Nashville duo Whiskey Wolves of the West - Tim Jones (vocals, guitar) and Leroy Powell (vocals, guitar, bass, pedal steel, clavinet, keys, harmonica) - is set to unleash its debut album, Country Roots, on March 2. A sonic fusion of country, roots, rock, and blues Country Roots is a seven-track collection of genre-defying tunes that flow loosely over a base of solid, accessible songwriting. In advance of the release, Tim Jones dives into his Essential 8 and talks about mentor and friend Jack Tempchin, relays a story about Steve Earle and Diet Dr. Pepper, weighs in on drinking at gigs, and much more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
I met Jack Tempchin at his Monday night residency Big Mondays with Jack and Friends at The Joint shortly after I moved to Los Angeles in 2001.  At first, I wondered who is this guy playing all these Eagles and Glenn Frey covers and then, "Ah ha!"  I met him again at a Durango Songwriters conference, and then he started popping by the Hotel Cafe where I hosted a Sunday night residency and he owned a house a few blocks away.  He was impressed that I had seen so many of his residency shows and knew so much of his back story, and he let me hang around more and we became really close and wrote songs and my band would back him up.  

Jack is all California and he educated me on so many things songwriting-wise, but more importantly on life in general.  We would stay up late in pursuit of the song.  Craving something more.  The mind never stops growing.  Most importantly, he taught me that true joy onstage and off can't be faked, and why would you want to?  No one wants to see you pretend to be happy.  So you have to find that someplace other than in another person's eyes.  Midnight Jack.  Forever dreamer.  All time friend.

With "Alexandria," what was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
I played a demo for my wife, and I said, "That line, 'All you ever gave me was enough rope to hang from.' Leroy wrote it, and I'm not sure..." And before I could get my second guessing out, she said, "That's my favorite part!"

What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
Don't say the first thing on your mind and don't have to have the last word.

West Texas singer-songwriter Red Shahan will release the follow-up to his critically lauded 2015 album Men & Coyotes on March 30th when he takes listeners to Culberson County. Throughout the project's twelve tracks, Shahan sketches vivid images, capturing the often not so glamorous side of situations and characters, who despite their circumstances, exhibit perseverance and inner strength. Ahead of the album's release, Shahan kindly took the time to discuss in depth various aspects of the album, including songwriting, working with Elijah Ford, "Idle Hands," and more.

Men & Coyotes was such a well-received album. Did you approach anything differently when going to write and record for Culberson County?
Yes and no. I feel like our desolate and diverse sound keeps us motivated for new material, and it being this early in the game, it’s too quick to go all Swedish death metal (laughing). Overall though, I felt a lot more confident this time around. During my first recording experience, I didn’t speak up or express my ideas a lot because I was taken in by how all the guys communicated, worked, and approached everything  – and I wanted to soak that up. With this one, I worked with the same people, in the same studio we used for Men & Coyotes, so I felt like I knew my place and was able to put everything I learned previously to good use.
 
Once again, you re-teamed with Elijah Ford who produced. What did he bring to this record?
Elijah first and foremost brings great character and poise to our ever-growing table of teammates. Furthermore, his talents and ideas bring light to an ever-evolving sound that could only be attributed to Elijah, Mathew Smith, Parker Morrow, and Grant Jackson Wilborn.

Sounds like you’re surrounded by people you admire, respect, and work well with. That table of teammates also includes Thirty Tigers, who you joined forces with to distribute the record.
We sat on this record for about a year, which was something I initially fought against because in general, I’m extremely impatient, but also because all you want to do when you finish a record is get it out there and have people hear it. But now, looking back, I’m really glad I listened to what others were telling me and took my time to get it out. I have had such great support at the grassroots level, but honestly, you can only go so far with that, and at this stage in my career, and while I’m still young, I think it’s important for me to go as far as I possibly can, which is why I joined for with Thirty Tigers and Missing Piece Group. They’ve both gone above and beyond in doing such great things for us.

Vermont-based singer-songwriter Dave Richardson found music as a form of expression at an early age.  A self-taught guitarist, Richardson was instantly drawn deep into the rich catalog of traditional and contemporary folk music; the instrumentation, the storytelling, the people, the history, and the use of music as a platform. Released on February 23rd, his debut album Carry Me Along finds Richardson beautifully weaving together those threads with a collection of originals and timeworn tunes, that are united by Richardson's incredibly familiar and comforting vocals. Here, Richardson kindly took the time to answer his Essential 8 and talk about the album, finding inspiration, Club Passim, and more.

Why did you choose to anchor 'Carry Me Along' with the songs you did?
A LOT of listening and deliberation went into the album’s sequencing! I chose to start the album with “Squid,” this song sets the tone with a textured, atmospheric arrangement. It features lovely 3-part harmonies from Liv Baxter, Emily Mure, and Mali Obomsawin. The textured arrangement and harmonies are echoed on the last song, “Turtle Rock.” My hope is that listeners will hear “Turtle Rock” and want to dive back in with “Squid.”

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I find ideas for my songs everywhere. Some are autobiographical or stories from people close to me. Sometimes I have a musical idea that inspires a story. For example, for my song "Rise and Play" (The Fox), I came up with a guitar part that was very driving and it reminded me of a critter running through the woods. I went with that and wrote a song about a night in the life of a fox. I also keep lists of interesting words, phrases that pop into my head, etc. Sometimes when I am writing and get stuck, I can dig into my lists and find inspiration to get me un-stuck.

When/where do you do your best writing?
I bought an 1850’s farmhouse in Vermont last year and it is a wonderful place to write. I have an office with a desk, but the living room couch is very comfy, and I have a back porch overlooking our flower garden that is magical in the summer. I have to set aside time to write; I am not the type of writer that can wait for inspiration to come. 

Georgia native Tyler Williams was reared in a household with parents that spun Marvin Gaye and Michael W. Smith, while Tyler and his brother were discovering Alan Jackson, George Strait, Boyz II Men & Mariah Carey.  Leaning towards a career in entertainment, Tyler would capture a role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which he performed for two years at the ages of 11 and 12.

However, Williams changed direction and began a path to the NASCAR late model and sprint car racing series. After nearly a decade of milestones that would find him capturing his first victory lane among 15 year veterans during his fourth year as a driver and even finishing as the #2 ranking position in points in his series, he redirected his focus to music.  This journey spawned a debut EP, Believe Again, and book, I Have a Voice, the inspirational and motivational look at the lessons he’s learned in the racing and music community.  In January, Williams released his sophomore outing Good For Me and here answers his Essential 8 talking songwriting, his dream venue, who he'd love to collaborate with, and more.
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When/where do you do your best writing?
 Writing for me is less about when and where and more about who. The people I am writing with matter more than a time or location. I don’t enjoy late night sessions personally. But it would’t stop a song from coming to life. People matter over time and place. 
 
Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
 I write from a combination of places. I like pulling from authentic places but I also am a dreamer. Imagination is important. The song deserves your experience, your co-writers experiences. And sometimes that comes from what you hope for rather than what has been lived. What I love about writing is there is no right or wrong to the process. You work together to create a song that makes people feel something. 
 
What do you love most about being on the road?
 I love being at home, but on the road I am inspired by the adventure of seeing new places and meeting people along the way. Every day brings something new. I feel like I’m on an exploration when I am on the road. 

Walter Hyatt, David Ball, and Champ Hood – Uncle Walt’s Band – were mainstays on the Texas music scene in the late 1970’s with their inspired style of acoustic musicianship and three-part harmonies. While they filled listening rooms and gained fans in Lyle Lovett and Willis Alan Ramsey, among others, Uncle Walt’s Band was unable to gain national traction. In 1983, the band called it quits and each member went onto pursue solo careers. While Ball resides in Nashville and still plays music, Hyatt died in the ValuJest crash of 1996 and Hood passed from cancer in 2001.
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While the band may be no more, they, and the music, are certainly not forgotten. On March 9, 2018, Omnivore Recordings will release an Uncle Walt’s Band career compilation titled Anthology: Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing. This anthology will be the first to chronicle the trio’s [who have been dubbed the Bluegrass Beatles] history, with twenty-one songs, including five previously unissued, that are sure to please longtime fans as well as welcome new listeners. Ahead of the release, David Ball graciously took the time to speak about Uncle Walt’s Band, the compilation, playing in Texas, and more.
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Omnivore will be releasing the Uncle Walt’s Band 'Anthology: Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing' on March 9th. How did the project come about?
It’s kind of an odd story how this all came together, I was watching this movie about Big Star, a band who had such great promise but never broke through, and in the middle of the movie, I recognized a song Champ wrote. Heidi (Hyatt’s widow) and her partner contacted the company who was in charge of the movie and lo and behold, it was Omnivore. They struck up a conversation about Uncle Walt’s Band and here we are. Heidi was a big supporter of everything Walt did and was instrumental in getting this out. She had everything organized, so I didn’t have to lift a finger (laughing).

Did you have a hand in choosing which songs made the compilation?
You know, I let them pick and I’m planning on waiting until it comes out to listen to it. I do think it’s a pretty good selection of what we did though, and I’m especially glad they included “Sittin' on Top of the World” because it was such a big live show number. It was an old Bob Wills' song, but we did our own thing with it, which was something Walter and Champ were really good at. 

The Band Steele - high school friends, Bo Steele and Ben Rubino - began playing music together at age 14 in Winston County, Alabama. In 2016, they released their debut EP, Tan Lines & Moonshine, which featured the tunes “Tan Lines,” and “Sit Awhile,” an anthemic tribute to the United States military and their families. In October 2017, the duo released their first full-length album. Moon in a Mason Jar, which highlights rocking guitars and unforgettable hooks alongside heartfelt country lyrics. Here, Bo and Ben kindly took the time to answer their Essential 8 and discuss songwriting, balancing each other's talents, favorite concerts, and much more.
discuss their working relationship, and more.

Is there any particular story behind your album’s title?
The album is named after the title track and “Moon In A Mason Jar” says it all. The track, and the entire album, resembles small chapters of our lives — growing up in a small town…a good-time hang with best friends and making memories as the “time of our lives” …and then…there’s moonshine.  Moonshine has always been an iconic symbol of the South. The album has it all; it defines who we are (both personally and artistically) and where we come from.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
The majority of our song ideas come from personal experiences and, sometimes, there’s just a “good story” that needs to be told—no matter where the idea came from.

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Work hard and never give up on the dream; if it’s in the stars, you’ll know it!

How do you kill the long hours in the van?
SLEEP!

What do you love most about being on the road?
BO: I enjoy seeing the sites and sampling the various local fare.
BEN: I love travelling and exploring new places.

Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
“Red Moon River”

Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended?
BO: Slipknot
BEN: Stone Temple Pilots

Favorite thing to do on a day off?
BO: Fish
BEN: Relax!

Nikki O’Neill is a singer, guitar player and songwriter, deeply in love with soul music. She recently released the Americana-flavored single, “Where Luck Can Find Me" and her next single, “When Do I Tell Him,” will be out in March. O’Neill writes most of her songs in collaboration with her lyric writing partner Paul Menser. They worked together on her 2017 EP, Love Will Lead You Home, which received positive reviews from Americana and Blues magazines and blogs in the U.S. and Europe. Here, O'Neill and Menser tackle their Essential 8 and talk in depth about songwriting, "Where Luck Can Find Me," meeting their heroes, and more.
 
With “Where Luck Can Find Me,” what was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
Paul: I’m not sure I’ve ever achieved perfection. We had the verses worked out when Nikki asked for a bridge. That pulled the song together and gave it a point of view, addressing the listener directly and providing a contrast to the verses, which are more situational.
 
Nikki: When Paul came up with the bridge lyrics, I saw the contrast in perspective and it made me hear equally contrasting music: an introduction of new chords and a different rhythmic phrasing in the melody.
 
Also, my husband Rich is a drummer, so when I played him a rough idea on the guitar, he gave me a rhythmic suggestion for one of the phrases. I think he asked “what would that sound like with quarter note triplets?” That one comment was all I needed to become mindful of all the rhythmic possibilities in the song. That exploration and Paul’s bridge helped me to complete the music, and then the song arranged itself.
 
What’s the story behind the song’s title?
Nikki: I had a conversation with a spiritually oriented woman. She believed that for each individual, there are places in the world that will be more lucky than others. There are also places where life will be an uphill climb no matter how hard you work. I don’t know if it’s true, but that statement struck my curiosity.

Paul: Nikki came up with it. When she mentioned it to me I wanted to run with it right away, because I do believe that each of us makes our own luck. If you put in the work and get yourself in the right place, you’re bound to be noticed. Since I’m writing lyrics for women to sing I have to kind of invent characters. I can almost see this one as a musical number, like “La La Land.” The singer is someone who is stuck in a dead-end job, knows she can do better but has to psych herself up to rise and fight for her due. Maybe someone who hears it will draw motivation from it. The bit about the drive-thru is based on my son, Bill, who has spent eight hours on his feet many days at the window at McDonald’s. I don’t know if he makes up songs in his mind. Comedy monologues more likely. 

Singer-songwriter Megg Farrell is coming into her own as one of today's most unique voices. With a style rooted in jazz and folk, Farrell conveys an inner strength that captivates at first listen. Her second album, the reflective Fear Nothing, is a collection that both inspires and connects throughout its nine tracks.

Recently, Farrell kindly took the time to answer her Essential 8 and offer great insight into her thoughts on drinking at gigs, songwriting, exploring our nation while on tour, and more.

When/where do you do your best writing?
In nature away, from New York City.    Some of my first writing was inspired by the time I spent living in the woods down in Tennesee.  Not only was I influenced by the blue grass and country music that I was surrounded by, I was also inspired by the desolate woods I was immersed in.  Having the open air and the mountains and the river allowed space for my brain to explore itself.  New York is so high paced that its hard to sit still and think about words.  Whenever I get out of the city for a bit I always tend to write whether on purpose or not.  Even If I finish the song in New York I often have my best ideas out in the country.  My last favorite song I wrong is called New York Love Song and it’s a love song I wrote to New York but I actually began writing it while I was up in New Paltz tacking vocals for my buddies record.  The city is just a blur and the country you can sit still and meditate on what it all means.  One of my lines in that song describes that for me “Let the city wash away, what the country can decide”

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
A combination.  I generally start songs from personal experience.   Usually if I’m feeling some emotion or I want to write about an experience I’m having, I will free write about it and try to grab images that feel true.   If my emotion or story is vivid enough I can write the entire song about it very clearly but more often than not the songs starts from the true place and then evolves into its own beast.  Sometimes I finish them and they seem to be describing a very specific story but its all by chance.  And other times I finish a song just by feeling through the words and when I get to the end I look back and realize I wrote something that actually perfectly described what I wanted to stay without even meaning to.  Its funny how they can take on their own life in that way.  

Ethan Buckner (aka The Minnesota Child) picked up the guitar at 16 and started writing songs after he witnessed death for the first time. Inspired by the reflective and soulful songwriting of artists such as Sam Beam, Paul Simon, and Justin Vernon, Ethan channeled his own grief and love into his newfound passion for poetry and melody. 

In 2011, Buckner chose the name The Minnesota Child while on a cross country roadtrip, because “the songs I write evoke a yearning for home, whether that lies in a place, a person, or a community.” Recently, The Minnesota Child released its most expansive work to date in the form of the Fireflies EP, a record that infuses Buckner’s soulful songwriting with lush harmonies, intricate instrumentals, and powerful rhythms to produce a full symphonic sound appropriate for the open road or a hike in the woods. Here, Buckner answers his Essential 8 and talks about Fireflies, collaborating with his brother, writing in nature, and more

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
I never had one particular musical mentor, but I very clearly remember the moment when I transitioned from trying to teach myself cover songs to taking the dive into the world of songwriting. I was at a music festival in Michigan in 2008, and saw Sam Beam of Iron & Wine play a solo set. I was so moved by the warmth, vulnerability, and poetry in his songs, I knew right then I wanted to start writing.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
I wrote the first four verses of Home a few years back but left it sitting in my notebook. I loved the melody but the song didn’t feel complete, so I never performed it. When my brother Matt and I were preparing to go into the studio for Fireflies, we decided that every song I’ve ever written was on the table for consideration. So I spent a few months going through all my old notebooks – piecing together melodies and lyrics of hundreds of songs – seeing if there were any hidden gems there worth bringing forward. I found the verses of Home and as I was sitting there with my guitar, finishing the last verse, the closing chorus came to me. I knew immediately that the song was done, and that it belonged in this record.

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
There was no question when starting this record that Fireflies was the anchor and the anthem. The song – and the title – encapsulate the themes of light and darkness, hope and despair, from the personal to the collective and back.
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Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
This album really is a deep collaboration between me and my younger brother Matt Buckner. As co-producer and drummer on the record, he helped transform my songs from raw acoustic shells into full, lush arrangements with the band. Together, to craft the EP, we really had to make some tough choices with the wealth of material we were working with. We chose the songs we did because each of them felt so different but all seemed to gravitate around some central themes, both sonically and philosophically.

When up-and-coming solo artists Leanne Weiss and Derek Allan connected via social media, there was instant musical chemistry.  After a few songwriting sessions and playing a county fair together, the two decided to join forces and form October Rose in 2016.

The pair incorporate their love of 80’s hair metal and classic country into their songwriting, creating a modern country sound that is truly unique. Listeners are able to get a taste of that sound with the release of October Rose's uplifting "All In," the new single from their upcoming debut EP of the same name. In advance of the EP's release, Leanna and Derek answered their Essential 8 and spoke about the tune, their favorite gifts from fans, dream venue, and much more!

With Heartbreak Song, what was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
With our debut single “Heartbreak Song” a few of the last pieces of the song came together in the studio thanks to our amazing producer Chris Badami of Portrait Recording Studios.  As we were recording the final vocals he knew that the last chorus needed something extra and encouraged Leanne to “go off” on the final vocal.  After she laid down the backing vocal riff on that last chorus we knew we had something special.

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
Our new single “All In” will also be the title track for our EP.  We wrote the song after we decided that we were going to abandon our solo careers and pursue October Rose as a country music duo.  Although the song is a love song, for us, it really captures how we feel about country music and this project right now. We are putting our heart and soul into this, as we believe it is meant to be.

When/where do you do your best writing?
We typically write the best on Saturday and Sunday mornings after a couple of cups of coffee. That’s when we’re the most relaxed.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
We write mostly from personal experience, but many times we’ve heard stories from friends or on the news and create a made-up song scenario. The songs on our EP are mostly from personal experience, however.