Tag: Video premiere

WATCH: The Golden Age, “Weirdo”

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Artist: The Golden Age
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Weirdo”
Album: I’m Sure It’ll Be Fine
Release Date: February 21, 2020
Label: Poke the Bear Records

In Their Words: “This video was made by those wild guys from Neighborhoods Apart, Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard. Josh had this concept he’d always wanted to do that ‘Weirdo’ seemed to fit nicely. Ultimately the video/song is a quick prick to the balloon that suggests that in order to connect with other people we need to present these shiny-flawless images socially and hide our odd nuances under a bushel… But what all that green-screen, horse-hockey magic really does is make us feel isolated. And like little worms that don’t measure up. The video is a trumpet’s call to embrace the fact that, at our nitty gritty, we’re all just a couple of strange brained-lumpy bodies in skin-tight suits plucking on banjos and mandolins in front of someone’s garage in the middle of the afternoon. More or less.” — Bryan Simpson and Matt Menefee, The Golden Age

WATCH: Wild Rivers, “Kinda Feels Alright”

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Artist: Wild Rivers
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Song: “Kinda Feels Alright”
Album: Songs To Break Up To EP
Release Date: May 1, 2020
Label: Nettwerk

In Their Words: “‘Kinda Feels Alright’ holds an important place on the Songs To Break Up To EP, exploring the positive side of a breakup. It’s also a big part of the personal story of the record. It’s about beginning to accept a breakup and feel alright. Sonically, it feels like a bridge between a classic Wild Rivers song and the new territory we explore with the rest of the EP.” — Khalid Yassein, Wild Rivers

Photo credit: Stefan Kohli

WATCH: Saro Lynch-Thomason & Sam Gleaves, “1920”

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Artist: Saro Lynch-Thomason & Sam Gleaves
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “1920”
Album: I Have Known Women
Release Date: May 1, 2020
Label: Strictly Country Records

In Their Words: “This song was written to keep us mindful of the strong herstory of resisting oppression in the U.S. and to celebrate the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment. As this song states, ‘So much has changed. So much remains.’ There is much more work to be done before all U.S. residents are welcomed to participate in the democratic process. We hope that this song will serve as a reminder of the many generations of inspiring women who have brought us to this point in time, and inspire those in the present to keep fighting for justice and representation.” — Saro-Lynch Thomason and Sam Gleaves

Photo credit: Ben Bateson

WATCH: Grace Pettis, “Landon”

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Artist: Grace Pettis
Hometown: Mentone, Alabama; current residence is Austin, Texas
Song: “Landon”
Release Date: March 20, 2020
Label: MPress Records

In Their Words: I spent about ten years writing ‘Landon.’ It was a tough sentiment to get just right. Landon and I became best friends in a high school in a small town in Alabama. He came out right after graduation and I was one of a few trusted people. My job, in that moment, was to listen. Instead, I responded with a canned answer — one that was drilled into me by a devout Christian upbringing. I knew, deep down, that I was wrong. It took me years (I’m embarrassed by how many years) to confront my conscience and admit that to myself.

“In a lot of ways, my faith journey as a liberal Catholic was jump-started by these questions. It was scary. It was liberating. I felt closer to God than I ever had. By the time I’d figured out how to write the song and how to face up to it, we’d both come to a new place of understanding ourselves in the world. ‘Landon’ is an apology. When I play ‘Landon’ at shows, I like to dedicate it to anybody in the audience who’s owed an apology; one that’s many years coming. And then I dedicate it to anybody in the audience who owes somebody else an apology; one that’s many years in the making.” — Grace Pettis

Photo credit: Nicola Gell Photography

WATCH: High Fidelity, “The South Bound Train”

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Artist: High Fidelity
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The South Bound Train”
Album: Banjo Player’s Blues
Release Date: June 12, 2020
Label: Rebel Records

In Their Words: “Everything about ‘The South Bound Train’ just screamed High Fidelity to me, including the fact that it had been all but forgotten in the bluegrass collective consciousness. Jim & Jesse wrote and recorded it during their classic early ’60s era, but it was never released until the 1990s. It was such a strong song, especially with their arrangement, I thought, ‘We can’t not record this!’ Their version is led predominately by the banjo, and given High Fidelity’s love for the banjo, we wanted to put our spin on the song utilizing twin banjos. We have a history for pushing our own limits in this band, and I love the intensity of Jeremy and Kurt [Stephenson] singing and playing banjo at the same time on such an up-tempo number!” — Corrina Rose Logston, High Fidelity

“We had a blast making the video for this one, too. Corrina and I scouted the locations for the shoot with the help of a CSX employee that we met track-side in Northern Davidson County, Tennessee. He pointed us in the direction of an area with high volume and high speed rail-traffic, and that is where we went, finding the two locations that are seen in the video. It was very interesting being poised to shoot not knowing when a train was coming, but it all worked out great. We hope everyone else enjoys the video and the song as much as we did making it!” — Jeremy Stephens, High Fidelity

Photo credit: Amy Richmond

WATCH: Laurie Lewis, “Troubled Times” (Feat. Leah Wollenberg)

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Artist: Laurie Lewis
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Song: “Troubled Times”
Album: and Laurie Lewis
Release Date: March 27, 2020

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Troubled Times’ about twenty years ago, I think, in other troubled times than we are experiencing now. But I never sang the song out in public more than about three times. I honestly feel like I was waiting for the right ‘voice to sing in harmony,’ and when Leah and I started singing together, I think I found my match. I have been friends with her parents (jazz guitarist Mike Wollenberg and artist Jenny Bloomfield) since before she was born, and have known her since then, watching her grow into a fearless jazz violinist and terrific Irish fiddler. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but when I heard her sing a piece of a song sitting around the dinner table one night, my ears really perked up. Maybe it’s because Leah has heard my voice her whole life that she is able to get a positively familial blend. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.” — Laurie Lewis

Photo credit: Jeff Fasano

WATCH: Grace Morrison, “Mothers”

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Artist: Grace Morrison
Hometown: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Song: “Mothers”
Release Date: March 13, 2020

In Their Words: “I’m a new mom. My son and I spend our days talking and singing about the world around us. I’ll often find myself in sing-song: ‘Here is a tree, there is a leaf.’ It struck me, however, that I am a very lucky mother. There are mothers right now separated from their children at the US border. Women who fought like hell to get their children to our border. There are mothers who have lost their children to gun violence. It was in that moment of realization that I knew my job is bigger than teaching him about plants and animals. He’s got to see the not so pretty stuff too. And hopefully, if I do my job right, he’ll live his life trying to right some of the wrongs that we all see every day… if we open our eyes.

“My cousin Cecilia is a senior in high school who has fallen in love with American Sign Language (ASL). This past summer at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, there was an ASL interpreter during my set and I was truly moved by it. Because this song has such strong visual language I thought it was a perfect opportunity to include Ceci and her interpretation (which I think is really lovely). The message of this song is really important to me, so I’m hopeful that including ASL will help more people engage with the idea that we need to be mindful of both how lucky we are and the struggles of others.” — Grace Morrison

Photo credit: Paula Mailloux at Bongo Beach Productions

WATCH: Eliza Gilkyson, “Beautiful World of Mine”

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Artist: Eliza Gilkyson
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Beautiful World of Mine”
Album: 2020
Release Date: April 10, 2020
Label: Red House Records

In Their Words: “I wrote this song in Taos, New Mexico just looking out the window of my home there. My son Cisco, who produced the lyric video, wanted to make it seem like a day walking in the mountains, from sunrise to sunset. I think when you feel deeply connected to the natural world then you also become protective of it and willing to fight for it. This song and the video are meant to inspire that commitment to care for and protect our beautiful world.” — Eliza Gilkyson

Photo credit: Rodney Burseil

WATCH: Smooth Hound Smith, “Crazy Over You” (Live at Ten Four)

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Artist: Smooth Hound Smith (feat. Connor Vance from Dustbowl Revival)
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Crazy Over You” (Live at Ten Four)

In Their Words: “‘Crazy Over You’ is pretty guileless in its meaning, and remains one of the only true-blue love songs I’ve ever written (no cheeky humor or heartbreak in this one, folks). Over the years it’s been used many times as a first dance song at weddings, and it even got licensed for an adorable love scene in MTV’s The Real World a while back. These days, when we play it in a live setting, we usually do it stripped down, with just two voices and a guitar, so this session was really fun. We built it up a little with some great players (Danny Pratt on drums, and Rhees Williams on bass), and felt especially lucky that Connor Vance from Dustbowl Revival was around Nashville that day and willing to sit in on fiddle and play with us. We filmed and recorded it live at Ten Four Recording Co. here in East Nashville, and it was engineered by stalwart supporter of sonic excellence, Jesse Thompson.” — Zack Smith, Smooth Hound Smith

Photo credit: Adam Murphy

WATCH: Tim Higgins, “I Blew It”

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Artist: Tim Higgins
Hometown: Greensboro, Alabama
Song: “I Blew It”
Album: BLIGHT
Release Date: February 28, 2020
Label: Folk Victorian Records

In Their Words: “‘I Blew It’ is about a disenchanted person who is trying to do his best, but knows he’s not going to succeed in the end. Whether it’s maintaining a relationship, battling addiction, or leading a cause downtown at some City Hall, for some people, it’s always futile odds. What I wanted to capture was the sense of duty someone could have to do what they believe is right even though the writing is already on the wall. To capture those kind of complex feelings and layers in one song, my producer Parker McAnnally and I let the verses stand alone with just my voice and acoustic guitar while the musical breaks sonically dip underwater, and undulate between Jack Thomason’s electric guitar and Alex Caress’ piano.

“For the music video, I worked again with Reagan Wells, who directed my last video, ‘Blight,’ and we returned to the ‘ruined finery’ theme that traverses this whole contemporary Southern Gothic album — where the line between memory and reality are blurred; I think the narrator in ‘I Blew It’ is always living between those worlds as well.” — Tim Higgins

Photo credit: Aaron Sanders Head