Tag: Video premiere

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.

WATCH: Michaela Anne, “By Our Design”

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Artist: Michaela Anne
Hometown: A little bit of everywhere – Washington, California, Virginia, Michigan, Italy, and Brooklyn. Currently Nashville.
Song: “By Our Design”
Album: Desert Dove
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Yep Roc Records

In Their Words: “‘By Our Design’ is a reflection on my life… I started it one day at home in Nashville and finished it when I was spending a couple days writing in Santa Barbara between tour dates in California. I’m definitely someone who revels in alone time and was having a couple of those days loving driving up the coast and hiking by myself. I had second-guessed making the trip altogether so in that moment there, I was thinking how lucky I was to get to have that freedom… and most importantly to have a partner that supported living life however we choose to.

“It may not be ‘steady’ or ‘stable’ or financially promising or secure… but every step of the way we’re figuring it out and have a lot of adventures, experiences and creative pursuits that keep us going. Essentially, examining what it is that makes us wealthy in our life on our own terms versus what we’ve learned society might tell us are the markers of a successful life.

“Making this live video was such a wonderful experience. We were able to assemble some of my favorite Nashville musicians: Kristin Weber (my longtime collaborator, string player, BGVs), Aaron Shafer-Haiss (my longtime collaborator/drummer), Juan Solarzano on guitar, Sam Howard on bass, and Will Honaker on keys. We did multiple songs that day and each song the amazing crew at Layman Drug Co. changed the lighting, vibe, mood of the room to emulate the song. There’s this soft-lit glow almost towards the golden hour that felt very easy and fitting to set the tone for the song.” — Michaela Anne

Photo credit: Matt Wignall

WATCH: Darrin Bradbury, “Breakfast”

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Artist: Darrin Bradbury
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Breakfast”
Album: Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs
Release Date: September 20, 2019
Label: ANTI- Records

In Their Words: “In an age of exponentially shrinking attention spans, most music we consume (which is an awfully odd term, I mean cancer consumes healthy cells, lions consume zebras, people consume French fries — it’s hideous language that ought to be reconsidered, same goes for the modern use of the word viral)… Anyhow, it’s often reduced to a savvy-click worthy headline followed by a relatable personal anecdote and a hi-res press photo.

“This is not that. This is a song about breakfast and my thoughts while consuming it, including but not limited to: squirrel drama — a civilization of oat-based creatures who meet their untimely demise by the hands of their creator, a few observations about the nature of the modern telephone, a reference to the Death Star and a mostly failed attempt at rhyming the name “Howie” with “Maui” (it, like, only kinda works).

“Honestly, and I mean this sincerely, I thought this is was the kinda sh*t everybody thinks about over breakfast.” — Darrin Bradbury

Photo credit: Danielle Holbert

WATCH: Leigh Nash and Matt Lovell, “Dime Adiós”

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Artists: Leigh Nash and Matt Lovell
Hometown: New Braunfels, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Dime Adiós”

In Their Words: “‘Dime Adiós’ was born out of us wondering how to tell someone ‘goodbye’ in Spanish. We wrote it in Nashville one day in 2016 in the middle of a string of writes. We had a little help from some friends who are certifiably more fluent in Spanish than we are. It’s a goodbye song with a little sweetness and dignity to it, and it has been making us smile since the day we wrote it. We recorded it with the help of a band of friends, which included Leigh’s husband, the illustrious Stephen Wilson Jr. It was produced by Matt Odmark and tracked live. When we went up to the control room to listen back, we both grinned really big and threw our hands in the air. It was one of those rare moments when you catch something that is just right in one take. I’m sure we’ll be smiling about this one for a while.” — Leigh Nash and Matt Lovell

Photo credit: Jimmy Fisco

WATCH: Foy Vance, “Wind Blows Chloe”

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Name: Foy Vance
Hometown: Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland
Song: “Wind Blows Chloe” (Live from Sun Studios)
Album: To Memphis
Release Date: September 6, 2019
Label: Gingerbread Man Records/Elektra

In Their Words: “It was Matt Ross-Spang, the co-producer on To Memphis, that first mentioned recording at Sam Phillips Recording Studios and I immediately knew it was the right move. Walking into the space confirmed that… it has hardly changed since the heyday. We had a fun couple of days recording there, but few songs were as fun to record as ‘Wind Blows Chloe.’ I wrote that for my manager’s daughter as a bit of fun. I’m looking forward to the world hearing it.” — Foy Vance

Photo credit: Gregg Houston

WATCH: Carolina Blue, “I Hear Bluegrass Calling Me”

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Artist: Carolina Blue
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina
Song: “I Hear Bluegrass Calling Me”
Album: I Hear Bluegrass Calling Me
Label: Pinecastle Records

In Their Words: “‘I Hear Bluegrass Calling Me’ was written by one of our mentors and a very special friend, Roy Chapman, so it’s automatically important to us. We changed the arrangement a bit to fit our style because we wanted to tip our hats to a couple more of our bluegrass heroes: Bill Monroe, the originator of this music, and the Osborne Brothers, whose cutting-edge vocals and arrangements helped keep bluegrass relevant when it was in a period of decline. It’s a fun tune to play and listen to. We sure hope everyone is enjoying hearing it as much as we are playing it!” — Bobby Powell & Timmy Jones

Photo Credit: Corey Johnson

WATCH: Jon LaDeau, “Call My Name” (Feat. Hayley Thompson-King)

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Artist: Jon LaDeau
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Call My Name” (feat. Hayley Thompson-King)
Album: Roads
Album release date: October 11, 2019

In Their Words: “‘Call My Name’ is the first single from my new album, Roads. It’s a duet with Hayley Thompson-King. I wanted to get the feeling across that a strong relationship with a close friend or family member or partner is such a special thing to have. You can always call on this person and they’ll be there. And they can call on you, no matter what.” — Jon LaDeau

Photo of Jon LaDeau by Brian Geltner
Album cover image credit: Jon LaDeau, Brian Geltner, Alyssa Kriner

WATCH: Manda Mosher, “Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore”

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Artist: Manda Mosher
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Single: “Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore”
Single Release Date: July 26, 2019
Label: Blackbird Record Label

In Their Words: “When I first heard John Moreland’s album In the Throes, his honest songwriting and delivery hit hard. ‘Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore’ resonated strongly with me as a songwriter and [it’s] a song I wanted to perform and record with CALICO the band. It didn’t come to fruition then, but made a lot of sense to record for my new solo record, which we’re making in my studio as my first run out as a co-producer with Eric Craig. You can pour your heart out into song to have it be either quickly consumed or ignored in the fast pace of our age… and then you add in the factors of the public at times being more interested in flashy appearances or production than the quality of a song itself which can bring on this feeling. BUT this song pretty much proves itself wrong because it’s so damn good.” — Manda Mosher

Photo credit: Shots by Morrison
Directed by: Bob Wayne
Edited by: Bob Wayne & Eric Craig