Born in the small town of Dunn, North Carolina, Clint Alphin always had a straight path to becoming a successful businessman. His family ran a second-generation meat and seafood distributing company, and it was assumed that he might someday take it over, or do something similar. Although his family are all musical, and he grew up singing and playing in church and at school, most people in Alphin’s community considered music to be a hobby, not a profession. “In that town, there aren’t a lot of models for how you can be a professional musician. The perception is that you’re either world famous, or you’re eating beanie weenies out of a can for your whole life”. For Alphin, making the choice to pursue music was a hard-fought personal battle, but one that he found to be deeply true to himself. On his newest release Straight to Marrow (releasing early 2019), Alphin explores those moments in life that moves you to the bone, as he embraces and celebrates risk taking and dream chasing.
Straight to the Marrow is Alphin’s second record produced by Neilson Hubbard (The Apache Relay, Matthew Perryman Jones). The production is carefully constructed to suit each song, and the record moves easily between the bluesy “Ain’t That Something,” to the feel good “Bless Your Heart,” to the more serious “You Lied” while showcasing Alphin’s skilled tenor vocals.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Out To California”, one of the standout tracks on the album. In the vein of songwriters like Jason Isbell and John Prine, Alphin channels into an everyman sensibility as he writes about an interaction that feels all too real. There is a twinge of nostalgia that is complemented by slide guitar in this tune that feels laid back yet optimistic, signaling to the world that Alphin is an Americana artist on the rise.
In his own words, Clint Alphin has this to say:
“This is a song I wrote about someone I met through a Nashville acting class. I was cast in a scene with her and developed an interest I knew would be ill-fated. The song has become a favorite among those who have heard it. It’s basically about the dangers of method acting and the Golden State.”
LISTEN:
