Sweet Magnolia blends the genres of a powerhouse New Orleans brass band with the earworms of pop music. Their songs are a rare combination of female storytelling in the brass medium – unapologetically sassy, infectiously fun, and bold. The band’s debut album, Miss Missed Connection, arrived in the summer of 2024. Sweet Magnolia is also the winner of a national 2024 South Arts Jazz Roads Award.
Out of the chaos of inclement weather and uncertainty comes “August Nights,” the latest single from Sweet Magnolia. The band’s new anthem is a bubbly piece of jazzy soul that immerses listeners in spellbinding imagery while whisking them away to a more blissful place. Sweet Magnolia did more than create an infectious song with a nostalgic twist; they made a world for the listener to explore, one that is both mystifying and reassuring. While the horn section and sprawling arrangement carry an air of whimsy, the lyrics of “August Nights” anchor the performance to reality. Lyrically, the band grasps at fleeting moments as they attempt to cherish the present before it becomes memories. In their attempts to seize the moment, Sweet Magnolia created a moment for us all on “August Nights.” The beautifully crafted single from the soulful jazz outfit introduces the young band as pure sonic poets, able to string together a moving vignette from their experiences.
“I’m usually inspired by real-life situations or feelings when I write songs,” says Meg Dwyer, saxophonist/songwriter, “but in this case, I was inspired by the setting of a novel set at a summer camp in the 1970s. I was reading ‘The God of the Woods’ by Liv Moore via candlelight during Hurricane Francine last September.”
