Baby Robot Media

Glide Magazine premieres The Deep Hollow’s new song “Displaced Love”

On Americana trio The Deep Hollow’s sophomore record, Weary Traveler (out 11/9), Micah Walk, Liz Eckert and Dave Littrell dig into a sorrowful life of getting older, longing for a stable home and the sometimes unbearable weight of the open road. With the assist from producer Gary Gordon (Montgomery Gentry, David Davis & /the Warrior River Boys), the band shoots for a much grander sound than their 2016 self-titled debut. “I wasn’t totally sold on having a fuller sound. I was a little nervous going in,” Walk admits. “I was prepared to do it the way we did the last one. I’m really happy with the way it turned out, but it is a little different than our debut.”

Plump cello, violins, and muddy guitar intensify the stories, which are cut from both their personal lives and through the eyes of strangers. “Freedom Street,” which features Gordon tapping on a suitcase for some mellow palpitations, is another one of great misery among the bunch, depicting the reality of homelessness and glossed over with considerably charged political and religious overtones. The trio play off each other quite effectively, often trading songwriting credits, too, and with each honest-to-goodness, off-the-cuff life lesson they share, they bare witness to life’s most critical points.

The Deep Hollow came together as you might expect. Staples of the local music scene of Springfield, Illinois, Walk, and Littrell has an especially long list of previous credits and musical explorations, from collaborating in other Americana bands to touring extensively in a prog-rock band. Notably, Walk worked on a project with Jamie Candiloro, whose biggest collaborators include Ryan Adams, Willie Nelson, and The Eagles, among others. Eckert comes from a predominantly community theatre background, and she did try out for American Idol once and made it all the way to Hollywood. While her star wasn’t catapulted into the stratosphere then…..READ MORE

by Baby Robot Media

LonesomeHighway reviews James Houlahan’s new LP “The Wheel Still In Spin”

An album that had me scratching my head on first listen but unravelled and revealed itself after a few more spins. Difficult to define genre wise, it skits between folk, experimental indie and mainstream across its twelve tracks. Houlahan’s website bio describes his music as ‘eclectic Americana’, creating another sub-genre which does not really inform or prepare the listener’s expectations. A meeting of minds between Jim White and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) possibly best describes the album, which includes two stunning tracks in the achingly beautiful All I’ve Got and the almost gothic Stuck In Between, alongside the empirical Spirit/Music and a cover of Joe Ely’s Indian Cowboy. Echoes of Neil Young present themselves in the closing track California.

This is the fourth album from Houlahan, a founding member of Boston bands The Dogs On Television and The Jody Grind. His music has been used in both TV commercials and in films. His composition Going Home (For Thanksgiving) featured in film Little Pink earlier this year alongside contributions from David Crosby.

Like the aforementioned Jim White and Conor Oberst, it’s unlikely the wheel will ever stop spinning for Houlahan, landing him in one particular musical genre. No harm either, as his eccentricities and musical detours are exactly what makes this album most appealing……..READ MORE

by Baby Robot Media

The Daily Country talks with The Deep Hollow about inspirations and their upcoming album

Through their sophomore record, Weary Traveler, The Deep Hollow’s Micah Walk, Liz Eckert and Dave Littrell dig into topics such as getting older, longing for a stable home, and the weight of the open road. Cello, violins, and guitar intensify the stories, which are cut from both their personal lives and those of strangers. For example, “Freedom Street” depicts the reality of homelessness while “Real Life” imparts sage advice gained from the life they have experienced. Ahead of the album’s November 9th release, Walk answers his Essential 8 where he talks songwriting and inspiration, Jason Isbell, what he’s currently listening to, and more.

?With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
I honestly have a hard time ever feeling like a song is complete. And I almost never feel like they’re perfect! Probably to a fault, I pretty much always have the feeling that something could be improved upon, whether it’s a lyric or overall production. I don’t think I ever feel totally satisfied, to be completely honest. With that said, Freedom Street is my favorite track from our new record. I feel like our producer really helped create the tonal landscape that I had in mind. And I think the production helps underline the song’s story. So there really may have been a couple of “a-ha” moments for this one. One was when I wrote it. It was just one of those tunes that came out of nowhere and I knew I wanted to give it some attention. But another was when the production started to come together in the studio. It was really rewarding to hear it all come together.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
“Weary Traveler” is a lyric from the song Now I See. Dave actually wrote the song a long time ago…..READ MORE

by Baby Robot Media

The Daily Country premieres Nick Dittmeier & The Sawdusters’ new single “Two Faded Carnations”

Celebrated by Glide, Americana UK, and more, Southern Indiana’s Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters finds a reprieve from loss with their new record All Damn Day due October 26th. Throughout the ten tracks, replete with deeply introspective character sketches of often forgotten people that balance hope and despair, songwriter and frontman Dittmeier put pen to paper as storyteller crafting narratives that are literate, vividly detailed, and astutely told.

Today, TDC is honored to premiere the exceptional “Two Faded Carnations” an affecting ballad carried by layered acoustic guitars, shuffling percussion, and Dittmeier’s worn and weary vocals that find him delicately honoring his late partner in crime (pregnant with their daughter), who ultimately could not outrun their fast-paced lifestyle.

“I bring two faded carnations
A pinch of baby’s breath
Lay them there right by your stone
With a hand carved crucifix”

Dittmeier relays the story behind the song, “It’s about a couple who are involved in committing various crimes together and the female character becomes a causality of their break-neck lifestyle.

I wrote this song in my car driving from Salem to Scottsburg in southern Indiana on a rural two-lane highway with my old dog, named Dogman, in the car. I used to drive 45 minutes away to an old school farm vet because she was getting old and he was always really good with her. Driving home, spring was in full force in Indiana and the rolling hills were in bloom with crops and wildflowers, so I wanted to relay some of that imagery in the lyrics. Southern Indiana has been hit really hard by the opioid epidemic, so you see stories in the news or on social media about people doing really desperate things because of their addictions. I wanted to write a song about desperation and the consequences……READ MORE

by Baby Robot Media

Big Blue Tunes premieres Nick Dittmeier & The Sawdusters’ new single “City of God”

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Today Jeffersonville, Indiana based Americana songsmith Nick Dittmeier releases “City of God” from his forthcoming album All Damn Day, out October 26, exclusively on Big Blue Tunes.

According to Dittmeier, the song is about a 1937 flood of biblical proportions that caused destruction up and down the Ohio River, including in Jeffersonville where Dittmeier’s great-grandfather lived. In the song Dittmeier recalls the flood and stories of his great-grandfather, who built many houses in the riverbank neighborhood, traversing to the roof of one of his homes to escape the rising floodwaters.

“All the dreams we’ve planned / They slip through my fingers like the river sands / It’s a deafening sound / My dreams turn to mud and slammed to the ground” Dittmeier sings in reference to the uprooting of lives resulting from the flood. “I’m in control, I’m in control / Even though you don’t think I am / In the city of God we don’t give a damn.”……..READ MORE

by Baby Robot Media

Lindsay Kay talks with Imperfect Fifth about her musical beginnings

I had the good fortune and complete ambivalence of being surrounded by excellent music from a very young age. I had The Eagles, Rod Stewart, and The Boomtown Rats coming at me from my father, and Elton John, Toni Braxton, and Whitney Houston coming at me from my mother. While those great songs were being absorbed by my brain in some sort of osmosis way that would show itself later in my life, at the time, my heart and ears belonged only to the pure ecstasy of 90s pop. Take a trip down memory lane with me to a simpler time… MTV was in its golden age, the Lip Smackers and Gelly Roll pens were plentiful, the Gushers and Dunkaroos were delicious, and Britney Spears ruled the world.

From age 3 to 9, I had the coolest babysitter ever; a teenager named Katie who helped me make scrapbooks and watched Clueless with me after school. She introduced me to the Starbucks Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino, took me the pottery painting place to make my own mugs and plates, and even let me hang out with her and her high school friends sometimes – the ultimate achievement for a mere elementary schooler. We were two peas in a pod, and she would frequently take me with her on her teen excursions to the mall while my mom was building her business……READ MORE