There’s a whole lotta lonesome in the world. Trying to make sense of it all, including his own, Texas troubadour Zach Aaron travels through lifetimes of hurt on his new album. Fill Dirt Wanted weathers every kind of storm – from a dear friend’s final moments to working one’s hands to the bone. Spanning 12 songs – all tracked live in a room, straight to tape – the record also contains tales about paranormal activity, the Civilian Conservation Corp, and a good for nothin’ local train system – all fitting hallmarks of a traditional Texas country/folk troubadour.
“Running from the preacher / Running from my sins / Running from my family / I’m running from my fears / Running from anything that gets too near,” he agonizes over the hole swelling in his chest. “Got no one to blame / I dug it on my own.” Such anguish is the bedrock of the record, often writhing around or drowning in it completely, and the title cut serves as an appropriate kick starter.
Calling to such influences as Woody Guthrie and Guy Clark, Aaron walks a delicate tightrope – doing what needs to be done but feeling suffocated while doing it. “I was feeling like I was working my ass off and not really getting anywhere,” he says. “I came across the term ‘animal of burden’ and got to thinking about how most people live their whole life as just an animal of burden – working their life away. I was wondering, ‘What for? Is it all worth it?’”
With his third studio album, recorded at Breathing Rhythm in Norman, Oklahoma, with producer Giovanni Carnuccio and engineer Steve Boaz, Aaron tears through a rush of emotions. Moments like “Potato Salad,” “Aztec Cafe,” and “Southeast Texas Trinity River Bottom Blues” flex the full extent of his abilities. He combs very honest encounters and observations to dissect humanity’s darkest pains and tragedies, as well as our brightest joys. It’s a true cross-section of what it means to be alive, to be broken, and to find healing in the wreckage.
Glide is proud to premiere the official video for “Hold The Line” a video with pieced together silent film footage that curates a rhythmic companion to Aaron’s road-weary voice that mirrors those of outlaw singer-songwriter predecessors.
“Zach Aaron is a very practical dude. So we made this modern old-timey country-folk record, Fill Dirt Wanted, heavily inspired by Alan Lomax and almost exclusively using tech and techniques from several decades ago,” says producer/drummer Giovanni Carnuccio III. “It’s super raw and real and full of character. Every song tells very different stories. There’s timelessness in there. How do you present that visually?”
“We went all-in with a folk art approach to the music videos to match the vibe of the album. Lots of found footage, old films, old cell phones, in-the-moment, Super 8 cameras, etc. Brick and mortar, duct tape and chewing gum – a celebration of Americana. Doing 8K UHD scripted things just looked wrong. Like a grizzly bear in skinny jeans. Heebie jeebies!
The “Hold The Line” video was stitched together out of an old silent film called “The Bargin” from 1914, starring a beast named William Hart and a buttercup named Clara Williams. They both went on to star in tons of silent flicks. They shot it on location at the Grand Canyon; bonus points for epic-ness in 1914. We wanted to remix some of that footage to tell a different story that relates to that killer track and hopefully entertains on its own.
That particular movie and its characters have inspired 3 different videos of songs on Fill Dirt Wanted. Silent films are awesome, you have to try to not limit your storytelling with very limited storytelling devices. They compliment Zach’s style and songwriting, as well as the sound we got on the album.”
Top photo by Crazy Rhythm Photography & lower photo by Kayla Raborn
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