mentioned ‘Tennessee Blues’ to me probably four years ago and that was the first time I heard of Bobby Charles. I realized I had heard the song by Doug Sahm over the years. It is one of those tunes that after first listen you know it would be incredible for harmonies, and it is. I think the greatest songs are effortless to play and even easier to sing. ‘Tennessee Blues’ is that. Bobby Charles is an artist that should be much better known, but occasionally discovering those artists and songs is about my second favorite thing in life.” — Bruce Robison

Photo credit: Todd V. Wolfson

WATCH: Adam Chaffins, “Who I Am” (Live)

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Artist: Adam Chaffins
Hometown: 10 years+ Nashvillian (Eastern Kentucky native, from Louisa, Kentucky)
Song: “Who I Am” (Live)
Album: Some Things Won’t Last
Label: Chaffins Music

In Their Words: “A lot of my influence as a songwriter comes from torch songs. Keith Whitley sang a lot of them, like ‘I’ll Be Your Stepping Stone’ with J.D. Crowe & the New South. Songs of eternal pining for a love. ‘Who I Am’ is a torch song with a lot more brutal honesty to the torcheé. I started playing this version supporting John Hiatt on the road in 2019. It’s as bare-bones as a song can get.” — Adam Chaffins

Photo credit: Melissa Stillwell

WATCH: Zoe & Cloyd, “Where Do You Stand”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Zoe & Cloyd
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Where Do You Stand”
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘Where Do You Stand’ is a commentary on the state of our national discourse. We had the idea for the line, ‘When all that’s left is left, right, or wrong’ in regards to the hyper-polarization we’ve been seeing for a while and we built the song from there. We wanted the song and video to be thought provoking and a call to action. Some people will always attempt to pit us against one another for personal and political gain but we can’t let divisive, inflammatory rhetoric win the day. For us to move forward, we must find common ground on which to build a path toward a just and sustainable future.

“We filmed the video not far from our house in Fairview, North Carolina, outside of Asheville. The old building with the painted tree is right along the road and we thought it was a quirky rural spot that contrasted nicely with the political imagery. The other location was an abandoned ball court that had some interesting delineated grass with a sort of ‘line in the sand’ vibe. It also looked a bit post-apocalyptic. The fence shots represent several concerns such as the border wall, the lack of voice and access in certain communities, and feelings of powerlessness to change the status quo.” — John Cloyd Miller

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither