Tag: Video premiere

WATCH: Reina Del Cid, “Goodbye Butterfly”

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Artist: Reina Del Cid
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Song: “Goodbye Butterfly”
Album: MORSE CODE
Release Date: October 4, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Goodbye Butterfly’ a few years ago. I couldn’t sleep one night, so I fired up Logic and started playing around with beats and synths, and out came this lush, wistful song that begged to be re-recorded with real, vibrating strings and percussion. So rather than releasing it as an electronic song, I kept it in my back pocket for an acoustic album.

“For the music video, I had the pleasure of working with Dan Huiting (Bon Iver, Sylvan Esso, Trampled By Turtles). We decided to film most of it on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior, in towns like Grand Marais and Schroeder along Highway 61. Dan used a drone to get sweeping views of the lake and me, as small as an ant in some frames, performing the song on cliff faces or the base of a lighthouse.

“I have strong ties to the North Shore and have been going up there for years, both to perform shows and to escape into the woods and hiking trails. ‘Goodbye Butterfly,’ with its roots in the layered digital grid, ended up being the biggest, most intricate sounding song on the new album, and the mighty Lake Superior was the perfect backdrop for it.” — Reina Del Cid

Photo credit: Nate Ryan

WATCH: Mike Oberst, “Up on the Roof”

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Artist: Mike Oberst with Clyde Brown and Kate Wakefield
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Song: “Up on the Roof”
Album: Six Feet of Earth
Release Date: October 12, 2019
Label: Reggieville Records

In Their Words: “I think one of the greatest things about experiencing music as a kid is that some songs can take you to a different world. The best songs are the ones that can still work that magic once you’ve become an adult. ‘Up on the Roof’ was always that song for me. I used to scribble the title in notebooks over and over, so as not to forget it, and pray I would hear the opening notes of The Drifters’ iconic version on early morning drives in my mother’s car to school.

“In 2015, at a raucous show with my band, The Tillers, I chanced to meet Mr. Clyde Brown, a legendary member of The Drifters living right here in Cincinnati. I couldn’t believe it! I was starstruck, but kept it cool. Turns out that Clyde Brown is the nicest human being on the face of the Earth. He has the biggest smile and the biggest heart. We became fast friends. It is an absolute honor to get to sing this song with Clyde and to have collaborated with Kate Wakefield, from the band, Lung, on the cello accompaniment. Take a listen. Drift away!” — Mike Oberst

Photo Credit: Rachael Banks
Video Credit: Evan and Alex Hand

WATCH: Carrie Rodriguez with Wood & Wire, “Edge of the Colorado”

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Artist: Carrie Rodriguez with Wood & Wire
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Edge of the Colorado”
Label: The Next Waltz

In Their Words: “I love the idea of making something out of nothing. That’s the magic of songwriting. I came to Bruce [Robison] one morning with some phrases and melodies that had been bouncing around my head, and by the end of an hour we had written ‘Edge of the Colorado.’ It’s a song about a yearning for a bygone era; an era when personal connections ran deeper because we weren’t so damn CONNECTED every minute of the day!

“After listening to our demo a few times, the song seemed to be begging for some high lonesome harmony vocals and bluegrass instrumentation. I had recently seen the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band, Wood & Wire, perform at The Next Waltz SXSW party and was completely blown away. So Bruce called the guys up and before I knew it we were all in the bunker together recording the song live to tape. What a gift to get to see the creative process fully realized …from some words and melodies stuck in my head to this track which I’m thrilled to be sharing with you!” — Carrie Rodriguez

Photo provided by The Next Waltz

LISTEN: High Valley, “Single Man” (Bluegrass Version)

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Artist: High Valley
Hometown: La Crete, Alberta, Canada
Song: “Single Man” (Bluegrass Version)
Label: Warner Music Nashville

In Their Words: “We grew up surrounded by bluegrass music. Ricky Skaggs was our hero thanks to a few records our parents introduced to us. When our town finally got a radio station, I spent a few years as a DJ hosting a bluegrass hour. Recently, Curtis and I called up a few of our friends and some of Nashville’s finest bluegrass pickers to turn them loose and let them show off! Recording this bluegrass version of ‘Single Man’ was easily the most natural moment we’ve ever had in the studio. When it came time to work on the mix and make sure everything was produced properly, it was so great to have Ricky Skaggs offer his help as the executive producer on this track. Talk about a full circle moment!” — Brad Rempel, High Valley

Photo credit: Mike Stahl

WATCH: The Quebe Sisters, “Pierce the Blue”

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Artist: The Quebe Sisters
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Song: “Pierce the Blue”
Album: The Quebe Sisters
Release Date: September 20, 2019

In Their Words: “This album represents several ‘firsts’ for us, and it captures a new phase and the start of a new direction for our sound. In many ways the process of making this album felt like starting over; deconstructing what we knew about music and then trying to put it back together again. Making and producing this album was a very collaborative effort where we sought to diversify our sound using our same instrumentation. It features solos from everyone in the band as well as originals, including ‘Pierce the Blue.’ This song has two parallel themes running through it. It’s about a difficult season of our lives we went through, and it’s also about universal pain we all feel that brings about our longing for reconciliation, change, and a better tomorrow.” — The Quebe Sisters

Photo Credit: Katherine Chiu + Bill Stipp

WATCH: Rainy Eyes, “Dreamed About You”

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Artist: Rainy Eyes
Hometown: Bolinas, California
Song: “Dreamed About You”
Album: Moon in the Mirror
Label: Whisper Moon Records

In Their Words: “I met Paul Helzer and Alana Lowe, husband and wife video production dream-team right after recording my album Moon in the Mirror back in 2016 and we decided we needed to make a music video together. Paul wanted to shoot with 8mm film which fit perfectly with the old-timey feel of the tune. We filmed most of it in Inverness, California where I wrote the song [and] most of the album back in 2015 while living in a trailer in the woods.

“I was also spending time on the Point Reyes Peninsula, frolicking on the golden hills, exploring a new found freedom, and swimming in the secret pond on the enchanted Mount Vision. I’m amazed at how well Paul was able to capture not only the visual but also the spiritual element of this song. The song itself is a vision, a dream of true love, of hope, and of connecting with your soul and spirit. It’s about letting go of the past, of sorrow and pain, and waking up to new day, and seeing a glimpse of light at the end of a long dark tunnel.” — Rainy Eyes

Photo credit: Laura Kudritzki Photography

WATCH: Kyle Donovan, “Be a Boy”

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Artist: Kyle Donovan
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
Song: “Be a Boy”
Album: Then and Now
Release Date: August 30, 2019

In Their Words: There’s a tender sadness that comes along with existential questions; maybe it’s because we’ll never have the answers that we seek. This song is an exploration of those feelings through a retrospective narrative, looking back at a younger version of myself. There’s truth in the song — in that my parents were amazingly supportive and encouraged my curiosity, while also pushing me to enjoy the simplicity of youth. But it also embellishes life’s most difficult moments — to make plain the difficulty of grappling with life, death, and meaning at a young age. My intention in performing and releasing this song is to connect listeners to their own experiences of these deep questions and to remind them of their own innocence at one time or another.” — Kyle Donovan

Photo credit: Gabrielle Halle

WATCH: The Chuck Wagon Gang, “Somebody’s Boy”

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Artist: The Chuck Wagon Gang
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
Song: “Somebody’s Boy”
Album: No Depression In Heaven, The Gospel Songs of The Carter Family
Release Date: August 30, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words:: “The Carter Family began singing about the same time frame as the Chuck Wagon Gang. Both groups shared not only the last name Carter but a very similar style of singing. We felt it would be an honor to put together an album that would pay tribute to their gospel songs. Filming this video at the Carter Family Fold was such an amazing experience. There was something so special about being out there in the humble, yet beautiful location where it all began for the Carter Family.

“The song ‘Somebody’s Boy’ is actually not considered a gospel song, but is more what the old-timers call a heart song. Its message is one that speaks to the desires of a mother’s heart for her wayward son, and, though it dates back to 1894, is as relevant today as when it was penned. The Chuck Wagon Gang has recorded other heart songs over the years, like ‘Church in the Wildwood.’ Our hope is that ‘Somebody’s Boy’ will become as meaningful for our fans!” — Shaye Smith (the alto singer who is also the granddaughter of The Chuck Wagon Gang’s original alto singer)

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: Jeremy Garrett, “I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down”

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Artist: Jeremy Garrett
Hometown: Loveland, Colorado
Song: “I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down”
Album: Circles
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down’ was a song that I co-wrote with Jon Weisberger and Josh Shilling. I just loved the vibe of the tune and how it fit with my style, so I decided to record it on my upcoming solo release, Circles. I blend guitar, mandolin and fiddle with a looper to create this arrangement for the song. Conner Pannell shot the video for me and I love how he captured this song. All of it was shot in the studio, partly while tracking and in-between takes.” — Jeremy Garrett

Photo credit: J.Mimna Photography

WATCH: Nick Panken, “In the Manner That It Came”

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Artist: Nick Panken (of Spirit Family Reunion)
Hometown: Accord, New York
Song: “In The Manner That It Came”
Album: Consequential Breach

In Their Words: “I wrote this song while I was working as a gardener in lower Manhattan, transplanting flowers from little plastic pots to those small plots of soil that interrupt the pavement. Songs tend to come to me after I’ve spent some time examining my thoughts and then they start to fade into more abstract notions. Gardening presents a lot of time for this kind of activity, and this is the best work I did at that job.

“The chorus seems to be built with salvaged parts from a couple of old gospel songs sung by Mississippi John Hurt and Joseph Spence. As someone who doesn’t intend to preach about spiritual matters, I want the conclusions in my songs to be both vague and meaningful, and ‘receive it in the manner that it came’ felt appropriate along the lines of ‘the answer is blowin’ in the wind.’ The final line I wrote to finish the song was ‘we come so far to be so far gone.'” — Nick Panken

Westerly Sound Archives: Nick Panken “In the Manner That it Came” from Sean W Spellman on Vimeo.

About the video series: The Westerly Sound Archives are a series of videos and recordings by artist/musician Sean W Spellman in which he has invited friends and acquaintances into his spacious studio in Westerly, Rhode Island, for quick, off-the-cuff performances. Spellman has curated a music series, festival, and independent label that crosses the paths of his contemporaries in both the music and visual art community.