Video Premiere: The Deep Hollow Reflect on "Real Life"

Grand Prize Winners of the American Songwriter 30th Anniversary Songwriting Contest in 2016 with their single, "Devil," Illinois trio The Deep Hollow are gearing up for the release of their new full-length, Weary Traveler, on November 9th. With assist from producer Gary Gordon, The Deep Hollow expand further sonically with additions of cello, violin, and a muddier guitar, while remaining deeply rooted in thoughtful storytelling around themes of love, heartache, desolation, and persistence.

“I wasn’t totally sold on having a fuller sound. I was a little nervous going in,” member Micah 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.”

Today, TDC is pleased to premiere the video for “Real Life," a mid-tempo folk tune led by acoustic guitar and flawless vocal harmonies that details the struggles of growing up in small-town America and waiting impatiently for “real life" to begin...until you realize life has been in front of you the entire time waiting for you to take it by the horns and forge a unique path. The video for the track beautifully complements the song's message as we find the trio in a field near a vintage pickup truck, with the vastness of the countryside paralleling the breadth of "Real Life's" possibilities.

Watch, and share, the video below then read on as the trio provide insight into the song and video.

Micah Walk: This was our first experience recording a video. Well, we’ve done some live acoustic ones, but never a video like this. It was a lot of fun, even though I was honestly a little out of my comfort zone at times! The videographer – Chris Withers – really gave us some great direction and made everyone feel comfortable, though. I think it turned out great.
 
Liz Eckert: Making this video was a dream come true! The setting was perfect for the vibe. A highlight for me was watching Dave jump out of the truck! But in all seriousness, as a little girl, I always dreamed of making a music video, and this one turned out perfect.
 
Micah Walk: I’ll let you in on a little secret: it would take a serious guitar geek to notice, but I’m not even playing a regular guitar in the video. The guitar in the video is actually high-strung (Nashville tuning), which is not even in the recording. That’s one perk about making a music video like this – you don’t even have to play the right instrument! 
 
Micah Walk: Musically, I think some of our favorite current artists – Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Shovels & Rope - might have influenced this song, at least in terms of harmonies and the production. It’s really more about life experience in terms of subject matter, though. This song is simply about not being ashamed to be who you are, and not waiting around for someone else’s version of “real life.”  
 
Liz Eckert: This was an instant Deep Hollow song. Sometimes songs will be thrown out that we don’t have an instant connection with but this one was different. The harmonies fell out immediately. 

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