Veterans, Newcomers Among Those In Phil’s Picks 2020 Top 10 New Country/Bluegrass/Folk/Americana Albums

Courtesy: Mercury Nashville

Country music, bluegrass, folk, and Americana fans have had a lot to be happy bout in 2020.  That is because the genres, which are so closely related to one another, have seen a lot of enjoyable new albums released.  Bluegrass fans saw Steep Canyon Rangers release its new album Arm in Arm.  The country music world saw Chris Stapleton’s new album Starting Over, which is some of his best work to date in his still young career.  Steve Earle and his fellow musicians The Dukes released a new album that audiences can easily put into the Americana category while the folk world while Delta Rae’s new album The Light can just as easily be added to the folk/neo-folk category just as much as the Americana category.  All three albums are featured in this year’s Phil’s Picks 2020 Top 10 New Country/Bluegrass/Folk/Americana Albums list along with lots of others, including Chatham County Line’s new album Strange Fascination and the recently released independent band Royal Horses’ new album A Modern Man’s Way To Improve.  That album crosses the border of country, bluegrass and Americana. 

As with each year’s past lists, this year features the year’s Top 10 best new albums from the noted genres along with five additional honorable mentions for a total of 15 albums.  Without any further ado, here is PHIL’S PICKS 2020 TOP 10 NEW COUNTRY/BLUEGRASS/FOLK/AMERICANA ALBUMS.

PHIL’S PICKS 2020 TOP 10 NEW COUNTRY/BLUEGRASS/FOLK/AMERICANA ALBUMS

1. Chris Stapleton – Starting Over
2. The Okee Dokee Brothers – Songs For Singin’
3. Josh Turner – Country State of Mind
4. Delta Rae – The Light
5. Reckless Kelly – American Girls/American Jackpot
6. Steve Earle & The Dukes – The Ghosts of West Virginia
7. Chatham County Line – Strange Fascination
8. Jack The Radio – Creatures
9. Royal Horses – A Modern Man’s Way To Improve
10. Steep Canyon Rangers – Arm in Arm
11. Brothers Osborne – Skeletons
12. Bruce Springsteen – Letter To You
13. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Reunions
14. Mile Twelve – Roll The Tapes All Night Long
15. Special Consensus – Chicago Barn Dance

Next up from Phil’s Picks is 2020’s Top 10 New Rap & Hip-Hop Albums.  Stay tuned for that. 

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.   

Yep Roc Records’ New Benefit Record Can And Likely Will Succeed In Its Aim

Courtesy: Yep Roc Records

Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC has hosted countless acts over the course of its 50 years in business, but its future is now in doubt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Its closure meant the cancellation of its entire concert schedule, leading to trouble paying the rent and basic overhead costs.  In response, many of the North Carolina bands that have gone on to national (and even global) fame since their days performing at Cat’s Cradle have come together for a benefit compilation meant to raise money for the famed venue.  The compilation, Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle, was released Friday through Yep Roc Records.  The 25-song collection is a widely appealing presentation that will connect just as much with fans of Americana and southern rock as it will to those with an appreciation of pop music.  That is proven through the acts and songs featured throughout the compilation.  This will be addressed shortly.  The performances of the noted songs by the featured North Carolina acts adds to the record’s appeal.  They will be discussed a little later.  The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements.  Each noted item is important in its own way to the whole of this compilation’s presentation.  All things considered, they make Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle a work whose own music is sure to help keep the music alive at its beneficiary club.

Yep Roc Records’ new benefit record Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle is sure to benefit the famed local music venue, an greatly at that.  That is proven in part through the acts and songs that are featured in the 25-song presentation.  They range from a cover of The Go-Gos’ Can’t Stop The World’ by Superchunk, to an updated take of Buffalo Springfield’s timeless protest song ‘For What It’s Worth’ by Faith Jones, to a cover of Paul McCartney’s ‘Every Night’ by Terry Anderson and the Olympic Ass-Kickin’ Team and so much more, the compilation runs the gamut on genres and acts.  There is even a cover of Madonna’s ‘Dress You Up’ next to Beck’s ‘Think I’m In Love’ along with a pair of Neil Young covers to add to the presentation.  Again, what listeners get here is an extensive list of covers of songs from a wide range of well-known acts.  The covers in question are unique takes on the noted songs by acts that are well-known in their own right and others who are building their reputations quite well.  That aspect alone makes for its own reason for audiences to take in this record.  It is just one of the aspects that makes the compilation worth hearing.  The acts’ performances of the respective covers add their own hare of interest and appeal to the record.

The performances in question are of note because while they largely stay true to their source material, they give the songs their own unique updates.  Case in point is the noted update on Buffalo Springfield’s ‘For What It’s Worth.’  The original song is well-known by audiences of all ages.  It is a very subdued composition.  That reserved nature and feeling was used intentionally so as to heathen the feeling of the song’s subject as he/she looked around at everything happening in the world at the time.  Faith Jones’ update is less subdued and reserved than its source material.  It is not more energetic than said song.  It is however, still impacting in its own right.  The use of the pedal to give it a sort of funk vibe plays into its infectious nature.  The addition of the slide guitar alongside that element gives the song a bit of a country vibe.  Those two elements serve well to play into the song’s bigger message of unity, what with the genres begin so different yet coming together.  The overall energy level through the arrangement plays alongside the music to help translate the emotion in the continued message of that need for unity and hope even with everything going down.  The whole is a work that is one of the compilation’s highest points.  It is just one of the ways in which the record’s featured performances prove important to its presentation.  Mandolin Orange’s take of Bob Dylan’s Boots of Spanish Leather’ is another way in which the performances stand out.

Bob Dylan’s original song is a timeless song of lost love in its own right.  To say that it is a deeply emotional work is a powerful statement in its own right, what with Dylan’s minimalist approach to the song musically and lyrically.  It is just Dylan by himself singing and strumming his guitar.  Mandolin Orange takes that deeply emotional impact and builds on it.  The duo – Andrew Marlin and Emily Franz – offer audiences a composition here, that is even more reserved than Dylan’s original work.  The guitar work is noticeably slower in the act’s take on the song than in Dylan’s original.  What is so important to note though, is that even with the increased emotional approach, the duo doesn’t let itself go over the top.  Rather, the pair, with its violin and guitar, make it just as powerful as Dylan did with his work if not more so.  It would have been so easy for Marlin and Franz to go over the top, but that never once happens.  The result is, again, a work that pays wonderful tribute to its source material while introducing successfully, for a whole new generation of listeners.  It is yet another way in which the compilation’s performances prove important to its whole.  Chatham County Line’s over of Beck’s ‘Think I’m in Love’ is one more example of what makes the record worth hearing.

Beck’s original song ‘Think I’m In Love’ is a stark contrast to that of Chatham County Line’s cover of said song and vice versa.  Beck’s work is a funky, upbeat composition that exudes well, a person’s thought of, well, being in love.  That is the case even with the subtleties in its guitar line and beat.  CCL’s take on the song meanwhile, is even lighter than its source material.  The light, bluegrass approach that the group uses is an approach for which the band has come to be known throughout its life.  The subdued use of the mandolin and percussion alongside the vocals gives the song a whole new identity here that is certain to engage listeners in its own right.  Together with the other noted performances and those not directly addressed, the performances in whole give audiences just as much engagement as the featured songs and acts.  Even with all of this in mind, there is still one more item to address in examining the compilation, its sequencing.

The sequencing of Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle is important to address because of the impact that this aesthetic element has on the record’s general effect.  As the genre styles change from one to the next, the album also manages to keep its overall energy stable throughout.  The crests and troughs are places at all of the right places from one to the next.  Case in point is the first handful of the record’s featured songs.  The record’s energy starts high in its opener, Superchunk’s cover of The Go-Gos’ ‘Can’t Stop The World.’  From there, the energy pulls back immediately in Sarah Shook & The Disarmers’ cover of Cigarettes After Sex’ ‘Apocalypse.’  The energy gradually builds back over the course of the next two songs before pulling back again in the Steep Canyon Rangers’ cover of Neil Young’s ‘Unknown Legend.’  The album pulls back even more in its energy immediately after in Skylar Gudasz and Erich Bachmann’s cover of The Everly Brothers’ timeless hit ‘All I Have To Do is Dream.’  This song stays true to its source material, but at the same time, is much slower than the original in terms of its tempo.  The noted rise and fall happens again over the course of the next two songs before quickly shifting gears again in The Love Language’s cover of Teenage Fanclub’s song ‘Everything Changes.’  The rises and falls in the album’s energy continue throughout the record from there, with each happening at the right places and rates of change.  Keeping this in mind, the album’s sequencing clearly proves pivotal in its own way to the whole of its presentation.  When it is considered along with the record’s featured songs and acts, and performances, the whole of the compilation becomes a work that holds its own against it counterparts in this year’s already vast sea of covers compilations.

Yep Roc Records’ new covers compilation Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle is a positive offering from the independent label.  It is a work that is certain to make plenty of noise as it helps save a venue that has helped Cat’s Cradle create its own noise over the years.  That is due in part to the songs and acts that are featured throughout the collection.  Regardless of listeners’ familiarity with the acts, this aspect is certain to generate its own share of engagement and entertainment among audiences.  The performances of the featured covers will generate its own interest for the collection, as has been noted.  The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements.  All three noted elements are key in their own way to the whole of this collection.  All things considered they make Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle a presentation that is sure to help keep the music coming at Cat’s Cradle thanks to its own music.  The collection is available now.

The track listing for Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle is noted below.

Cover Charge Track Listing:

1. Superchunk – “Can’t Stop the World” (The Go-Go’s)
2. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers – “Apocalypse” (Cigarettes After Sex)
3. Hiss Golden Messenger and Jonathan Wilson – “Travellin’ in Style” (Free)
4. The dB’s – “I’m on an Island” (The Kinks)
5. Steep Canyon Rangers – “Unknown Legend” (Neil Young)
6. Eric Bachmann & Skylar Gudasz – “All I Have to Do is Dream” (The Everly Brothers)
7. The Connells – “Keep Your Distance” (Richard Thompson)
8. Mandolin Orange – “Boots of Spanish Leather” (Bob Dylan)
9. The Love Language – “Everything Flows” (Teenage Fanclub)
10. Dex Romweber (feat. Jennifer Curtis) – “A Face in the Crowd” (Andy Griffith)\
11. Tift Merritt – “Help Me Make It Through The Night”  (Kris Kristofferson)
12. The Old Ceremony – “Alone Again Or” (Love)
13. Mayflies USA – “There is a Light that Never Goes Out” (The Smiths)
14. The Mountain Goats – “The Longest Winter” (Paradise Lost)
15. Faith Jones – “For What It’s Worth” (Buffalo Springfield)
16. Mipso – “Long Distance Love” (Little Feat)
17. Terry Anderson and The Olympic-Ass Kickin Team – “Every Night” (Paul McCartney)
18. Florence Dore – “Somewhere Down the Line” (Marshall Crenshaw)
19. Southern Culture on the Skids – “Let’s Work Together” (Canned Heat)
20. Iron & Wine – “Piss Diary” (Kingsbury Manx)
21. Mount Moriah – “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” (Neil Young)
22. Sam Melo of Rainbow Kitten Surprise – “Stars” (Janis Ian)
23. Don Dixon & Marti Jones – “Respoken” (The Lovin Spoonful)
24. Chatham County Line – “Think I’m in Love” (Beck)
25. The Veldt – “Dress You Up” (Madonna)

More information on Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle is available at https://www.facebook.com/CoverChargeMusic.

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

NC Artists Partner For New Benefit Covers Collection

Courtesy: lpc media

Music acts from across North Carolina have come together to help one of the state’s most beloved music venues.

Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC has hosted countless acts over the course of its 50 years in business, but its future is now in doubt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Its closure meant the cancellation of its entire concert schedule, leading to trouble paying the rent and basic overhead costs.

In response, many of the North Carolina bands that have gone on to national (and even global) fame since their days performing at Cat’s Cradle have come together for a benefit compilation meant to raise money for the famed venue. Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle is scheduled for release July 31. Pre-orders open July 3.

The 25-song record features music from the likes of Chatham County Line, Mipso, The Mountain Goats and Tift Merritt and Superchunk among many others.

Superchunk front man Mac McCaughn talke about doing his part to help the venue in a recent interview.

“Like many musicians out there, I miss playing shows, and like many fans I miss seeing bands,” said McCaughan. “When it is safe to get together to watch live music again, it will be a disaster for all of us if our favorite venues aren’t around to host the artists we love. I literally grew up seeing bands at the Cat’s Cradle and playing there with all my bands, going back to high school. Superchunk is excited to be part of this album, playing one of our favorite songs to support our favorite venue.”

Cat’s Cradle owner Frank Heath said he was moved by the outpouring of support for the venue and live independent venues in general during a separate interview.

“I, and the rest of the Cat’s Cradle family, have been bowled over by the concern being shown for music venues both here and around the country,” Heath said. “The fact that so much great music can come from just one place is amazing in and of itself–as folks will find out when they hear the songs on the “Cover Charge” compilation. Learning about this effort to assist the Cradle, has just reinforced another wonderful thing that we really already knew, that so many of the Triangle’s great artists and musicians are also amazing and caring people, who value and want to help protect Cat’s Cradle, and who also genuinely care about all of the other artists and the entire music community. This alone is huge, and it helps me to believe that more of us will come through this pandemic with fewer permanent scars.”

The track listing for Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle is noted below.

Cover Charge Track Listing:

1. Superchunk – “Can’t Stop the World” (The Go-Go’s)
2. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers – “Apocalypse” (Cigarettes After Sex)
3. Hiss Golden Messenger and Jonathan Wilson – “Travellin’ in Style” (Free)
4. The dB’s – “I’m on an Island” (The Kinks)
5. Steep Canyon Rangers – “Unknown Legend” (Neil Young)
6. Eric Bachmann & Skylar Gudasz – “All I Have to Do is Dream” (The Everly Brothers)
7. The Connells – “Keep Your Distance” (Richard Thompson)
8. Mandolin Orange – “Boots of Spanish Leather” (Bob Dylan)
9. The Love Language – “Everything Flows” (Teenage Fanclub)
10. Dex Romweber (feat. Jennifer Curtis) – “A Face in the Crowd” (Andy Griffith)\
11. Tift Merritt – “Help Me Make It Through The Night”  (Kris Kristofferson)
12. The Old Ceremony – “Alone Again Or” (Love)
13. Mayflies USA – “There is a Light that Never Goes Out” (The Smiths)
14. The Mountain Goats – “The Longest Winter” (Paradise Lost)
15. Faith Jones – “For What It’s Worth” (Buffalo Springfield)
16. Mipso – “Long Distance Love” (Little Feat)
17. Terry Anderson and The Olympic-Ass Kickin Team – “Every Night” (Paul McCartney)
18. Florence Dore – “Somewhere Down the Line” (Marshall Crenshaw)
19. Southern Culture on the Skids – “Let’s Work Together” (Canned Heat)
20. Iron & Wine – “Piss Diary” (Kingsbury Manx)
21. Mount Moriah – “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” (Neil Young)
22. Sam Melo of Rainbow Kitten Surprise – “Stars” (Janis Ian)
23. Don Dixon & Marti Jones – “Respoken” (The Lovin Spoonful)
24. Chatham County Line – “Think I’m in Love” (Beck)
25. The Veldt – “Dress You Up” (Madonna)

More information on Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover To Benefit Cat’s Cradle is available at https://www.facebook.com/CoverChargeMusic.

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Chatham County Line’s Latest LP Will “Fascinate” Audiences Of So Many Musical Tastes

Courtesy: YepRoc Records

North Carolina is a hotbed for great musical talent.  From the hard rock of Corrosion of Conformity to the famed drumming of Max Roach, who lived in Pasquotank County with his parents until he was four years old to the pop sounds of Winston-Salem native Ben Folds and so much more, this state is and has been home to some of the greatest musicians and musical acts ever known to audiences.  Even the likes of Nina Simone, Ryan Adams, and Fred Durst (yes, Fred Durst. He started life in Cheryville, NC and eventually moved with his family to Gastonia, where he graduated high school before joining the Navy and then moving to Jacksonville, FL).  They are just some of the many big names that have connections to The Old North State.  Another big name from North Carolina is none other than Chatham County Line.  The Raleigh-based bluegrass band has released eight studio recordings, earned multiple awards and legions of fans the world over.  The band continued its success last month when it released its ninth full-length studio recording Strange Fascination.  The nine-song record is deserving of its own awards, as well as the honor of being placed on any critic’s list of the year’s top new Bluegrass Albums list and overall albums list.  The 34-minute record is that impressive.  Its musical arrangements and lyrical themes come together to fully support the noted statements, as is exhibited in part through the song ‘Free Again.’  ‘Station to Station,’ which comes early in the album’s run, is another key addition to the album.  It will be addressed a little later.  ‘Guitar (For Guy Clark)’ is yet another example of how this record’s musical and lyrical content works together to make this subtle presentation such a powerful work in whole.  When it is considered along with the other songs noted here and the rest of the album’s works, the record in whole becomes a presentation that, again, deserves to be among this year’s top new bluegrass records and best new albums overall.

Chatham County Line’s latest full-length studio recording – its ninth so far – is a work that from beginning to end, is extremely quiet and reserved.  Yet it’s that very reservation that makes the album in whole so powerful and moving.  That it is able to move audiences without trying is a bold statement from the band.  It proves that even in the world of bluegrass, a record doesn’t have to have high energy to be enjoyable.  It proves that sometimes, the best songs are the soft ones.  ‘Free Again,’ which comes just ahead of the album’s midway point, is just one of the songs that serves to support the noted statement.  That is proven in part through the song’s musical arrangement.  The use of the guitars, drums and harmonica gives the song less a bluegrass vibe than a sound more akin to the realms of folks and Americana.  Front man Dave Wilson’s vocals even make it easy to confuse him with the late great Tom Petty.  The mid-tempo approach to the song keeps the arrangement just energy that it will keep listeners engaged.  That arrangement builds a solid foundation for the song, on which the song’s lyrics build.

Wilson sings in the song’s lead verse, “Free/Free again/From the chains that brought me to this land/Free/Free at last/Long dark shadows of the past/This is for the millions who died/No chance to be free/This is for the blood of the fallen/Who fought so hard for liberty.”  He continues in the song’s second verse, “This is for the boys…Rivets in the line of steel/Canned away the dreams/On a narrow keel/An ocean of dreams/A land to behold/To call from the mountains/A piece of home.”  Again, this is such a subtle statement, but it is so strong in its subtlety.  This is a tribute of sorts to the people who made American and who made America great.  It points out that they came from so many different backgrounds in so few words.  The melancholy nature of the song’s arrangement does well to help translate that message and the feeling that goes with the message.  There is no doubt that this will fully engage and entertain audiences and prove to be one audiences’ favorite additions to the album.  It is just one of the songs that is certain to be a fan favorite.  ‘Station to Station,’ which comes early in the album’s run, is another surefire hit for the band this time out.

‘Station to Station’ incorporates a little bit more of a bluegrass element than does ‘Free Again’ in its arrangement.  There is a fiddle line featured in the arrangement, but its use is still limited.  The arrangement here is founded in its piano and drums.  The addition of Wilson’s vocals to the mix adds more of that Americana feel to the arrangement.  The overall vibe of this song does well in accompanying the song’s lyrical content, which apparently focuses on someone living the railroad life.  What is more Americana than that?

Wilson sings in the song’s lead verse, “Riding this train station to station/Bought my ticket with no hesitation/Silver steam is better than gold/Oh, mama, I was born to roll/Never grew up/Even though I tried/Ain’t got nothin’ left but my pride/As a boy you know/I played with trains/Well that boy still drives this man.’  He continues in the song’s second verse, “Stay upright even when I’m stumbling/Count my money when dice come tumbling/Thrown a punch/You know I took a few/You ain’t nothing without something to prove.”  So this is not just about living the rail life, but just a song about life; a song about someone who has come up living the hard life, and that included riding the rails from town to town, getting into fights, etc.  The picture painted by these lyrics is so rich and vivid.  It’s so easy to visualize this story in one’s head, and that in itself adds to the song’s enjoyment.  It’s just a great American story (and song) and just one more example of what makes Strange Fascination such a wonderful new offering from Chatham County Line.  ‘Guitar (For Guy Clark)’ is yet another important entry in this record.

‘Guitar (For Guy Clark)’ features a musical arrangement that is honestly, beautiful in its simplicity.  It finds Wilson singing along with a single guitar line, a pair of brushes against a snare drum an even more subtle separate piano and bass line.  Each line is so expertly balanced with the others, that it forces audiences to listen.  The result is a song whose arrangement lends itself to comparisons to some of Bob Dylan’s best works.  When the gentle approach to the song’s musical approach is taken into consideration with the song’s lyrical content, the whole of the song becomes even more moving.

Wilson sings in the song’s lead verse, “Just an old guitar hanging in the window of five and dime/And I knew we’d be together the rest of time/So I ran home and begged down on my knees/For my folks to set it free/there’s a feeling in this world I can’t describe…When that guitar hit my hand/It was fine/I could understand/Runnin’ around/ Thick as thieves/It’s the story of that old guitar and me…”  He continues in the song’s second verse, “I hope this old guitar remembers that song/the one that kept me holding on…My old friend/I won’t let you down/Think abck now to those younger days/=…doing just what I said I’d do/Someday I will turn to dust/Sure as these old strings turn to rust/And I trust my band will bring/Another set of hands/To make this old girl sing.”  Yet again, here audiences get a simple, but so powerful song in these lyrics.  They get a story of a man recollecting the joy that a single guitar brought him for so many years, and the impact that it had on his life.  He adds near the song’s end that when his time comes, he hopes someone else will be brought in to keep playing the guitar and carry on where he left off.  It is just such a happy tearjerker that will move listeners.  Once more, when the song’s musical arrangement is considered along with these deeply moving lyrics, the whole of the song becomes its own powerful entry, and yet another example of why this album stands out among its current bluegrass/folk/Americana counterparts and the rest of the year’s best overall.  When it is considered along with the other songs addressed here and the rest of the album’s works, the end result is a work that impresses so fully with its simple approach.  It is a work that audiences will enjoy, whether they be fans of bluegrass, Americana or folk.

Chatham County Line’s latest album Strange Fascination is a work that will fascinate audiences of so many musical tastes.  That is proven from the record’s opening to its end through the album’s musical arrangements and its deep and moving lyrical content.  All three of the songs addressed here prove that to be wholly true.  When they are considered alongside the rest of the album’s works, the album in whole proves itself to be another album that could be another award winner for Chatham County Line.  More information on the album is available online along with all of Chatham County Line’s latest news and more at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.chathamcountyline.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chathamcoline

Twitter: http://twitter.com/chathamcoline

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Chatham County Line Debuts ‘Strange Fascination’ Lyric Video

Courtesy: YepRoc Records

Chatham County line debuted the lyric video for its latest single this month.

The band debuted the lyric video for the title track from its forthcoming new album Strange Fascination March 18.  The song’s musical arrangement lends itself to comparisons to works from similar acts, such as Nickel Creek and Reckless Kelly.  Its lyrical content meanwhile accompanies that simple, soft arrangement, seemingly presenting a message about wanting love and the simple things in life. The song features guest vocals from Sharon Van Etten.

‘Strange Fascination’ is the second single from its eponymous album.  The band debuted the album’s lead single ‘Station to Station‘ last month.

The band’s ninth full-length studio recording, Strange Fascination is the final record featuring Chatham County Lines’ founding member and banjo player Chandler Holt.  It marks the band’s first lineup change since 2001 and the first time that any of the band’s albums has ever featured drums on every track, provided by longtime CCL friend Dan Hall.

Band member Dave Wilson (guitar/vocals/songwriter) talked about that stylistic change in a recent interview.

“We’ve had drums on several albums, most notably 2010’s Wildwood, and our audiences always responded well to those tunes,” he said..

Wilson and his band mates — John Teer (mandolin/fiddle/vocals) and Greg Readling (bass/pedal steel/piano) — self-produced Strange Fascination at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium Recordings in Kernersville, NC.  Yan Westerlund (Mipso, Phil Cook” assisted with drum recordings for the album in-studio.Chris Boerner (Hiss Golden Messenger, The Foreign Exchange) mixed the album.

Strange Fascination was originally scheduled for release May 15 through YepRoc Records. Events happening around the world have led the band to push up that date to April 24. A record release show is scheduled to take place June 6 at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Pre-orders are open now for Strange Fascination.  The album’s track listing is noted below.

 

Strange Fascination Tracklisting:

1. Oh Me Oh My

2. Station to Station

3. Strange Fascination

4. Free Again

5. The Eagle and The Boy

6. Leave This World

7. Guitar (for Guy Clark)

8. Queen Anne’s Gold

9. Nothing

More information on Chatham County Line’s new album, tour and more is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.chathamcountyline.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chathamcoline

Twitter: http://twitter.com/chathamcoline

 

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Chatham County Line Debuts New LP’s Lead Single

Courtesy: YepRoc Records

Chatham County Line will release its latest album, Strange Fascination this spring.

In anticipation of its release, the band debuted the album’s lead single ‘Station To Station‘ this week.  The band debuted the song Tuesday.  Strange Fascination is scheduled for release May 15 through YepRoc Records.

The band’s ninth full-length studio recording, Strange Fascination is the final record featuring Chatham County Lines’ founding member and banjo player Chandler Holt.  it marks the band’s first lineup change since 2001 and the first time that any of the band’s albums has ever featured drums on every track, provided by longtime CCL friend Dan Hall.

Band member Dave Wilson (guitar/vocals/songwriter) talked about that stylistic change in a recent interview.

“We’ve had drums on several albums, most notably 2010’s Wildwood, and our audiences always responded well to those tunes,” he said.

A 10th anniversary edition of Wildwood is scheduled for release March 6.

Wilson and his band mates — John Teer (mandolin/fiddle/vocals) and Greg Readling (bass/pedal steel/piano) — self-produced Strange Fascination at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium Recordings in Kernersville, NC.  Yan Westerlund (Mipso, Phil Cook” assisted with drum recordings for the album in-studio.Chris Boerner (Hiss Golden Messenger, The Foreign Exchange) mixed the album.

As an additional note, Sharon Van Etten makes a guest appearance on the album’s title track.

Chatham County Line will tour in support o Strange Fascination starting March 20 in Live Oak, FL.  The tour, which runs more than two months, is scheduled to run through June 27 in Yadkinville, NC and to feature performances in cities, such as Decatur, GA; Wilmington, NC and Buhl, Germany.

The tour’s schedule is noted below.  The Barefoot Movement and The Avett Brothers will join Chatham County Line on select dates throughout the tour.  Tickets are available here.

 

CHATHAM COUNTY LINE TOUR DATES

March 20 – Suwannee Spring Reunion – Live Oak, FL

March 21 – The Attic – Tampa, FL

March 22 – Daniels Pavilion – Naples, FL

April 3 – The Ramkat – Winston-Salem, NC^

April 4 – Azalea Festival – Wilmington, NC*

April 18 – Mills River Cidery-Food Truck Fest – Mills River, NC

April 19 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA

April 30 – De Casino – Sint Niklass, Belgium

May 1 – Roots and Roses Festival – Lessines, Belgium

May 16 – International Buhl Bluegrass Festival – Buhl, Germany

June 26 – Lee Street Theatre – Salisbury, NC

June 27 – Yadkin Cultural Arts Center – Yadkinville, NC

^with The Barefoot Movement

*with The Avett Brothers

Pre-orders are open now for Strange Fascination.  The album’s track listing is noted below.

 

Strange Fascination Tracklisting:

1. Oh Me Oh My

2. Station to Station

3. Strange Fascination

4. Free Again

5. The Eagle and The Boy

6. Leave This World

7. Guitar (for Guy Clark)

8. Queen Anne’s Gold

9. Nothing

More information on Chatham County Line’s new album, tour and more is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.chathamcountyline.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chathamcoline

Twitter: http://twitter.com/chathamcoline

 

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