CloudwatcherUno S9 ~ Episode 1 starts with The Local Honeys who are Linda Jean Stokely and Montana Hobbs. They hail from the misty blue mountains of Kentucky and their music is at once modern but cloaked in the great Appalachian music traditions.
“The Ballad of Frank & Billy Buck” by The Local Honeys
We talk about their last trip to Europe in 2020 just before the world shut down and how it helped them to focus on getting the right sound for their self titled 2022 album ‘The Local Honeys’. their first release on La Honda Records. The Local Honeys captures the essence of rural Kentucky, conjuring old school melodies with deep grooves and haunting instrumentals.
Montana Hobbs and Linda Jean Stokely
Their previous albums “The Gospel” (2019) and “Little Girls Actin’ Like Men (2017) are modern day classics.
“Dead Horses” by The Local Honeys
Enjoy our conversation on the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring The Local Honeys. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
The Wooks—CJ Cain on guitar and vocals, Harry Clark on mandolin and vocals, George Guthrie on banjo and vocals, and Allen Cooke on Dobro—release “Flyin’ High” on Friday 25th February 2022. In an exclusive for Behind The Song we have CJ Cain from The Wooks sing the track “Flying High” solo. The first time that he has performed this track without the rest of the band.
CJ Cain also goes into depth as to the story about the song and and explains the importance of the lyrics and the real life characters who inspired the song and how their lives were weaved into becoming a musical gem. We also talk about the music video for “Flyin High” and how the video has brought the characters to life and thus the song into the field of animation.
The Wooks
Click below to watch the full Behind The Song video from The Wooks on You Tube or listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Jeremy Pinnell is a honky tonk musician of the highest order. Having released ‘OH/KY‘ in 2015 and then ‘Ties of Blood and Affection‘ in 2017, Jeremy brings out his third album ‘Goodbye LA‘ on October 1st 2021 from Sofaburn Records.
Killer tracks from that first album are ‘Sleep Song‘ and ‘Rodeo‘ from ‘OH/KY‘ which were already around for 15 years. Alternative County/Folk music was where Jeremy started but Country Music is where he is headed. While in Dayton, Kentucky Sofaburn Records and Jeremy came together to make sweet sweet music. Jeremy lived a wild kind of life back in the day and managed to record these experiences for this album. Jeremy is a connoisseur of hooks, he tries to add those big or small into everything he writes.
Photo: Cowtownchad
Between his first and second album Jeremy met a girl, had a son, got a steady job and got married and all this gratitude and contentment in his life is reflected in ‘Ties of Blood and Affection‘.
‘Ballad of 1982’ by Jeremy Pinnell
Zackary ‘EZ’ Nelson absolutely nailed it with the artwork for ‘Goodbye LA‘. Jeremy and the band worked hard for the last two years during the pandemic and can’t wait to show all his hard work so that people can hear the album. It’s an album that can make some fans uncomfortable as it progresses Jeremy’s sound in new directions.
The new album was recorded right under the wire in 2020. The time during the pandemic was used to getting the album mastered up to perfection. Jonathan Tyler as a producer was the right decision for Jeremy as he would make the whole experience of recording the songs and the album super exciting.
‘Big Ol Good‘ by Jeremy Pinnell
One of the most extraordinary songs on the new album is ‘Rosalie‘. It’s a story of a bar girl and a bar guy having a whole lotta fun. The album reflects the life of a troubadour whose living his life one song at a time.
Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee are many of the states that Jeremy and the band have been paying at post pandemic. Going foward Jeremy and the boys will be travelling across the states to showcase one helluva album.
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Jeremy Pinnell. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Sam Filiatreau began writing songs almost as soon as he learned to play guitar, Filiatreau found his calling in the storytelling songs of ‘70s country, along with John Prine and Randy Newman. “They were writing these stories that nobody else would, and I really like that kind of style,” he says. “Just being able to pull a song out of anything. Whether it be an inanimate object or simple conversations, I think that’s super cool.” Deciding to pursue music full-time at 16, Filiatreau quit high school, moved out of the family home, and joined a rock band. However, most of his free time was dedicated to traveling to area festivals, absorbing what he calls “sad mountain music,” and honing his own songwriting and singing.
‘Wrecking Ball‘ by Sam Filiatreau
The genesis of Kentuckian Sam Filiatreau’s new self titled album is one of chance and good fortune. A last-minute house show gig that just so happened to be in front of the right guys—Taylor Meier and Matt Vinson, who were on their way to AAA stardom with their band Caamp—led to a quick friendship and mutual respect which eventually landed Filiatreau the first spot on Meier’s new record label, Gjenny Records. All that to say, none of it would’ve happened if it weren’t for the sheer magnitude of Filiatreau’s songs and the way he sings them; a catchy blend of the lyricism of ‘70s vinyl with the acoustic feel of Appalachian folk music.
Super Cool Sam Filiatreau
American Songwriter premiered “Wrecking Ball,” an effortless indie-two-step which, in Sam’s words, “is a nod to the old time music I’ve always been so drawn to.” But, like the rest of Filiatreau’s tunes, there’s a clever, quirky depth that might be missed on the first listen. American Songwriter notes, “Without saying too much, the artist’s stripped-back styling elicits a certain unifying nostalgia—even the empty spaces still brim with emotion.”
‘Fine By Me’ by Sam Filiatreau
Sam definitely feels like a proud father with the release of this album and highlights are tracks such as ‘Wrecking Ball, and ‘Fine By Me’.’Fine By Me’ was written four years ago and was influenced in no small part by John Prine. To me it’s a fabulous love song as to where everybody sees their relationship going as they grow older together the song was written for Sam’s girlfriend at the time but will now remain a testament to love in general as their relationship in real life ended. Two years ago the album was done it’s been a labour of love trying to get the album out and was nurtured by Gjenny Records.
The pandemic has hit Sam’s plan of touring and promoting the album in a hard way and he’s only been able to do a couple of small shows to show off all his hard work in producing such seminal musical odes to the human condition.
Hopefully in the fall, probably around September and October Sam will be out on the road singing to live audiences again. For now enjoying the this behind-the-scenes look at how the album came about and listen to the album itself so you can hear the magic of Sam Filiatreau.
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Sam Filiatreau. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts
Sam Phelps sits down with host CloudwatcherUno about his new EP ‘Talking to a Friend‘. We talk about sentimentality and nostalgia and how that has influenced his songs, his experiences of playing guitar in different bands and how coronavirus brought those collaborations to an end and began his solo career. Hailing from Kentucky, Sam has been playing guitar since the age of 15 and enjoying the freedom of the country. After living in Austin Texas, an invitation from a friend brought him to New York.
‘I Can’t Sing’ by Sam Phelps’
‘If I ever wrote a song like my heroes I feel that I have made it and that’s all I need.‘
Sam’s inspiration for his music comes from bluegrass music, Steve Earle And the music scene in New York. Having a little twang in his voice it makes sense for Sam to sing country western music. Sam wants to make honest country music and will continue to do so even with the pandemic making it hard for artists like himself to perform live for fans. Sam has more songs to release and it is going to be a question of time and opportunity to bring them to a wider audience.
Photo: Courtney Sultan
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Sam Phelps. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Dalton Mills, first amongst equals when it comes to singer songwriters.
Dalton Mills soul sparkles so brightly you’ll need sunglasses to go with a Hazmat suit. An exceptional lyricist he’s captured the lives, loss and heartaches of the disposed. Like a later day Chekov or Tolstoy he sings about the lonely souls in society, those who have fallen through the safety net and then kept falling with no end insight. His self titled album ‘Dalton Mills’ explores the stories of those who don’t register on the mainstream, who aren’t able to voice their pain and longing in a world where increasingly they are becoming ghosts.
‘Tornadoes’ by Dalton Mills
In this podcast we get to listen to two acoustic songs from Dalton they are ‘Tornadoes’ and ‘Mountain Call’ from his majestic album. A labour of love for over a year and a half from taking the songs in lyric form and then with the help of friends, recorded in the back of a record store. The album was recorded just at the cusp of the pandemic, any later and we wouldn’t have such songs out in the world.
Dalton Mills is a bringer of light to those dark areas of the world we all need to see.
Coming from rural Kentucky from the small town of Middlesboro, (a city that’s built in a crater!). Dalton has seen his fair share of those who’ve been affected by drugs, mental health issues and those who’ve been abandoned by their families. Not one for happy songs, Dalton expresses more affinity for songs touched by darkness and damaged people, damaged people are often the most dangerous. They know how to make hell feel like home. Dalton follows in the footsteps of his musical heroes Townes Van Zant, Guy Clark, John Prine in writing and performing songs that matter and connects with an audience who want more than just manufactured pop songs.
Dalton Mills performing live.
‘Last Goodbye’ from Dalton Mills. One of the bleakest songs ever put to music. Magnificent!
Picking up a guitar as a high school student has led Dalton down this path of musical greatness. For the last 5 years Dalton’s been writing songs of a phenomenal calibre. One of the bleakest songs ever put to music is ‘Last Goodbye’ a tale of a bedridden soul, who has lost all hope and waiting to see if he will perish at the hands of his carer. It’s a song that will stay with you hours after you’ve heard it. Go listen to this sensational artist who brings words and stories from the darkest corners of humanity to life.
Dalton Mills from the podcast. Photo: CloudwatcherUno
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Dalton Mills. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
‘Bluebird, Blue Flew by caught my eye and I fell in love with blue Don’t know what to do Sweet song lead me on I just wanna follow you.’
‘Bluebird’ by Dawn Landes.
Harking back to the best of country and bluegrass, Dawn Landes follows in the tradition of Hank Williams and Jimmy Driftwood. On 7th December 2019 Dawn Landes performed at The Grace, London and brought with her the echoes of those musical heroes on a grey night. A voice that carries you to a land of harmonies, love and laughter.
Songs that evoke feelings of the open road, travelling across wide open skies, the joys of whiskey and the downfalls of that mercurial liquor. Fleeting memories of heartbreak brought vividly to life on stage by an artist whose dextrous finger picking skills on the guitar are sublime.
Dawn sang songs from ‘Bluebird’ and ‘Meet Me at the River’ starting with the title track ‘Bluebird’, ‘Keep on Moving’, ‘Bodyguard’, ‘What Will I Do’, and ‘Wind and Rain’ which is a stunning song about the effects of the elements not just on the landscape but as a metaphor on the eternal battles that swirl within us all.
The song that brought Dawn to my attention was ‘What Is The Color Of The Soul Of Man’. A song about the politics of colour, race and belonging. An extraordinary song considering it’s origins are from the 1960’s. A time of racial upheaval which still continues to be felt now sixty years later.
This was followed by ‘How To Say “I Love You”‘ and ‘Why They Name Whiskey After Men’. A real show stopper was when Down took off her right shoe to sing ‘I’m Your Mamma’ acapella and create the percussion elements of the song by stamping her feet and her thighs. A truly original way of bringing the song to life and using her own body to be the instruments!
Dawn ended the evening with two songs the first was the classic ‘Lost Highway’ a phenomenal performance which showcased Dawn’s vocal abilities and kept the hearts and minds of the audience captivated.
The final song was ‘Silent Night’ which Dawn performed had only recently added to the setlist. This was the second time that I had heard this sung by an american artist that week. The first had been by Sarah Darling at Union Chapel and now again in a smaller venue but one no less potent or sung with such emotion.
I had been waiting to hear Dawn sing her songs and perform live for more than a year. Now meeting Dawn in person was an absolute pleasure and was the perfect way to end a year of seeing live music and supporting artists from a music genre that is thriving and brings to life a feeling of love and genuine affection from fans from this grey island.
With Dawn Landes at The Grace, London on 7th December 2019.
‘Blue skies smiling at me. Nothing but blue skies. Do I see Bluebirds? Singing a song nothing but Bluebirds all day long.’
Signed album from Dawn Landes at The Grace, London.
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