Essential 8: The Deep Hollow

The Deep Hollow. Photo by Joshua Catalano.

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 - before we were a band - but it was brought to life with the 3-part harmony in The Deep Hollow. The lyric kind of sums up a lot of what the album touches on. I think we all feel a little weary after spending so many years away from home.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
Since we all write songs they obviously come from slightly different perspectives. We definitely have our share of songs inspired by love. I used to write a lot of songs about the lack of love haha... I got married in 2016, though, and have been writing some happier songs. I wrote Wide Open Road for my wife and Hangin' On was inspired by our story. (We lived in the same small town and had mutual friends but somehow took years to find each other).

The life we chase down is also the inspiration behind songs like Real Life and Liz's Carry Me Home. Dave's somber song Anna's Gone deals with suicide.

I was raised in church and those lessons run deep, even though I question many of them. And, oh boy...politics. I honestly don't know how any artist could keep the current political climate from impacting their work. Religious and political overtones are thick in songs like Freedom Street and Misplaced Love.

---

When/where do you do your best writing?
I have the best luck writing when I'm not even trying to write. I may play guitar and find some melodies late at night, but I get a lot of lyric ideas when I'm doing mundane things like mowing the lawn or driving. I recently wrote an entire song in the car on a solo road trip, inspired by an episode of This American Life! 

Who would you love to collaborate with?
I love T-Bone Burnett's productions and would love for him to produce a record for us! T-Bone, please see our website for contact info!

Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
It really depends on the setting. I think we're kind of a unique act in that we play as a stripped down acoustic trio just as often as we play as a 6-pc full band with electric guitar and drums. From the new album, Real Life and Carry Me Home are a couple of the "rock show" songs that get good responses. Now I See and Freedom Street are a couple that tend to go over well in acoustic settings. Straight to You and Devil (from our debut) are definitely set-list standards. 

Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go?
We are big Jason Isbell fans. We met him backstage at a show in Nashville. He's a super nice guy. I nerded out and asked him about his acoustic guitar gear, because his guitar always sounds so freaking good. When he told us what he used, we realized that we use the same gear. We also realized that great tone comes from not only the gear, but the player! 

Is there a recent release you cannot stop listening to?
I've probably listened to the latest Father John Misty album (God's Favorite Customer) 20 times. My buddy suggested it when he heard Mr. Tillman, which I loved and then proceeded to fall in love with the whole record. Really great songwriting and production. I hear John Lennon in songs like Hangout at the Gallows, and I don't know how that could be a bad thing.

Website/Facebook/Twitter/IG