Showing posts with label Brent Cobb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brent Cobb. Show all posts
Jan 26, 2022
Jan 20, 2022
The Sopranos Country Reaction Gifs
When your friend gets a new girlfriend who likes pop country and he starts going to Kane Brown and Sam Hunt shows
Cranking some more Brent Cobb gospel tunes
Wheeler Walker...
Oh you wanna test my 90s country knowledge?
If you don't like Lori McKenna, are you
I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then
When you hear a Walker Hayes song
Oh you're a country fan? Like Morgan Wallen and Luke Bryan?
Jan 13, 2022
The Righteous Gemstones Country Reaction Gifs
Morgan Wallen’s team’s thoughts about the Opry controversy
When you catch your boyfriend listening to The Highway SiriusXM
If you catch yourself starting to like Sam Hunt a little
“We’re playing pop country at the reception; take it or leave it.”
Country radio, obviously
When you’ve been listening to Brent Cobb gospel songs all day
When somebody says Turnpike won’t be good anymore because they’re happy and recovering
How about Farce the Music start spreading more positivity?
May 12, 2021
Apr 17, 2020
Luke Combs Performs "Six Feet Apart"
Co-written with Brent Cobb and Rob Snyder (the singer/songwriter, not the actor).
Sep 27, 2019
Whiskey Myers: A Self-Titled Masterpiece
By Kevin Broughton
When Whiskey Myers front man Cody Cannon got the call last year, the band was in the studio working on what would become their fifth, self-titled album. The pitch: Would the group like to appear in Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone? Not just on the soundtrack, but in an actual scene?
It was a no-brainer, and a decision that had nearly immediate – and retroactive – benefits for the Palestine, Texas-based Red Dirt rockers, as noted by Saving Country Music:
In the aftermath of the episode, the band’s most recent album, Mud, went to No. 1 on the iTunes country chart, and Top 20 all-genre on the hourly-updating aggregator. Also, their album Firewater came in at No. 3 in country, and the album Early Morning Shakes came in at #9. On the iTunes country songs chart, the song “Stone” was in the Top 10.
In an ever-evolving music business, independent artists often find a shot in the arm of exposure from film and television; Colter Wall, Chris Stapleton and Scott Biram all got boosts from appearing on the soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated Hell or High Water. But Whiskey Myers’ catapult ride from relative obscurity to the forefront of commercial success was almost otherworldly. The Yellowstone appearance landed three previous records – dating back seven years – in the country Top Ten. That momentum set the stage perfectly for the band’s self-titled album released today.
Their two previous offerings, 2016’s Mud and Early Morning Shakes from 2014, were both helmed by all-world producer and Grammy machine Dave Cobb. For their fifth release, though, the band decided to produce it themselves. Lead guitarist and multi-instrumentalist John Jeffers emphasizes how a sense of collaboration and experimentation really defined their whirlwind eighteen days of recording at the Sonic Ranch studio, outside of El Paso. “There’s never a right or wrong answer when it comes to ideas,” he says. “We would run every single idea from everyone — some work and some don’t, but we give them all a shot. And then there’s that magical moment when the whole band hears it, your eyes get a twinkle — ‘That’s it, that’s us!’”
Their do-it-yourself result is a Southern rock masterpiece.
The album kicks off with “Die Rockin’.” Cannon’s raspy, proud vocals are right in your face – and you definitely feel the influence of co-writer Ray Wylie Hubbard.
Over the course of fourteen tracks, though, songs expand, moods change and songs like “Bury My Bones” and “California to Carolina” explore different stories and emotions. “You want an album to be like a rollercoaster,” says Jeffers. “Does it really take you for a ride, with ups and downs and some loops and sometimes you’re upside down?”
There are indeed shifts in the album’s momentum and flow. “Bitch” is the best indictment of Bro-country you’ll ever find.
Collaborative writing with Adam Hood (“Rolling Stone”) and Brent Cobb (“Running”) provide balance and country texture. Ultimately, however, this is a Southern rock album in the very best tradition of the nearly forgotten genre. “Houston County Sky” channels The Marshall Tucker Band, and “Little More Money” and “Bad Weather” are right out of Dirty South-era Drive By Truckers. “Hammer” is a sultry, swampy reminiscence of early Black Crowes.
Whiskey Myers has positioned itself on the cusp of rarified air; can they enjoy widespread mainstream success without benefit of commercial radio in the way, say, Jason Isbell has in recent years? We’re about to find out. This album is a triumph.
Whiskey Myers is available everywhere you consume music today.
Aug 13, 2019
Mar 1, 2019
Song Premiere: Kyle Daniel - Somewhere in Between
Sometimes the side-man deserves to be a front-man. Kyle Daniel, who's been a touring guitarist with artists like Casey James and Clare Dunn, steps to the mic and displays an exceptional voice on "Somewhere in Between", a song from his forthcoming second EP. This easy-rolling song fits easily on a playlist with the likes of Brent Cobb and Chris Stapleton, sonically and vocally. "Somewhere in Between" straddles Americana and the more traditional leaning parts of modern country - in other words, the kind of stuff I wish was dominating mainstream radio. Give it a good listen; I think you'll dig it.
From Daniel: "Over the past few years as a musician, I have kind of felt like I was in the waiting room of my career. Although I have accomplished some things I am very proud of, I have yet to feel like I’ve really had the opportunity to do what I want as an artist, on an elevated level. I’ve felt “Somewhere in Between.” I think that we all feel this way at some point in life; when things seem to be moving, yet at a standstill all at the same time.
This was an internal struggle song, so it was a little easier to write than most. When Jackie Leigh, Seth Rentfrow and I got together to write this song, it came out so naturally and honest. There was some sort of magic in the room that day that really helped to shape this song. I think we were all able to get on the same page with this because we all felt the exact same way, at the exact same time.
When we went into the studio to begin cutting this song, I vividly remember telling the boys seconds before the record button was hit, “Let’s make this one sound like it should be in a Quentin Tarantino film.” We wanted it to have that southwestern/Americana feel that was tied to the melody and lyrics. I felt like we hit as close to the mark as we possibly could have on the production."
More information about Daniel below the song player!
Kyle Daniel // What’s There to Say? (March 15)
What’s there to say when you’ve conceded to the hardships of life? Kyle Daniel wrestles with this question throughout his sophomore EP, aptly titled What’s There to Say? Delivering his message via bright melodies and a wall of electric guitar, Daniel navigates the trials and tribulations of being a working musician, failed relationships, being surrounded by addiction and growing up in modern-day America. Wearing his heart on a tattered sleeve, he pairs everyman lyricism with a rusty vocal akin to Blackberry Smoke, Will Hoge and Chris Stapleton, bristled with a warm guitar bravado. It comes as no surprise that he’s road-dogged as a guitarist for Clare Dunn, Jimmy Hall and Casey James, as well as opened for the likes of Jason Isbell and Miranda Lambert. These are rich, authentic stories told from the perspective of someone who’s wrestled with the ups and downs of being a touring musician.
His new project carries with it tremendous gravitas, particularly in a time when truth is under the microscope. Daniel draws upon the uncertainty of an ever-evolving music scene, currently in a state of transition especially in the age of streaming. “You learn to take the victories as they come and be proud of those,” he says, considering the weight of his new music and the past year of his personal life. “Born to Lose” ignites the set from inside out, as he turns his gaze on the taboo topic of addiction and its omniscience in our everyday lives.
“I tried to start digging through all of the shame in hopes I’d see her again,” he sings, the yearning in his soul spilling over onto gold-flecked guitars. The instruments crash against each other like rolling thunder, and it’s both a cathartic sigh and a mountain cry.
“I wondered what it would feel like to be completely down on your luck and feel like there’s nothing you can do about it or nobody to help you. In the title itself, you feel like you were damned from the time you popped out into this world,” he says. Within the song’s shiny structure, borrowing from classic rock as much as contemporary country, he observes such tragedies as the opioid crisis but veers on the side of uncompromising empathy. “I wanted to bring awareness to it without being completely negative in that respect,” he stresses.
It is from such a caring viewpoint that Daniel has approached much of his work, whether it be music-making directly or working behind the scenes. Born and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, he was instilled early on with a diligence for an honest day’s work and never giving up. Through much of his youth, he played on various traveling all-star baseball teams, but an accident in his freshman year of high school left him with a broken femur -- and idle hands.
He picked up the guitar to pass the time and was instantly struck by the power of music.
He spent three months honing his craft and later formed his first band. “By default, I had to learn to sing. Nobody else wanted to sing because they were too timid,” remembers Daniel, downplaying his own raw abilities as a natural born storyteller. When that endeavor ended, he founded a trio called the Kyle Daniel Band at 16 and went on to win the Southern Kentucky Blues Challenge. He was given the opportunity to head to the International Blues Competition, held in Memphis, Tenn., and placed in the finals.
Feeling the buzz of success, he initially opted out of college and took off his first year to explore music on the local scene. “But my dad was like, ‘You need a backup plan. Not everybody can be a freaking rockstar,’” he says. He put his guitar away and sought a music business degree at Middle Tennessee State University. “I felt like a piece of me was missing at some point and decided to put together a college band,” he says of The Last Straw, a blend of outlaw country, blues and southern rock. They soon caught the attention of the industry and snagged opening gigs for Jason Isbell, Blues Traveler and the Black Crowes.
Following college, Daniel focused his attention on using his business degree and accepted a merchandise manager position for a Los Angeles group called Vintage Trouble. Through his work, he gravitated toward artist management and went on to rep a band on the road with Taylor Swift for the global Red Tour. “I absolutely got annihilated,” he recalls. “It was not my bag.”
He soon left his tour manager gig, and not a week later, he received an unexpected call from Wet Willie’s Jimmy Hall, who was seeking a guitar player for their upcoming tour. “I hadn’t played for three or four years really,” he says. “So, I put myself through boot camp to start playing with him.” Daniel toured around the country with Wet Willie for about a year before landing on Casey James’ tour, a risk he took that later led him to nab gigs with Bob Seger, Clare Dunn, Miranda Lambert, Lee Brice and Chris Young.
A new cycle of life came his way, and he made his way back home where he worked with a group called Jericho Woods. But feeling dissatisfied creatively, Daniel stepped back from collaboration and spent the next few years concentrating on finding his own songwriting voice, penning hundreds of songs in that time. He worked his way around Nashville and linked up with such titans as Brent Cobb, Dave Kennedy, Channing Wilson (Jason Eady, Luke Combs) and Seth Rentfrow, a force of nature who would soon become vital to Daniel’s many solo artistic endeavours.
“It took every single step of the way for me to be ready for this type of career and well-versed in in music both on front of and behind the scenes,” says Daniel, whose career was nearly derailed completely last spring when he had extensive surgery on his right ear. Four and a half hours post-op, he awoke and soon discovered things were much worse than he thought, his doctor prompted an immediate surgery on his left ear. “The doctor said if I had waited another month, I would have been completely deaf in my left ear. An infection had eroded two of the bones in my ear, and I couldn’t walk by myself for two weeks after the surgery.”
The fighter that he is, Daniel was in the studio cutting his new EP just under two months later. What’s There to Say? is pressed with unwavering perseverance, gritty urgency and viscerally-charged brokenness that quakes at his core. His voice is even more self-assured than on his 2018 debut, which landed on the iTunes Country Chart and was written about three times in Rolling Stone County. With such standouts on the new record as “Somewhere in Between,” in which he laments feeling stuck in second gear of his life and career, and “God Bless America (Damn Rock ‘N Roll),” a ‘70s-inspired arena revolt against the system, Daniels illustrates a colorful blend of tales backed by a rollicking beat.
“This EP came out in a flash. It was unbelievable how seamless this thing worked,” he says, citing how everything was tracked, dubbed and mixed within 12 days. “Songs have their power in the person.”
What’s There to Say? captures a special moment in time for Daniel as he looks to build on momentum built and praise garnered in 2018. This EP is lightning in a bottle; a readily-accessible, deeply relatable culmination of his years of surviving each and every challenge life has thrown at him, and it’s the perfect vessel for Daniel break out in 2019 and beyond.
Dec 13, 2018
Farce the Music's Top Albums of 2018 (11-25)
Our Top 25 Albums of 2018 were voted on by all contributors (including 2 new ones) again this year: Kelcy Salisbury, Robert Dean, Kevin Broughton, Jeremy Harris, Trailer (me), and Matthew Martin
(with friend Chad as a tiebreaker). We welcomed Kasey Anderson and Scott Colvin as first time voters. Today, we reveal numbers 11-25 of our favorites and tomorrow will count down the top 10!
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24. Handsome Jack - Everything's Gonna Be Alright
The best rock ‘n’ roll album of 2018, from a power trio in Buffalo, N.Y. The Robinson bros. might have killed The Black Crowes, but the spirit of the band breathes through these guys. ~Kevin Broughton
23. (tie) Larkin Poe - Venom and Faith
Rebecca and Megan Lovell (formerly of the bluegrass band The Lovell Sisters with older sister Jessica) are mostly “known” as touring musicians for the likes of Kristian Bush and Elvis Costello…among others. On their fourth full-length album, the sisters absolutely hit the sublime with their powerful brand of roots rock and blues. Rebecca’s sultry and soulful vocals blend perfectly with Megan’s hot bluesy slide guitar licks for one of the finest albums in recent memory. ~Scott Colvin
23. (tie) Western Centuries - Songs From the Deluge
Great musicianship from the closest thing to a country super-group 2018 has seen. These guys are all heavily grounded in bluegrass, yet this album synthesizes all the best parts of American roots music. Come for the three-headed monster of vocals and songwriting, stay for the pedal steel. ~KB
22. Amanda Shires - To the Sunset
More than a decade into her solo career, Shires has established herself as one of the truly great songwriters and instrumentalists of her generation. With To the Sunset - an album that is by turns plaintive, unbridled, and fragile - Shires made what is, at least to this point, the album of her career. Calling it a "Rock" record or an "Americana" record is reductive; To the Sunset is an Amanda Shires record and, at this point, she's good enough to be her own genre. ~Kasey Anderson
21. Lincoln Durham - And Into Heaven Came the Night
20. High on Fire - Electric Messiah
Is there any project Matt Pike is involved with that sucks? Pretty sure that’s impossible. Check out "Sanctioned Annihilation" & "Drowning Dog." ~Kelcy Salisbury
19. Sleep - The Sciences
The Sciences is one of the year’s best records and moves beyond, “good follow up to Dopesmoker,” and places Sleep as the undisputed heirs to the throne of Black Sabbath. The Sciences is not only a neck breaking, sludgy love song to the universe, it’s a poem to the mysteries of faith, but it’s also a masterpiece. ~Robert Dean
18. Blackberry Smoke - Find a Light
These guys are working hard. Consecutive years with top-flight albums, they retain their Southern rock identity without being chained to it. This is an all-American band. ~KB
17. Great Peacock - Gran Pavo Real
I've been a fan of Great Peacock for a few years now and after their last album, I was excited to see where they would go. As I would go to shows over the next few years, it became clear they were going to go in a more electric direction. And, they absolutely did. This album is a rocker full of the harmonies and introspective lyrics you've come to expect. This is the one you reach for on Saturday night around midnight. ~Matthew Martin
16. John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness
People are always naming "greatest living songwriters" like John Prine isn't still teaching a masterclass every time he drops new music. Admittedly, that isn't as frequent as in the past, but on The Tree of Forgiveness, Prine reminds us why he's the undisputed. Tuneful, insightful, and bright, this isn't a late-life woe-is-me dirge-fest like many elder statesmen and women give us; this is prime Prine. ~Trailer
15. Caleb Caudle - Crushed Coins
Caudle has been pumping out perfect country songs for a while now. On Crushed Coins, Caudle hits his full stride. These songs are the best set of songs he's put out. The music and production are absolutely suited for his voice and his songs. "NYC In The Rain" is a perfect song and a perfect Caleb Caudle song. I don't think there's anyone else I can imagine singing this song other than Caudle. If you haven't checked out his work, this album is the one to start with. It's Caudle at his best. ~MM
14. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere
The truth: Ashley McBryde doesn't fit the boring sonic pastiche that is mainstream country radio. Her songs are too good, her voice too unique. She deserves airplay and stardom though, and I hope she's one of the new leaders to push the door down. Girl Going Nowhere is a statement of being, filled with catchy and well-crafted songs. "Tired of Being Happy" is an absolute gem. ~Trailer
13. Brent Cobb - Providence Canyon
A great follow-up to 2016’s “Shine On Rainy Day.” The last three songs of that record were swampy and a little menacing, a thread woven through this album, particularly on “If I Don’t See Ya’” and “.30-06,” with their bad-boy Skynyrd feel. But when I hear “King of Alabama,” I’ll always remember the one time I got to see a then-fledgling musician, Wayne Mills. It was in Tuscaloosa in 2002, the night before heavy underdog Auburn beat Alabama 17-7. I was blown away then by the guy’s talent, and to this day I regret I never saw him again. No one that night or any other would ever dream of his fate: “It was a friend who took him from his family.” Cobb has done Mills fitting memorial, and made another great album. ~KB
12. Sarah Shook & The Disarmers - Years
It’s not often I can look to my hometown for musical pride. Let’s be honest, until Sarah Shook came around, Foreigner’s Lou Gramm might be Rochester, NY’s most notable artist (C’Mon, admit it, “Jukebox Hero” and “Urgent” were freaking awesome). Shook is a total badass and this album proves it. ~SC
11. Shooter Jennings - Shooter
Shooter is a portrait of a man who’s come to terms with his abilities, goals, and what he’s after. You can’t write a bunch of feel-good tunes that go hard with the beers, without a sense of purpose and humility …otherwise it comes off contrived and douchey, AKA most of the garbage pop country radio peddles. ~RD
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Albums beyond the top 25 that appeared on multiple ballots:
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
Hawks and Doves - From a White Hotel
Colter Wall - Songs of the Plains
Vince Staples - FM!
Eric Church - Desperate Man
JP Harris - Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing
Mike & the Moonpies - Steak Night at the Prairie Rose
Buffalo Gospel - On the First Bell
Pusha T - Daytona
Aug 10, 2018
Traveling On: A Conversation With Jason Eady
By Kevin Broughton
Jason Eady is a country artist with a bluegrass soul. He cut
his teeth with his stepfather in central Mississippi, going to picking parties
and bluegrass jams, but his six solo albums to date have all been in a traditional
country vein. But on the heels of his critically acclaimed self-titled 2017
record, Eady has gone fully unplugged and put his own unique, rocking stamp on
the bluegrass ethos. With help from an A-list duo from the genre, he’s made his
best album to date, I Travel On, released
today on Old Guitar Records.
It’s a good-time record made by a man at peace with himself
and the world. We chatted about being positive while staying authentic,
clearing out a Croatian bar in Paris, and jumping out of a perfectly good
airplane. And other stuff.
I Travel On is a distinct departure – in several ways -- from your
self-titled 2017 album. That one made our top 10, but it was pretty understated
and a little somber in places. Musically and thematically this record may be
its polar opposite. What were your mindset and/or goals with regard to the
musical approach this time?
Well, this record and the last one seem pretty different,
but I think of the last record as a bridge to this one. Before the self-titled
album, I’d been very electric, with lots of steel guitar – country music.
Sonically, they were bigger productions – not huge, though – than the last
album. On the last one we kind of pulled it back; it was more of an acoustic
album. I Travel On is fully acoustic.
So I think there’s a sonic thread running through to it. And I had been wanting to move that
direction.
About three years ago we played a show in Bozeman, Montana.
And this room is fantastic; it’s one of those places everyone plays when they
go to Montana. But it is small. I
don’t know the actual capacity, but I would guess 30-40 people, and it’s wider
than it is deep, so there are only about four rows of chairs. And we started
bringing in all our gear, but the thought of cramming all those amps in just
seemed weird to me. So we grabbed all our acoustic guitars, stripped down the
drum kit and played the whole set that way. And it just sounded great. So I
went into the last album with that idea, and toured that way as well.
The first thing I
noticed on the opening cut, “I Lost My Mind in Carolina,” was that you brought
in a stud on acoustic guitar. Got a ringer on Dobro, too. Who are these guys,
and what was the recording process like?
Rob Ickes (dobro) and Trey Hensley (guitar) are the two
guys. And my favorite thing about this record is that it’s real and organic.
Our developed the sound by touring around and playing that way, where everybody
did their own natural thing. And we came up with a sound that’s sort of
bluegrass on the top end and a real groove on the bottom. While we were driving
around the country we listened to these guys – they’re a duo,
and they are absolute studs in the bluegrass world; their very first album
got nominated for a Grammy in the bluegrass category. They’re just phenomenal.
So as it came time to make this record, I wanted it to be
our live band, but I didn’t want there to be overdubs. I wanted the record to
sound like we’re all sitting in a room. Our lead player can do all those
things, but I didn’t want overdubs. So since we had been listening to them, and
I just called Trey and said, “Would you guys want to do this?” He said yes. It
came from a very real place; we didn’t just say, “Who are some studio badasses
we can call?” We tracked 100 percent live from top to bottom, no overdubs. Our
band would work them up the night before, but we had never played them with Rob
and Trey before we recorded. Everything you hear on this record is what you
would have heard if you had been standing in the room while we recorded.
Wow.
Yeah, I know!
There’s a real
blues/bluegrass feel to the whole thing.
I would never in the world set out and try to make a pure bluegrass record, because I have
way too much respect for the genre. To be in that world, you really have to
live it your whole life. You can’t dabble
in bluegrass. But yeah, it was a conscious thing we were going for; we’re
calling it “groove grass.” We wanted to hint at bluegrass, and people will
definitely hear that aspect of it, but with pure bluegrass you don’t have drums
or a bass guitar. “Groove grass” sums it up, really.
I want to get into
several specific songs in a minute, but something stands out on the album as a
whole and I’d like to get your take on it. Brent Cobb told me a couple of years
ago that it’s possible to write country or roots songs with authenticity and depth
without their all being sad and depressing. I think that’s rare, but it
certainly holds true for this album of yours – and to a large degree the last
one. What do you think of that premise?
You seem to be a pretty happy guy.
I am. And I love Brent, by the way, I think he’s one of the
best artists around today. Just incredible. But he’s right. And there’s that
temptation when you’re writing songs that you want to be authentic or real;
they can turn out depressing. But I wanted this album to feel good. There are
some points on the record where if you want to listen to words and dig into
meanings – and I worked hard on the words – there’s some depth to latch onto if
you want to listen to it that way. But I also wanted this to be a record that
you could just put on and play and enjoy.
I get that there’s a need for feel-good music, where you don’t have to
just think all the time. There are plenty of examples of people – like John
Prine and Paul Simon – who write great songs, but I don’t know what they mean
half the time. They just feel really good. Just put it on. Move your feet. Move
your head.
But Brent’s right; you have to pull yourself out of that
box, because it seems like there are two extremes in country music right now.
It’s either said and depressing, or it’s so fluffy, about drinking beer on the
river on the weekend.
Speaking of being a “Happy
Man,” there’s a song with that very title. Were you making a statement for the
record with that one?
I definitely was. I just wanted to get that out there. God
forbid if anything happened to me, anyone could listen to that song and know
that I’m a happy person and have lived a good life, and these are the reasons
why. Because when you boil it down, there’s really only a few things that make
you happy: There’s friends, there’s family, there’s doing what you love and the
experiences you have. Here, there are two verses with three things each that
make me happy. And at the end of it, I couldn’t think of anything else. The
simplicity of it was very intentional.
And the origin of it – I don’t want to drag this out but
this is a funny story – was overseas last year. We went to Paris, France to
play a festival and wound up in a Croatian bar right across from the Notre Dame
Cathedral. We could hear music playing inside that was lively, so we went in.
This was like a Tuesday night but there was a party going on, so we wandered
in. The bartender asks Courtney and me what we were doing there and we told him
we were musicians. He asks my name, and dials me up on Spotify, and just
started playing my music randomly, however that works. And it was just like three of my most
depressing songs, one after another.
Ha!
Yeah, man. Cleared out the bar. Everyone went outside to
smoke all at once. Killed the whole vibe of the room. I started getting depressed! And I thought, “Good gosh, if I heard
this for the first time I’d think this fellow is depressed, too. This guy’s got
problems.” So I wanted to get it out there, that it’s not the case. I’ve
written plenty of sad songs, but that’s just something I like to do sometimes.
And ironically, “Happy Man” is one of the slowest songs on the record.
About the only thing
that comes close to a downer on this album is “She Had to Run,” about a woman
getting out of a dangerous domestic situation. Is there a story behind that
song?
Yeah, I won’t go into the details of it because it’s a very
personal song, but one I needed to write. And I knew when I got ready to make
this album that this song would be the outlier, but it was too important to me.
I had to get that one on there. I just hope that maybe there’s one person who
hears it and thinks about getting out of a situation like that.
I won’t pry into
specifics, but let me ask: Does the person who inspired it know about the song?
She does. We haven’t talked about it a lot because it’s
still too close, too fresh. She got out, but it was frighteningly close. It was
so close that the next person who was with that guy didn’t get out.
“Always a Woman” is
intriguing. Tonally, it’s dark and in a minor key – by the way, is there
another chord, or just C minor?
That’s it, the whole way through.
Lyrically, it’s kind
of an ironic Valentine. “There’s only one thing between the devil and a good
man” is really clever, because it can mean two very different things.
Yeah, exactly.
Unpack that song for
me.
That’s the first song I wrote for this album, and the only
one where I had a title set beforehand. Courtney and I were hanging out with a
friend who was having a bad time and she asked what was the matter. He kind of
shrugged it off and she said, “Is it a woman?” He said, “It’s always a woman.”
I wrote that down, and I sat down with my guitar and just started droning on
that C minor chord. And it’s a very specific fingerpicking pattern that never
stops for four minutes; if you watch me play it my fingers [on the neck] never
move.
And like we were just talking about, I didn’t want to write
another sad song. So I had the first verse and thought, “This song has to turn.
‘Always a woman’ doesn’t have to mean good or bad.” So musically we used some
dynamics to change things up, and I tried to change that phrase from a positive
to a negative as well. And I think the whole theme of the record is finding the
positive in things and moving forward. And that’s why we called the album “I
Travel On.” It’s about moving forward. A lot of the songs are about physically
traveling; this one does it in a mental space.
And the
feedback/distortion thing is a nice backbone. Nothing electric there?
No! That’s the dobro player raking across the strings, and
the fiddle player doing it in some spots, muting his strings. Everybody thinks
there are electric instruments on that song and there aren’t. We had a
videographer come in and shoot while we were recording that song; you’ll see it
when it comes out.
And I guess you had
to include at least a couple waltzes to preserve domestic bliss. I take it
that’s your bride singing harmony on “Below The Waterline?”
Ha. Yeah, if you hear harmonies on this album there
Courtney’s. I’ve always wanted to write a bluegrass power waltz. I love those,
because they make the harmonies just scream. Courtney and I wrote that one
together.
I was gonna ask if
she got a co-write on that one.
She got two. We wrote that one, and “Now or Never,” the
second track on the album.
This is kinda random
but the key of C minor on “Always a Woman” made me wonder: Do you have a
favorite key, or one that you end up doing the bulk of your songs in?
I write most of my songs in D and I don’t know why. And I
had originally written that song in D minor, but when we got into the studio to
record we got to that point in the chorus where you go up, and I couldn’t quite
hit it. And when we lowered it, it kind of came alive, got darker.
Staying with random:
You recently went skydiving with your mom and daughter. What possessed y’all,
and would you do it again?
That was all my mom’s idea. She had originally wanted to do
that thing in Vegas where you bungee-jump off of a tower on one of the tall
buildings. And later we were together at Christmas and she said something about
skydiving, and my daughter wanted to do it with her. So I bought it for my
daughter, but every time they tried to go the weather was bad, then my daughter
went off to college. She was home a few weeks ago and the weather was perfect.
And on the drive over I thought, “When am I ever gonna get to do this again?
All three generations are here. This is once in a lifetime.”
Tell me about the
moment before you went out the door of the airplane.
It’s the most terrifying and exhilarating thing. On the way
up it’s in your head what’s gonna happen, but it’s just indescribable, the way
you feel standing in that door. If you’re not afraid looking out, you’re not
human. There’s nothing about it that’s natural or normal. You have to try and
get it out of your head, and trust the person who’s strapped to your back.
That was the worst moment, because we did a high jump. We were at 14,000 feet. I
loved it. But there’s really no way in the world to use words to describe what
it feels like.
Would you do it
again?
You know, when I first did it I said there was no way – I
was glad I did it but wouldn’t do it again. But there are times I find myself
thinking about it. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to, but if somebody said,
“You wanna go do this,” I think I probably would.
Y’all are doing
something kinda neat, a sightseeing, musical bus tour of Switzerland with 40
fans. I’m familiar with musical cruises; is this something y’all came up with,
or have others done it?
Courtney and I have gone to Switzerland five years in a row,
I think. We have a promoter over there and we love it there. And you can drive
from one corner of the country to the other in five hours. But we did something
like this last year, with Reckless Kelly and toured Ireland. We were their
guests And Courtney and I decided we had to do this in Switzerland. So it’s
seven nights and five shows, and we’re personally putting it together, where
we’re gonna stay and eat and the venues we’ll play. The response has been
great. We’re really excited about it.
I Travel On is out today.
Jun 13, 2018
Top 25 Songs of 2018 First Half Report
It was hard to narrow this down to 25. There have been some truly great and memorable songs released in 2018, and we're just halfway through. These are in no particular order.
*not a combined contributors' list - just Trailer's*
------------------------------
------------------------------
Ashley McBryde - Tired of Being Happy
Lucero - To My Dearest Wife
YOB - Our Raw Heart
Willie Nelson - Something You Get Through
Caitlyn Smith - This Town is Killing Me
Kacey Musgraves - Happy & Sad
Brent Cobb - Mornin's Gonna Come
Kelly Willis - Back Being Blue
Buffalo Gospel - When Lonesome Comes Callin'
Joshua Hedley - Weird Thought Thinker
Lori McKenna - People Get Old
Dallas Moore - Somewhere Between Bridges
Trixie Mattel - Soldier
Blackberry Smoke w/Robert Randolph - I'll Keep Ramblin'
Manchester Orchestra - No Hard Feelings
Pusha T - The Games We Play
Caleb Caudle - NYC in the Rain
Old Crow Medicine Show - Look Away
Erik Dylan - Funerals and Football Games
Brandi Carlile - Sugartooth
Leon III - Alberta
Tami Neilson - Good Man
Whiskey Wolves of the West - Alexandria
Ruby Boots - Break My Heart Twice
May 17, 2018
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