Broken hearts, dark days, lonely nights, and taking the high road are imprinted on classic albums from countless country music legends ranging from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash. These rough-hewn experiences define an artist well beyond the sessions in the recording studio. It pulses through their blood like a reckless freight train teetering on the edge of life and death. Songwriter Ryan Smith lays down a raw portrayal of livin’ hard and escaping one’s own self-inflicted obstacles with his band Four Year Bender’s much-anticipated sophomore studio album, Gettin’ Gone, which is out on April 5th.
A San Francisco favorite and regular at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Four Year Bender is well known as an opener for national acts such as Boz Scaggs, Robert Earl Keen, and Guy Clark. With the release of Gettin’ Gone, the band’s notoriety is on a fast track to widening its audiences well beyond the West Coast. Lead singer Ryan Smith digs deep in the mud to churn out his most prolific songs yet with Josh Zee and Teal Collins of The Mother Truckers guest appearing on “Won’t Be Long” and “Comin’ Come.” Vocalist Megan Slankard performs on “Follow You Always,” and Michael Winger (Executive Director, San Francisco chapter of the GRAMMY’s) produced Gettin’ Gone.
Faced with the turbulence of alcoholism that struck Smith with a vengeance at the height of the band’s career, hitting rock bottom was the only way he’d rise to finally pull his life together and return to the stage. Two years into his sobriety, Smith cracked-open his guitar case to reflect on a decade-long fight with addiction as he embarked on his new lease on life. The result is a collection of 11 timeless songs chock-full of self-realizations and the sheer beauty that his heart still beats after years of abuse.
If one lyric encapsulates Gettin’ Gone, it’s from the single “Comin’ Home”: “I got one hand on the shovel and it’s the only thing that’s holding me up.” Today Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of “Comin’ Home”, one of the most emotionally poignant tunes on the new album. Choogling along in country-rock splendor, the song is brimming with the twang of a pedal steel guitar, subtle yet moving keyboard, and some damn fine electric guitar picking. While the song is a stark and rough reflection on a rough period in Smith’s life, there seems to be a sense of resilient optimism permeating throughout the music and lyrics, as you can tell he is struggling but still determined to get his shit together.
Ryan Smith describes the tune in his own words:
“I wrote ‘Comin’ Home’ a while back from a pretty angry place. I was struggling to stay afloat, and didn’t seem to care much if I actually did. Luckily things are easier these days and I think that comes through in the recording. It’s been a fan favorite for years, I like to think there is a good amount of joy hidden in there somewhere.”
LISTEN:
Ryan Smith and Four Year Bender celebrate the national release of Gettin’ Gone at Café du Nord on April 19, 2019.
