Caroline Spence Talks “Trains Cry” From 2015 Debut LP ‘Somehow’ (INTERVIEW)
Virginia native Caroline Spence’s 2015 debut full-length album, Somehow, introduced listeners to one of the purest, clearest soprano voices to be heard in or out of Nashville. But that remarkable voice is just the beginning of the story. Her straightforward, honest songwriting has won top honors at Kerrville Folk Festival and from American Songwriter Magazine. […]
Anthony D’Amato Shares Thoughts on Global Selfishness Via Track “Blue Blooded” (INTERVIEW)
Anthony D’Amato’s new album, Cold Snap, produced by Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, has a harder edge than his most recent record, The Shipwreck from the Shore, and that’s especially the case for the song he chose to discuss for One Track Mind, “Blue Blooded.” The lyrics address selfishness on a global scale: I drained […]
River Whyless Goes Deep on “Life Crisis” off Self Titled EP (ONE TRACK MIND/INTERVIEW)
It’s often true that “the sum is greater than the parts,” and the Asheville, North Carolina experimental folk band River Whyless is a perfect example. Their mesmerizing sound, built by seamless harmonies, soaring violin and unusual percussive elements, demonstrates the power of the collective, but so does the band’s songwriting. The song “Life Crisis,” from […]
ONE TRACK MIND: Rayland Baxter Extends Insight to “Yellow Eyes” (INTERVIEW)
The album art on Rayland Baxter’s second album Imaginary Man features a photograph of Baxter’s face, half of it obscured by shadow. The original plan to make the left side another face didn’t work out, so it was left empty. That side is the “imaginary man,” and it makes sense that it’s just space, because, as […]
Dar Williams Tunes Up “FM Radio” To Glide (INTERVIEW)
With a songwriting career as long and prolific as Dar Williams’, it’s not surprising that she’s picked up a host of talented musical friends along the way. Some of them share songwriting and performing credits on her latest album, Emerald. “Mad River” features harmonies by The Milk Carton Kids and “Slippery Slope” is a duet […]
Libby Rodenbough of Mipso Talks “Down in the Water” (INTERVIEW)
The first time I heard Libby Rodenbough sing “Down in the Water” was in a Mexican restaurant in Davidson, North Carolina, in August of 2014. As the fiddle player for Mipso, a rising young bluegrass-influenced band out of Chapel Hill, she sometimes sings lead on songs with the band, but, as far as I could […]
Cereus Bright Offers Infectious Folk On “Happier Than Me” (INTERVIEW)
Knoxville’s Cereus Bright plays infectious, high-energy folk music that’s receiving increased attention, especially after recent slots opening for high-profile artists like Sturgill Simpson, Jackie Greene and The Lone Bellow. The band’s five-song EP “Happier Than Me” demonstrates the emotional and sonic range of their music, from contemplative to raucous. The most interesting and complex song […]
Lady Lamb Discusses “Billions of Eyes” (INTERVIEW)
After, the sophomore album by Aly Spaltro, known professionally as Lady Lamb, is an exuberant, surreal journey by a songwriter who acknowledges no constraints—not by song structure, and certainly not by genre. It’s not unusual to encounter the landmarks of several musical worlds in one song. (Listen to “Violet Clementine” for a mind-blowing example of […]
Gregory Alan Isakov on “Fire Escape” (INTERVIEW)
One minute, thirty-two seconds. That’s how long Gregory Alan Isakov’s “Fire Escape” is. Found on his second album, This Empty Northern Hemisphere, it contains about 60 words and some strummed banjo chords. You probably won’t hear it played in concert. But it’s the song he chose to talk about with me for my “One Track […]
Jonathan Byrd Talks About “Working Offshore” (INTERVIEW)
When a distant relative casually mentioned to North Carolina songwriter Jonathan Byrd that he’d worked on an offshore oil rig for a year as a teenager, he planted the seed of a song for Jonathan. He had been thinking about writing a song about the oil industry but didn’t want to be insulting or say […]