Artist:Charley Crockett Hometown: San Benito, Texas / Austin, Texas Song: “Welcome to Hard Times” Album:Welcome to Hard Times Release Date: July 31, 2020 (album) Label: Son of Davy/Thirty Tigers
In Their Words: “‘Welcome To Hard Times’ is about the viewpoint of society from an outcast’s perspective. The hobo who prefers to skirt by Sin City taking it in as he passes by its outskirts. Inevitably we are compelled to play the game. In America today everyone understands the casino and that when you’re in it you have to play by the house rules. I’m a nameless drifter at the end of the day. Forced to roll the dice and get that money, but the dollar doesn’t own me. I think anybody can relate to that hustle.” — Charley Crockett
Artist:Fierce Flowers Hometown: Paris, France Song: “Tell Me Lies” Album:Mirador Label: Celebration Days Records
In Their Words: “We wrote ‘Tell Me Lies’ as a contemporary tribute to the desperate cowboy ballad genre. In our story, the narrator is a young woman who roams about the lonesome prairie of modern love and online dating. The songwriting process started on a lazy Paris summer afternoon. The melody was created on fiddle, and the rest of the song came together pretty quickly. The hardest thing was to get the three-part harmonies in place — they are a little quirky, but exciting and satisfying when we get them spot on.” — Julia Zech, Fierce Flowers
Artist:LULLANAS Hometown: Worcester, Pennsylvania Song: “Memphis” Album:Before Everything Got Real Release Date: April 24, 2020 Label: Nettwerk
In Their Words: “What started as a few scribbles on a page and some acoustic guitar was brought to a level we couldn’t have ever imagined. Everyone has their own version of their ‘Memphis.’ This song takes listeners on their own journey, but in the end, we all end up at the same place with the same feeling. We got to record our debut EP with Grammy Award-winning producer Peter Katis (The National, The Head and the Heart, The Paper Kites) whose work we have admired for years. Seeing our song being built from the ground up was truly a life changing experience for us. The video was directed by Lenne Chai, and seeing her stunning interpretation of our lyrics really brought the song life.” — Atisha and Nishita Lulla, LULLANAS
The idea of success, especially as it relates to being a musician, songwriter, and/or performer, has always been a wily, shifting idea. What are the benchmarks we use to determine someone’s level of notoriety? What are their claims to fame? Owning a tour bus? Having your first number one hit? Being the musical guest on SNL? Having a highway named after you? Or perhaps a proclamation from your local public figures designating a [Named After You] Day?
Well, for everyone’s favorite bluegrass powerhouse vocalist turned mainstream country star and global sensation Chris Stapleton, success isn’t measured only by a cameo appearance on HBO’s Game of Thrones. How about having LEGO figures modeled after you, your wife, your band, your stage set, and your otherworldly, music-hating fantastical arch-enemies?
LEGO Group and Stapleton collaborated on the brand new music video for “Second One To Know,” creating a fully realized toy brick universe replete with Stapleton’s signature hat, Morgane Stapleton’s omnipresent tambourine, strikingly accurate LEGO versions of instruments, gear, crew, family members, and even a cameo by bassist J.T. Cure’s cat! (A cat-meo? A cat-meow?)
It may seem a little off the wall for an artist who, while ceaselessly compelling, is generally reserved and counterintuitively subdued — despite his music and window-shaking voice being anything but. But the video is whimsical, painstakingly detailed, expertly crafted, and damn, it’s entertaining. Watch LEGO + Chris Stapleton’s “Second One To Know” right here, on BGS.
Nashville’s reputation as a breeding ground for great songs and songwriters is built on people like this. California native Anna Vaus has made waves as a writer in her short time in Nashville, from being named the first recipient of the Miranda Lambert Women Creators scholarship to signing a publishing deal with Black River Entertainment, to releasing her original music on her debut EP almost one year ago. Wit, charm, authenticity, and transparency abound on The California Kid, and if you haven’t heard her music yet, take this chance to get familiar, because we’ll be hearing a lot more from this up-and-coming artist.
In Their Words: “After my divorce I took a long time to think about what kind of person I wanted to be and how best to share that self with another human. I obsessively deconstructed our ideas of romance and relationship and tried to pinpoint what exactly made a connection a healthy one. I met my current partner after a few years of living a fulfilling single life and was heartened to find someone who shared my sense of cynicism. With equal portions of self-awareness, hope and caution, we forged a relationship I have grown very fond of.” — Rachael Kilgour
Artist:Si Cliff Hometown: London, UK Song: “Run” Release Date: January 15, 2019
In Their Words: “The track ‘Run’ started out as two separate voice recordings of the chorus melody and bass line. An idea that I arranged on guitar later that week turned into what you hear now. The starting groove of the verse came to me when practicing and it fit so well. The lyrics are about having lots of chances not to face up to things these days, with many apps and endless media sources to preoccupy us. We can find excuses to put real life and decisions on hold when the time to do them is now.” — Si Cliff
Photo credit: John Powell
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