WATCH: Nashville Covers Dylan for SAFPAW, “All I Really Want to Do”

Artist: Nashville Covers Dylan for SAFPAW
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “All I Really Want to Do” (Bob Dylan)
Release Date: November 18, 2019

In Their Words: “Each person involved with this project donated their time and skills to make this happen. We all see what Laurie Green of Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare (SAFPAW) is doing for our community, and we love the spirit and songs of Bob Dylan, so we have merged concepts and talents to raise awareness for something truly worthwhile.” — Tim Easton

Donations can be made here.

Editor’s Note: New West Records artist Aaron Lee Tasjan, ANTI- artist Darrin Bradbury, Cafe Rooster Records artists Brian Wright, Sally Jaye, Jon Latham, and Nikki Barber of The Minks, spearheaded by Tim Easton and producer Gabe Masterson, gathered at Club Roar Recording studio to record Bob Dylan’s “All I Really Want to Do” to raise awareness for SAFPAW (Southern Alliance of People and Animal Welfare). Directed and edited by Stacie Huckeba, the live video session marks the fifth consecutive year that Easton, Huckeba, and Masterson have partnered to record and film a Bob Dylan cover for a Nashville-based charity.

Trampled by Turtles Revisit Iris DeMent’s “Our Town”

 

Over the years, Trampled by Turtles have occasionally added Iris DeMent’s stark folk song, “Our Town,” to their set list, with lead singer Dave Simonett delivering the Midwestern loneliness and wistfulness that the tune calls for. Now the Minnesota-based band has finally recorded “Our Town” for an upcoming EP, Sigourney Fever, which drops on December 6.

The track list also includes covers of Neil Young’s “Pocahontas,” Faces’ “Ooh La La,” Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart,” and Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.” The band will be touring in January and February.

“We are getting back into the readiness of making a full record,” Simonett tells American Songwriter. “Right now, I’m starting to write, but it’s kind of a limbo time. This is sort of like an appetizer for us.”

DeMent once told NPR that she wrote the song after driving through a boarded-up Midwestern town when she was 25 years old, and that the song came to her in its complete form. She wisely recognized that musical experience as her calling to be a songwriter. More than three decades later, it’s good to know that the sun still hasn’t set on “Our Town.”


Photo credit: David McClister

WATCH: Mile Twelve, “Whiskey Trail”

Artist: Mile Twelve
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Single: “Whiskey Trail”
Release Date: November 15, 2019
Label: Delores the Taurus Records

In Their Words: “Our bass player Nate brought this energetic Los Lobos song to the band nearly a year ago, and it has slowly but surely become one of our favorites to perform. Even though originally imagined for electric instruments, we think the bluegrass outfit suits the music well. Now we’re excited to be releasing this song as a studio single! To celebrate the premiere we made this live video of our arrangement performed at the Fox Bar & Cocktail Lounge in Nashville, Tennessee, and filmed by the amazing Alex Chaloff. What better place to film a song about hard liquor than this, right?” — David Benedict, Mile Twelve


Photo credit: Kaitlyn Raitz

WATCH: Greensky Bluegrass, “Wish I Didn’t Know”

Artist: Greensky Bluegrass
Hometown: Kalamazoo, MI
Song: “Wish I Didn’t Know”
Album: All for Money
Release Date: January 18th, 2019
Label: Big Blue Zoo Records

In Their Words: “I think the panoramic views inspired our playing and put us in a good mood for a relatively cold video shoot. It was gorgeous up there! We spent about three days hiking up to this spot with all of our gear for this video shoot… it was hard, but really worth it. No, I’m just kidding. We took all of our gear up in the gondola and it was pretty easy. All the folks who work at Squaw Valley were super helpful and awesome. The only hard parts were trying to keep instruments in tune in the cold and changing weather, keeping our hands warm, hearing each other while playing on top of a mountain, and looking cool in puffy coats. That’s all!” — Anders Beck, resonator guitarist

Don’t miss WinterWonderGrass 2020 in Steamboat Springs, CO, Squaw Valley, CA, and Stratton, VT.


Photo credit: Dylan Langille

WATCH: Unspoken Tradition, “Cold Mountain Town”

Artist: Unspoken Tradition
Hometown: Western North Carolina
Song: “Cold Mountain Town”
Album: Myths We Tell Our Young
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “For the album Myths We Tell Our Young, we explore themes of mountain culture and how it is evolving. There is no better example than Asheville, North Carolina. I’ve lived and played music in this city for over 25 years and watched it change and grow while still holding strong to its rich Appalachian music culture. This song is dedicated to artists that continue to struggle and survive in this ‘Cold Mountain Town.'” — Ty Gilpin, Unspoken Tradition songwriter, mandolin player, and vocalist


Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: The Dales, “Homesick Summertime Anthem”

Artist: The Dales
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Homesick Summertime Anthem”
Album: Easy Times
Release Date: January 10, 2010

In Their Words: “It’s a song about wishing you had more time to spend with the ones you love. I wrote it from the perspective of our friends and family in the Pacific Northwest. Every year my family and I spend the summer up there. We’ve got friends that we’ve known since first grade. They’re always asking us when we’re moving back… and if you’ve ever been in that area — it’s hard not to take them up on their offer.

“The concept for the video was to have the band surrounded by friends and family. Our videographer, Pat Carew, had the idea and enlisted us to round up friends and neighbors to be in the audience. Funny what happens when you tell folks there will be free wine and cheese… they show up! It was shot in my backyard in Woodland Hills, California. The fire shots and the vintage Rhodes keyboard helped foster the warm, analog vibe we were looking for. We almost had an incident with Jackie’s hair and a tiki torch…” — Drew Lawrence, The Dales


Photo credit: Patrick Carew

WATCH: Jake Morley, “No Drama”

Artist: Jake Morley
Hometown: London, UK
Song: “No Drama”
Release Date: November 8, 2019
Label: Sandwich Emporium Records

In Their Words: “‘No Drama’ is a little hymn to the pleasure of calm spaces. I was feeling a deep longing for them as my wife was pregnant with our first child and this song just tumbled out. Not that there isn’t a place for conflict and action, but everyone needs somewhere safe to retreat to.

“Risk is what makes live performance so interesting, but it felt like everything just fell into place with this take. John Parker and I have been playing together for many years and I love the understanding we have. Really hoping you like the video and am so grateful to my friends at The Bluegrass Situation for helping me share it.” — Jake Morley


Photo credit: John Williams

WATCH: Andrew VanNorstrand, “Boy With Gray Eyes”

Artist: Andrew VanNorstrand
Hometown: Central New York
Song: “Boy With Gray Eyes”
Album: That We Could Find a Way to Be

In Their Words: “There’s this moment when you realize something; when it finally clicks and the clouds part and you see things as they are. It feels like you’re just… hovering. Suspended between worlds. That moment when you first face a truth, but before you know what happens next. Before you know what it really means. There is so much life in those moments. They are brief, rare, terrifying and beautiful. May we be better than we’ve been. And everyone said ‘Amen.'” — Andrew VanNorstrand


Photo credit: Louise Bichan

WATCH: Bowregard, “The Henrys”

Artist: Bowregard
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
Song: “The Henrys”
Album: Debut to be released early 2020

In Their Words: “‘The Henrys’ is the tale of a desperate outlaw attempting to escape his fate in the Henry Mountains of Utah. Written by Bowregard guitarist and vocalist Max Kabat and led by a driving dobro and fiddle melody, ‘The Henrys’ is a barnburner that has become a staple of our live set ever since its debut at the 2019 Telluride Bluegrass Festival band contest, which we were honored to win.

“The video was recorded by Mineral Sound in Lyons, Colorado, live in one take around a stereo pair of mics with no edits or overdubs. We’re currently in the studio working with producer Nick Forster (of Hot Rize fame) on our debut album, which we plan to release in early 2020 and can’t wait to share with the world.” — Bowregard


Photo credit: Daniel Herman

WATCH: Jon Stickley Trio, “Animate Object”

Artist: Jon Stickley Trio
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Animate Object”
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘Animate Object’ is the trio’s current theme song. At heart, it’s a little flatpicking tune to have fun with, but we’ve rhythmically turned it on its head like we like to do. This video was shot in three different locations with deep significance to us. The World Famous Station Inn represents our love and respect for our bluegrass roots. Spirit of the Suwannee is where our band was born, and where we thankfully return every year to connect with that spirit and experience rebirth under the live oaks. And finally, the [Caverns and] Bluegrass Underground symbolize the deep, introspective dive we’ve taken into ourselves in search of the meaning of our music and where it is coming from. This track is the next step in a never-ending evolutionary journey that is the Jon Stickley Trio.” — Jon Stickley


Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither