Raised in rural Melissa, Texas, Jackson Scribner grew up obsessed with music from an early age. He learned guitar when he was only nine and spent countless hours playing alongside his Dad and brothers at family gatherings. Being that the virtuosic player is only twenty years old, that doesn’t feel all that long ago. Only in the last year and a half has Jackson put lyrics to his skillful instrumentals, making their timeless appeal all the more prodigious.
Leaning into this seemingly supernatural knack, Jackson’s band — a crew of musical veterans vastly more accomplished and nonetheless awestruck — recorded his debut album (due in 2021 on State Fair Records / We Know Better Records) at Consolvo Studio in Oak Cliff, Texas. Made up of producer Jeff Ryan (drums for St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, Daniel Johnston), John Dufilho (bass for The Apples in Stereo, The Deathray Davies), and engineered by Jerome Brock (Cryptolog), the seasoned group made a deliberate decision to let Jackson’s songs radiate in their natural state. Mixed with care by Grammy-winning Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, Cat Power, Phosphorescent, The Walkmen), the collection does just that.
Jackson’s precocity — melodic and poetic — pierces sparse folk-rock arrangements, and in turn, a listener’s heart. With emotional precision, he roars and rattles out familiar tales of life so beautifully unspecial: Me and you left when you were sixteen / Hair so wild when you look at me / Take your wheels across the county line / Thousand miles away to that downtown diner / Watch you rise…
Today Glide is excited to share an exclusive premiere of the song “Family Gatherings.” The aptly titled song is about getting together with a large family during the holidays, something many of us are missing during these pandemic-stricken times. With his simple yet texturally rich folk twang, Scribner sings with an emotional depth that moves you, conjuring feelings of missing your family members whether you are close or not. It is simultaneously about bonds and connections and lack thereof, which are feelings many of us can related to. The addition of violin and twangy steel guitar adds a dreamy airiness to the music while also reminding us of Scribner’s Texas roots.
Scribner describes the inspiration behind the song:
“Family Gatherings” is a song I wrote about my family holidays. My family is extremely large, which is great, but sometimes I don’t know some of my cousins or other family members that are there. It’s kind of this mutual understanding that you have with your family members, especially in a large family, that you may not see certain family members for an entire year, but you know you always have them as family.
LISTEN:
Photo credit: Elaine De La Pena
