Hop aboard another edition of our weekly roundup of new music and premieres!
This time, we’re grabbing a ride on a Greyhound with blues rocker Liam St. John and Molly Tuttle for a special live performance video of “Greyhound Bus Blues” that’s a truly lovely roots duet. There are a few more stops for this bus, though, so hold on! Next, the Faux Paws take us to New York City and while that city (never) sleeps they cover Jimmy Martin’s “Night,” a new single and video, shot by Dylan Ladds.
Trad bluegrass innovators Chris Jones & the Night Drivers turn a familiar idiom on its head with “Plenty Ventured,” their latest single which drops today. And, Jones’ fellow Canadian Jadea Kelly brings an endlessly smooth and soulful original Americana song that sets a peaceful and calm tone for the weekend, entitled “Friday.” It’s a special track you can find on the deluxe issue of her most recent album, Weather Girl.
Don’t miss up-and-coming bluegrass and folk string band the Wilder Flower from the mountain-y portions of the North and South Carolina line. They close out our round-up this week bringing us back to Molly Tuttle, who with Jon Weisberger wrote “Every Time the Rain Comes Pouring Down.” The Wilder Flower successfully make the song their own.
It’s a perfect musical journey, all right here on BGS. You know what you gotta do? You Gotta Hear This!
The Faux Paws, “Night”
Artist: The Faux Paws
Hometown: Springfield, Vermont
Song: “Night”
Album: No Bad Ideas
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Label: Great Bear Records / Free Dirt
In Their Words: “When Andrew unearthed this great Jimmy Martin tune we all knew the groove hidden within would be well-served by our treatment. It slaps from the first note. We linked up with great filmmaker Dylan Ladds and all decided to head to New York to shoot this video. Jimmy may not have been thinking about ‘night’ in the city that never sleeps, but we love how open the lyrics of this song are and sometimes the loneliest place being surrounded by 23 million people, right?
“We’re really excited to release this along with the single from our upcoming record and tour all spring and summer to some of our favorite towns and festivals!” – Chris Miller, banjo, sax
Video Credits: Dylan Ladds, Filmed at Epiphany Recording Studios, Long Island City, New York.
Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, “Plenty Ventured”
Artist: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Plenty Ventured”
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “This twist on the old proverb ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ popped into my head pretty much out of the blue. The idea of putting too much effort or resources into a lost cause is certainly relatable, whether it’s in love or work or some other part of life. We’ve all been there at some point or another. Once I started working on it, it lent itself to a bluesy feel, and it really clicked for us in the studio. Mark Stoffel came up with the little melodic variation that starts the song.” – Chris Jones
Track Credits:
Chris Jones – Acoustic guitar, lead vocal, harmony vocal
Mark Stoffel – Mandolin
Grace van’t Hof – Banjo, harmony vocal
Marshall Wilborn – Bass
Carly Arrowood – Fiddle
Jadea Kelly, “Friday”
Artist: Jadea Kelly
Hometown: Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Friday”
Album: Weather Girl (deluxe)
Release Date: October 12, 2024 (album); April 11, 2025 (deluxe release)
In Their Words: “This is a very simple, feel-good song about staying in and doing absolutely nothing on a Friday night. Since removing alcohol from my life two-and-a-half years ago and entering my late thirties, the weekend has a different mood and intention. It’s sacred, quiet, and filled with self-care. I also feel that the pandemic forcibly reintroduced us to home time in a new way. And I love it!” – Jadea Kelly
Track Credits:
Jadea Kelly – Vocals, songwriting
Peter Von Althen – Drums
Jim Bryson – Production, instrumentation
Liam St. John, “Greyhound Bus Blues” (featuring Molly Tuttle)
Artist: Liam St. John
Song: “Greyhound Bus Blues” (featuring Molly Tuttle)
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Label: Big Loud Rock
In Their Words: “Life as an artist is beautiful. It is unpredictable, it is incredibly fulfilling, and it is full of highs and lows. But there are moments in your career as an artist that act as pillars of affirmation. Moments that let you know you’re on the right track. For me, there are a few pillars: The first time I played a headline show where the crowd screamed every lyric with me. When I signed to Big Loud records. When I found out Molly Tuttle was going to feature on my song ‘Greyhound Bus Blues.’
“When I got the call that Molly was going to feature on this song, I could hardly believe it. I’m such a fan of her work and I admire her so much as a songwriter, singer, and musician. She elevates ‘Greyhound Bus Blues’ to another level with her world-class flat-picking and GRAMMY-winning bluegrass vocals. Collaborating with Molly, both in the studio and for the live recording, was a master class in combining professionalism and adoration of music.” – Liam St. John
Video Credit: Sean O’Halloran
The Wilder Flower, “Every Time the Rain Comes Pouring Down”
Artist: The Wilder Flower
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina / Pickens, South Carolina
Song: “Every Time the Rain Comes Pouring Down”
Release Date: April 13, 2025
In Their Words: “As a group of developing songwriters, we couldn’t be more proud to release a song written by two distinctive stylists and heroes of ours. It blurs genre and generational lines, with the feel of fiddling ballads and bluegrass rhythm that colors our group. It’s a deeply emotional number that we connected with after the first listen. We’d like to thank Jon Weisberger and Molly Tuttle for the opportunity to take their work & make it our own.” – Danielle Yother
Photo Credit: The Faux Paws by Dylan Ladds; Liam St. John and Molly Tuttle courtesy of the artist.
