Tag: Video premiere

WATCH: Jill Andrews, “The Kids Are Growing Up”

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Artist: Jill Andrews
Hometown: Johnson City, Tennessee; currently Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The Kids Are Growing Up”
Album: Thirties
Label: Vulture, Vulture / Tone Tree

In Their Words: “I snuck away one day during my daughter’s nap to write ‘The Kids Are Growing Up.’ My son and daughter are seven years apart and everyday in both of them, I saw this theme personified. She was tiny in my arms just like he used to be. I wrote it as a reminder to myself to slow down and try to be present for the important moments, the ones that really matter. The video comes from ten found film reels donated to the Prelinger Archives in San Francisco. Nobody knows who the family is but based on the footage they lived in the St. Louis area. In the video, you see a family go through marriage, birth of their first child, raising children, holidays, marrying off their first child, and then their first grandchild being born. It so perfectly fits the theme of the song. I truly cannot believe that the filmmaker, Nathaniel Maddux, found the footage and that this family kept such amazing archives of their lives. He said he really hopes that someone sees the video and lets us know who they are!” — Jill Andrews

Photo credit: Fairlight Hubbard

WATCH: Full Cord Bluegrass, “Downtown”

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Artist: Full Cord Bluegrass
Hometown: Grand Haven, Michigan
Song: “Downtown”

In Their Words: “Most bluegrass songs are written with bucolic images, mountain hollers, and a country living context. I wanted to write a song about that same-minded person visiting a city. While the lyrics portray this, so can the music with its unconventional chords and rhythms. The rhythmic mandolin chordal riff for ‘Downtown’ was born out of an inspiration from the mandolin rhythm giant, Sam Bush, while the chords in the bridge are inspired by Steely Dan. … a blend of bluegrass and the city type chord progression. Portland, Oregon, where I lived for 13 years, is the ‘Downtown’ subject and declares my love-hate relationship with the city. That feeling of energy, sights and sounds of a vibrant environment come in to play with this one. This is something we can all understand…” — Brian Oberlin, Full Cord Bluegrass

Photo credit: Chantal Roeske

WATCH: Wood Belly, “Gone Are the Days”

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Artist: Wood Belly
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Song: “Gone Are the Days”
Album: Man on the Radio

In Their Words: “‘Gone Are the Days’ is a project we’ve been working on, well, for a lifetime. The video features some of Wood Belly’s childhood home movies interlaced with moments from the last few years playing music across the country. We wanted to pay homage to our roots and express our undying gratitude to the people that helped us get to where we are and will go. There’s a clip towards the end of a couple of our moms hugging during our set in Telluride, Colorado, which pretty much sums up the whole idea. Much love to everyone who made us who we are.” — Chris Weist, Wood Belly

Photo credit: Emily Sierra Photography

WATCH: Distant Cousins, “Angelina” (Live)

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Artist: Distant Cousins
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Angelina”
Album: Here & Now
Release Date: June 5, 2020 (single); June 26, 2020 (album)
Label: Jullian Records

In Their Words: “A few months back, B.C.E (Before Coronavirus Era), we rented out one of our favorite studios for the day and we recorded and filmed it all — nine songs in the day. The vibe in the room was really special. All day long, our musician friends kept coming and going to lend their special talent to our music. It’s hard to believe that that was just a few months ago. Now it all feels like a dream. Certain songs ask for a feeling of intimacy and ‘Angelina’ felt like it needed just that. We found a quiet moment somewhere towards the middle of the day while no one else was around and in the dimly lit room, the song almost played itself. We are very pleased with the result and love how our director, David Schlussel, captured that sense of intimacy that the song represents to us.” — Distant Cousins

Photo credit: Ehud Lazin

WATCH: Crandall Creek, “This Heart of Mine”

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Artist: Crandall Creek
Hometown: Moundsville, West Virginia
Song: “This Heart of Mine”
Album: Headed South
Release Date: May 15, 2020
Label: Bell Buckle Records

In Their Words: “The song ‘This Heart of Mine’ is a coming-of-age ballad about acceptance and moving on when love doesn’t work out as planned. Crandall Creek works together as a team to write, record, and arrange our bluegrass music style, which has become a crossover, acoustic country style. Lilli Gadd, who is singing lead, really knocks it out of the park when it comes to delivering a song. Our harmonies are our own, it almost feels like a family band, but we are not… we are just connected musically.” — Jerry Andrews, Crandall Creek

Photo credit: Bruce Winges

WATCH: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, “A Folded Flag”

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Artist: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers
Hometown: Xenia, Ohio
Song: “A Folded Flag”
Album: For the Record (vinyl LP, limited edition bonus track)
Release Date: May 22, 2020
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “We enjoy recognizing veterans from the stage and dedicating a song to remember their sacrifices. With this song though, we also get to remember the family members of those who are no longer with us. Whether a father, son, daughter, brother or sister, every audience contains people who are proud of and thankful for a loved one’s service. Many servicemen and women do not see combat, but those flags are folded up and given to their family in honor of their service every day. JMRR was blessed to sing the song at the Grand Ole Opry last summer, and our friend Mark Brinkman, one of the song’s co-writers, was in the audience. After we did the song, he found he was seated beside a World War II veteran and they both thanked each other!” — Joe Mullins

Photo credit: Amy Richmond

WATCH: Anya Hinkle, “Road of the Winds”

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Artist: Anya Hinkle
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Road of the Winds”
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “We are constantly moving closer toward our own homeland, a place we sense is there, somewhere, if we can just pay attention and listen closely to our inner voice. It takes tremendous courage and faith to believe that we can grow to become the person we were meant to be, doing the work we are meant to be doing. We are embarking on a great journey with each sunrise, with each day we are alive. This song helps me feel free to move ahead in new directions with boldness and conviction even though I don’t exactly know where it will all lead. But once you leave the shore you are committed to the journey – there is no turning back.” — Anya Hinkle

Photo credit: Rose Kaz

WATCH: Appalachian Road Show, “Goin’ to Bring Her Back”

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Artist: Appalachian Road Show
Hometown: Southern Appalachia
Song: “Goin’ to Bring Her Back”
Album: TRIBULATION
Release Date: March 27, 2020
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “Jim Van Cleve wrote this one. It tells the tale in a humorous way of an ol’ mountain boy who fell in love, but unfortunately, the poor fella doesn’t realize that the object of his affection may not feel quite the same … seeing as how she ran off on a train across ‘them yonder mountains!’ We had a lot of fun with this one in the studio and I think it shows through.” — Barry Abernathy, Appalachian Road Show

Photo credit: Micah Schweinsberg

WATCH: The Harmed Brothers, “All the Same”

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Artist: The Harmed Brothers
Hometown: Ludlow, Kentucky via Portland, Oregon
Song: “All the Same”
Album: Across the Waves
Release Date: June 5, 2020
Label: Fluff and Gravy Records

In Their Words: : “‘All the Same’ is a traveling song. It’s about life from inside the tour van. It’s about chasing a dream, even when you lose sight of it from being strung out on the road and missing home. It’s about our daily lives as an American touring band. Something I’m sure a lot of musicians can relate to.” — Ray Vietti, The Harmed Brothers

“The Ludlow-Bromley Swim Club in Ludlow, Kentucky is a cherished and beloved summer hangout spot, a classic American neighborhood pool — and our good friend and neighbor Matt ‘Catfish’ Williams presented us with the idea of shooting a video there. With his help, along with the pool owner and our fantastic community, we got to do something really fun and special. When initially presented with this opportunity, we felt ‘All the Same’ has this undeniably beachy, summertime vibe that perfectly fit that idea.” — Alex Salcido, The Harmed Brothers

Photo credit: Michael Wilson

WATCH: Harrow Fair, “Seat at the Table”

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Artist: Harrow Fair
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Song: “Seat at the Table”
Album: Sins We Made
Release Date: April 17, 2020
Label: Roaring Girl Records

In Their Words: “Before we started our songwriting process for our new album, we had some really long discussions of what we wanted this record to say. We felt that, as artists, we had a responsibility to comment on the world we live in and the world we want to create. ‘Seat at the Table’ became almost a thesis statement for us. We had no way of knowing that this message would become not only more relevant, but also more imperative today than ever before.” — Miranda Mulholland and Andrew Penner, Harrow Fair

Photo credit: Jen Squires