Who needs Black Friday when you have New Music Friday? We’ve got your doorbusters right here, in our weekly premiere round-up!
This week, from the bluegrass realm, we have two new tracks from labelmates Benson and Jaelee Roberts. Check out “Down That Road” from husband-and-wife-duo Benson, featuring bluegrass veterans Kristin Scott Benson and Wayne Benson – with vocals by Keith Garrett. Plus, Jaelee Roberts pays tribute to ’80s and ’90s bluegrass with a loving homage to the Lonesome River Band with her cover of “Looking For Yourself.”
Also in our premiere collection, we have a brand new lyric video for “Go To The Sun,” a new single from Swedish folk-pop singer-songwriter Sarah Klang all about going from a dark place to one of hope. To wrap us up this week – and this month! – don’t miss our exclusive two-song Tønder Session with Ugandan-Texan roots artist Jon Muq.
It’s all right here on BGS and You Gotta Hear This!
Benson, “Down That Road”
Artist: Benson
Hometown: Boiling Springs, South Carolina
Song: “Down That Road”
Release Date: November 29, 2024
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “‘Down That Road’ is a great song. I love to play banjo on tunes with this lilting groove. Wayne and I are both huge Keith Garrett fans and we love his vocal delivery on this one. The song conveys a vulnerability and he did a great job capturing that.” – Kristin Scott Benson
Track Credits:
Kristin Scott Benson – Banjo
Wayne Benson – Mandolin
Cody Kilby – Guitar
Kevin McKinnon – Bass
Tony Creasman – Drums
Dustin Pyrtle – Harmony vocal
Sarah Klang, “Go To The Sun”
Artist: Sarah Klang
Hometown: Gothenburg, Sweden
Song: Go To The Sun
Album: Beautiful Woman
Release Date: November 29, 2024 (single); February 7, 2025 (album)
Label: Nettwerk Music Group
In Their Words: “‘Go To The Sun’ is one of the most personal songs I’ve ever written. This song represents going to better places, be it in your mind or physically traveling to those places. It’s about a person’s mental state going from a dark place to one of hope. It’s about escaping from the day-to-day and finding your way.” – Sarah Klang
Jaelee Roberts, “Looking For Yourself”
Artist: Jaelee Roberts
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Looking For Yourself”
Release Date: November 29, 2024
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I absolutely love the ’80s and ’90s eras of bluegrass music and ‘Looking For Yourself’ (originally recorded by the Lonesome River Band) completely embodies that vibe. I’ve been a LRB fan my entire life and this song has always jumped out at me while listening to that classic album, so I decided that ‘Looking For Yourself’ should be the first bluegrass cover song that I’d record. Andy Leftwich, Cody Kilby, Ron Block, Byron House, John Gardner, and Grayson Lane are absolutely awesome and made this track go from dream to reality for me! Speaking of Grayson Lane, I just have to say how happy I am to have him singing harmony with me on this. We have known each other since we were born (literally) and he is one of my favorite singers and his voice on ‘Looking For Yourself’ was the icing on the cake. I hope y’all will enjoy my spin of one of my favorite bluegrass songs and that you’ll listen to it loud and sing along at the top of your lungs!” – Jaelee Roberts
Track Credits:
Jaelee Roberts – Vocals, harmony vocals
Byron House – Bass
Cody Kilby – Acoustic guitar
Andy Leftwitch – Mandolin, fiddle
John Gardner – Drums
Ron Block – Banjo
Grayson Lane – Harmony vocals
Tønder Session, Jon Muq
Earlier this year, during the waning days of summer, our videographer friends at I Know We Should traveled to Denmark to capture a handful of special sessions with Americana and roots artists performing at Scandinavian music festivals. For our next installment in this mini-series, we’re excited to feature singer-songwriter Jon Muq performing during his time at premier Danish music event, Tønder Festival.
Born and raised in Uganda, Jon Muq has made waves since relocating to Austin, Texas and leaving his mark on the American roots music scene. Earlier this year he released his debut full-length album, Flying Away, on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound. That’s the project from which Muq’s first selection is pulled. On a waterside boardwalk with a marshy backdrop, Muq offers “Bend,” a song about resiliency, flexibility, and connection, and “Hello Sunshine,” another track from Flying Away – one just perfect for August in Denmark.
Watch the full performance here.
Photo Credit: Sarah Klang by Fredrika Eriksson; Jaelee Roberts by Eric Ahlgrim.
