New music Friday might just be the best day of the week, right? This week, BGS readers enjoyed an exclusive premiere from Gangstagrass featuring Jerry Douglas and a brand new Rootsy Summer Session with Emily Scott Robinson joined by Violet Bell.
In this week’s edition of You Gotta Hear This, you can check out the new Gangstagrass single, “The Only Way Out Is Through,” and Robinson’s two performances from Falkenberg, Sweden. Plus, don’t miss exclusive premieres from artists and musicians like LULLANAS, Ethan Sherman, Jake Byrne, Bri Bagwell, and Mia Dyson. Also, Angus & Julia Stone at long last release a studio version of “The Wedding Song” – a fan-favorite track and a frequent wedding ceremony and reception playlist choice – for the first time.
It’s all right here on BGS and… You Gotta Hear This!
LULLANAS, “Pretty Lies and Time Machines”
Artist: LULLANAS
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Pretty Lies and Time Machines”
Album: Pretty Lies and Time Machines
Release Date: February 9, 2024 (single); June 14, 2024 (album)
Label: Nettwerk Music Group
In Their Words: “Throughout our writing process, Nishita and I almost always envision visuals or a music video concept for each song. If we can’t visualize it, the song isn’t complete yet. ‘Pretty Lies and Time Machines,’ co-written with Jake Etheridge, explores the thoughts that keep us up at night. After finishing the song, we envisioned strolling through a whimsical ghost town, surrounded only by our thoughts. Collaborating closely with our friend and producer, Keith Goodwin (Good Old War), every element added to the track helped tell that story, bringing our vision to life.” – Atisha Lulla
Ethan Sherman, “Lake Aire”
Artist: Ethan Sherman
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Lake Aire”
Album: Passages
Release Date: March 8, 2024
Label: Indoor Recordings, distributed by Free Dirt
In Their Words: “This is a new-fangled old-time-adjacent slow-jam-rager of an instrumental. When I first wrote it, it was a lot faster and had a few extra parts. My producer extraordinaire, Wes Corbett, suggested we take out all the filler and slow the tempo down to really make it sing. Like all of the music on Passages, the thing that makes this tune ‘work’ is the way this stellar band played it – with deep interaction and lots of in-the-moment interplay. My favorite parts are Rob Ickes’s beautiful phrasing of the melody on the Dobro and the collective improvised build in the middle of the tune. It was so fun to work this up with these guys.” – Ethan Sherman
Track Credits: Ethan Sherman – guitar
Rob Ickes – Dobro
Wes Corbett – banjo
Thomas Cassell – mandolin
Avery Merritt – fiddle
Ethan Jodziewicz – bass
Jake Byrne, “Robbed A Giving Tree”
Artist: Jake Byrne
Hometown: Lake Ozark, Missouri
Song: “Robbed a Giving Tree”
Release Date: February 9, 2024
In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Robbed a Giving Tree’ when I was transitioning from a very purpose driven career to one working from home that just paid the bills. To emotionally compensate, I became overly generous with my time, talents, and resources with near strangers. I grew symbiotic relationships with some people that have flourished into beautiful friendships, but I also created toxic relationships that, to me, equate to being nothing more than ‘their giving tree.’ I unfortunately learned the difference between being useful versus being used. Ultimately for the sake of self preservation, I had cut off a bit of my generous side that was supposed to bring me a sense of purpose.” – Jake Byrne
Angus & Julia Stone, “The Wedding Song”
Artist: Angus & Julia Stone
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
Song: “The Wedding Song”
Album: Cape Forestier
Release Date: February 9, 2024 (single); May 10, 2024 (album)
Label: Nettwerk Music Group
In Their Words:“We’ve received so many requests from fans for a proper recording to use on their special day, so we decided to make that happen. ‘The Wedding Song’ was originally written for a friend’s wedding years ago. Since then, we’ve been honored to play it at several friends’ and family’s weddings, including our mum’s… We chose it as our first single from our upcoming record because it’s all about love. The song is a celebration of love and human connection. In a world that can feel disconnected and frightening, we want to share something that reflects the beauty of how humans choose to treat each other, love each other, and make promises to build something beautiful together.” – Julia Stone
Bri Bagwell, “The Rescue”
Artist: Bri Bagwell
Hometown: Grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico; now New Braunfels, Texas
Song: “The Rescue”
Release Date: February 9, 2024
Label: New Texican Records
In Their Words: “I found my chihuahua, who I named Whiskey, in February of 2019 in the middle of the road, southeast of Austin, Texas. I have always heard the phrase ‘who rescued who,’ but I know in my heart that she rescued me more than I rescued her! I stopped traffic when I saw her in the middle of the road and chased her until she eventually gave in and let me catch her. She was heartworm positive, cold, and dirty; I was in a toxic relationship, sad, and tired. We’ve been inseparable ever since! The only artistic license in the song is finding her at night, when it was actually midday. The rest is our true story!
“I enlisted the help of one of my absolute favorite songwriters and friends, Helene Cronin, to help me write the tune. She is very careful with lyrics and melodies, and I trust her deeply with my important ideas. This one happened rather quickly, but Helene had to sing it for the worktape, because I was sobbing like a baby. The first few times performing it live, I couldn’t get through it… Someone even apologized to me about my dog passing away, which made me laugh with embarrassment. She’s fine and healthy, and my love for her just overflows to tears sometimes.” – Bri Bagwell
Mia Dyson, “Sunny Hills”
Artist: Mia Dyson
Hometown: Torquay, Australia
Song: “Sunny Hills”
Album: Tender Heart
Release Date: February 23, 2024
In Their Words:“My husband and I wrote this song together, thinking of the eternal Sunny Hills that all who have loved before us have played in. When we love, all the lovers from the past are with us. If we listen quietly we can hear them guiding us. Extending this love out to those we disagree with or don’t like is a radical and rebellious thing to try. Hatred and cynicism are easy. Love is difficult. My job is not to get brought down by my fear and hatred and greed. Everything changes when I look through the lens of knowing I have the company of all who have gone before.” – Mia Dyson
Gangstagrass, “The Only Way Out Is Through”
Artist: Gangstagrass
Hometown: All over the USA! Rench: Brooklyn with Oklahoma roots; Dolio the Sleuth: Pensacola, Florida; R-SON the Voice of Reason: Philly; Danjo: Washington, D.C.; Farrow: Omaha; Sleevs: Baltimore.
Song: “The Only Way Out Is Through”
Release Date: February 7, 2024 (video); February 2, 2024 (single)
Label: Rench Audio
In Their Words: “I’m really into how much we played with tension and energy to craft this track, the dynamics came out so powerfully. Especially with the horns! (Provided by Lowdown Brass Band.) We were stunned by the quick ‘yes’ from the one and only Jerry Douglas, who put in a blisteringly intense Dobro solo. I dare you to tell me you’ve heard anything like this before. I feel like this will be a great song for psyching yourself up to kick ass at whatever you are about to do.” – Rench
Rootsy Summer Sessions: Emily Scott Robinson
Last summer, the videographers from I Know We Should were on hand for Rootsy Summer Fest ’23 in Falkenberg, Sweden, shooting a series of Rootsy Summer Sessions featuring artists from both sides of the Atlantic. At golden hour one evening during the festival, as the waning sun gleamed over the North Sea and Skrea Strand, Colorado singer-songwriter Emily Scott Robinson performed “Old Gods” and “Landslide” with Nashville-based North Carolinian duo Violet Bell.
Read more and watch both performances.
Photo Credit: LULLANAS by Luda Ronky; Ethan Sherman by Harrison Whitford.
