Dallas Moore, whose band is the 2017 Ameripolitan Music Award winner for “Outlaw Group of the Year”, will bring his latest album, Mr. Honky Tonk, to the masses on March 2nd. Produced by Dean Miller and backed by country luminaries including harmonica legend Mickey Raphael, bassist Michael Rhodes and pedal-steel master Steve Hinson, Mr. Honky Tonk is sure to be a timeless entry in the outlaw country canon. Recently, Moore, who played 327 shows in 2017,  kindly took the time to answer his Essential 8 and filled us in on the story behind his album's title, his love of family and the road, where to get some good eats, and more!

Do you have a musical mentor? If so, who is it and how did they influence you?
My musical mentor was my Godfather, the late, great Jody Payne ( longtime guitarist for Willie Nelson). Jody had such a profound influence on me over the years. I had been opening some shows for Willie back in the '90s, mostly in Kentucky and Ohio, and I got booked to open a show at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington. When I showed up all the way out there, Jody asked where I was originally from. When I told him Norwood, Ohio, his jaw dropped. Come to find out, Jody graduated Norwood High School one year ahead of my Mama Madgelee.

He proclaimed on the spot that I had become both a brother and a son to him, which made him my Godfather. From that point on, whenever I'd open a show for Willie, Ol' Jody would join me on guitar for my set. We spent a lot of time at Jody and Vicki Payne's Twin Oaks Ranch in Alabama and Jody taught us all so much about music and life. The last album he played on before he passed away was our "Hank To Thank Live At Herzog Studio" album recorded 61 years to the day of Hank Williams' historic recording sessions there. The last words he said to me were " I'll be with you every step of the way" and he definitely is. We feel his presence and pay tribute to Jody every night in every single show.

What's the story behind the album title?
The title track, "Mr. Honky Tonk" was actually written about 20 years ago. I never really felt like we had gotten a great take of it in the studio over the years and when I got the chance to record this album with Dean Miller producing, it was the first song I wanted to take a shot at. We nailed on the first take and I felt like I finally had what I'd been hearing in my head for that song all these years! As far as the subject matter of Mr. Honky Tonk I always say  "I know that guy" and, well, sometimes I am that guy.

When/where do you do your best writing?
I do the vast majority of my writing while I'm out riding my Harley Davidson Road King.
When I'm alone on a long ride it’s really the only time I'm free to let my mind open up and wander. Lyrics and melodies seem to come out of the wind and into my mind; by the time I get back to my destination I'll pick up a guitar and flesh out the songs. I write from both personal experiences and observations I make while we're out on the road. I’ve never been able to sit down and write in a controlled environment. It always seems to come from nowhere and happen organically. I reckon it's different for everybody, but that's what works for me.

California’s LA River Bend is a band whose music is built upon intricate guitar embellishments, indie-folk facets, and poetically pop melodies. The four-piece - Nate Weiner (Vocals, Guitar), Emily Elkin (Cello, Vocals), Branden Stroup (Bass, Vocals, Guitar), and Jacob Seldes (Drums) - recently released their latest outing, Run These Hills which focuses on the symbolism of nature based imagery, as the tracks depict an artfully serene feeling, reaching new emotional depths. Here, Weiner takes the time to answer his Essential 8 and talk about the influence of his father, songwriting, and more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
Looking back, I'd have to say my father and his love for music mentored me the most. Although he wasn't a musician, he was a huge jazz & blues fan. Growing up in Japan, memories like attending the Blue Note Tokyo on a school night to seeing Buena Vista Social Club's original lineup were impressionable. That exposure to high quality music at a young age helped me tune my ear. Although, I cannot play jazz worth a damn, I think the sensibilities and musicianship that the genre displays is something I still try to emulate.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
I think with all the songs on "Run These Hills," it took the band for the song to feel fully complete. "Mountain" for example needed Emily & Branden's harmonies to match the weight of the lyrics and Jacob's drums helped carry the ups & downs of the dynamic range. That moment after we had performed it live a handful of times, when it really started to click was when I knew we had done every single thing we could to the song without jumping the shark. I love how it translates in the recording and it is one of my favorites on the EP & to play live.

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
I originally had a song called "Run These Hills" that always did seem like a more epic album title. Also, Mason Jennings had a song called "Boneclouds" that he did not release on his record with the same name. I thought that has pretty cool and wanted to copy that.

Why did you chose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
Well we had originally tracked 10 songs for a full-length album. We ultimately decided to shave it down to the best 5 that represented our sound and the direction we were going in with our newer tunes. Songs like "Summer Wind" & "Mountain" are closer to that sound, then some of the folkier, acoustic-based songs that we scrapped. 

Hailing from New England, Hayley Sabella found a sense of belonging through music while growing up as the daughter of missionaries and musicians. Her second full-length studio album, Forgive the Birds, due April 27, is both earthbound and ethereal, revealing gripping melodies and intimate lyrics dealing with vulnerability and strength, death and rebirth, and pain and love presented by Sabella's earnest delivery. In advance of the album's release, Sabella thoughtfully answered her Essential 8 and talked about her album's title, offered insight into drinking at gigs, her favorite concert, and much more!

What is the best advice you have gotten from another musician?
The best advice I have ever gotten from another musician is actually more of an illuminating observation:  Most musicians who appear to “succeed overnight” did not in fact “succeed overnight.”. There are so many gruelling hours that are not accounted for in a so-called overnight success -- writing, rehearsing, finding your voice, and then touring, building a team, either with other musicians, or press & management, etc -- and all of that doesn’t even touch on the life experience that is often needed to write anything of substance. It all takes time, and trial and error. This goes hand in hand with recognizing that especially in the folk world, being a musician is a lifelong vocation, not simply an experiment for your twenties. And if you don’t love it, if it isn’t the air that you breathe, another career will likely bring you more money, stability, the ability to pay off your student debt or put a down payment on a house… and with way less effort!

And I actually got some astonishingly good advice I got from a fortune cookie once: “Success is never final, and failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”

What's the story behind your album's title?
“Forgive the Birds” is named after the title track. I thought it was appropriate, because as a songwriter, I tend to hold uncomfortable honesty in one hand, and nurturing optimism in the other. “Forgive the Birds” kind of breaks your heart, then gives you a hug, which made it seem appropriate as both the opening and title track. It begins lonesome & melancholic, and ends inviting the listener into my house for a cup of tea (which may or may not have whiskey in it.)

When/Where do you do your best writing?
Alone in a room with good acoustics. Most of “Forgive the Birds” was written in my parent’s stairwell… on Sunday morning, when my parents were at church & my brothers were asleep. I’d grab some coffee, a notebook (or back of some old mail if a notebook wasn’t handy) and my phone to make recordings, and hope that the muse was willing to meet me there in that moment.

Following a two-year stint working with The Band's Levon Helm at his studio in Woodstock recording the famous Midnight Rambles, R. Finn returned to Los Angeles and started his own recording studio and creative space, The Heritage Recording Co. It was in that studio that Finn recorded his debut LP, Collecting Trip—a ten-track collection of timeless Americana that finds the singer-songwriter channeling influences from Woody Guthrie to Leon Russell. Co-produced by legendary drummer Jim Keltner (Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Lennon), Collecting Trip is an ode to the singer-songwriter's (nee Chris Rondinella) deep dive into folk and Americana and features contributions from Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), Sean & Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), and more. Recently, Finn answered his Essential 8 and talked about the story behind his album's title, musical mentors, meeting Dylan, and more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
Absolutely, Levon Helm and Jim Keltner! When I met Lee I lived on a steady diet of 60’s Rock And Roll. I was on the threshold of folk and the blues, but not quite ready for it. He took me back to the roots of early American music, and I still haven’t recovered. In addition, I was so young and green at the time I lacked not only experience but confidence too. His kindness helped me to believe in myself. He was a great teacher and friend. I met Jim around the same time. Though I’ve written songs since I was a kid, I’d lost the interest and courage to perform them for anyone. He helped me to find my voice. He is a craftsman and a true genius. I felt like I improved in every category just by being around him. 

What’s the story behind your album’s title? 
​I was reading a book on Alan Lomax’s journey’s through the south recording rural music for the Library Of Congress. In it he described his makeshift sessions as “collecting trips”. I love those old recordings, and am so grateful they exist. Anyway, we were in mastering and I still had no title for the project, or the album. I took Jim, “Mikey” Piersante (the mix engineer), and Gavin Lurssen (the mastering engineer) out to eat to celebrate the record being done. They were trying to help me find a name. Finally, Gavin just asked.  “If you had to pick two words to describe this material what would it be?” I said, “I don’t know, a - collecting- trip - I guess “ They all said. “Huh?!” I explained my reasoning. Then they all agreed “there’s your title!”.  Good things happen over food and wine!

​Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? Books, Movies, personal experience, other musicians?When/where do you do your best writing? 
I’m constantly trying to fill my mind with new ideas, and stay engaged in the world around me. But the majority of my process is really just waiting. Waiting for an idea worth mining. Then hoping you can finish it before you get bored with it or another takes it’s place. ​

Esteemed Texas-troubadour Wade Bowen returns on February 9th with his latest studio album, Solid Ground. While varying sonically and thematically, the eleven-track collection is a cohesive one that envelopes the listener in an album that unites the myriad of flavors that is Texas music while remaining uniquely Bowen. In advance of the release, the singer-songwriter spoke in depth about the album, including working with friend Keith Gattis, and what's ahead in 2018.

Awhile back, you mentioned that you had taken a break from writing in 2015, so, were all the songs on Solid Ground that you had a hand in writing, written within the past few years?
Most of them were written since then. For me, writing for a record is almost like a test because when I know it’s record time, I cram and write a ton (laughing), but for this record I took my time. I worked with my friend Keith Gattis, who is the trifecta of a tremendous guitar player, producer, and amazing songwriter, and I wanted him to push me as a songwriter as much as I’ve ever been pushed....and as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for, because it might come true (laughing). I kept thinking I’d written enough for the record, but when I’d ask Keith if he thought we were ready to go, he kept saying to me, ‘Nope. Keep writing.’ In fact, even when we were in the studio, he would have me write two to three hours before the band came in. So yeah, I took a little time off, but I definitely made up for it with this project (laughing) and in the end it was well worth it.

There are songs co-written with Keith as well as Angaleena Presley, Charlie Worsham, and others. How did that all come together? Were these people that you always wanted to write with or did Keith have a hand in that?
It was a combination of both. I have somewhat of a system for writing, but it’s not an exact system and sometimes you happen to be in a room at the right time with someone who brings a cool idea and the song starts from there. Every song on the record has a different story and a different approach. For example there’s the song, “Death, Dyin’, And Deviled Eggs” that was written after Guy Clark passed. I was talking with John [Randall] about how big of a fan of Guy’s I am, but I’d never really attempted to write like him because he’s such a poet. So, John and I approached this song with the question “What would guy Clark do?” I literally feel like I ripped him [Clark] off, but that’s where the song came from.

In addition to the writers, you have the benefit of having some amazing players including Rami Jaffee, Audley Freed (Black Crowes), Billie Mercer (Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams), and Jenn Gunderman (Sheryl Crow), among others.
Keith has his group of people who he knows and was truly responsible for the majority of those players being on the album. I feel like when you hire a producer, you really have to trust them; they’re there for a reason and if they have people in mind who they think can help to get the record to sound the way we want it to, then you run with it. As a producer, Keith had a great grasp of what the album needed and did exactly what a producer should. I was lucky that he knew so many great people who were willing to get involved. 

On January 15th, Toronto singer-songwriter (and finalist in the International Songwriting Competition) Dayna Shereck released her sophomore EP, Chasing The Moon. The four-track collection of newly handcrafted, personal, and heart-spun material was written in just under a year and recorded in Nashville. Here, Shereck answers her Essential 8 and relays the story behind the album's title, struggles and successes, and much more.

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
 I decided to name the EP Chasing The Moon after one of the songs on my EP. The title has a special meaning because it is one of the only real love songs I have ever written, I wrote it for my partner. I really tried to capture the sentiment of chasing a feeling, or trying to get to that perfect place in a relationship which may or may not really exist. At the same time, the song is about accepting that even without perfection, we are still here and that in itself is a romantic concept, to quote the lyric, we’ll keep “taking trips around the sun, feeling like we’re chasing the moon”.  
 
When/where do you do your best writing?
I feel like I do my best writing sitting in a cozy living room setting with my co-writers. Usually sitting with a pillow on my lap, a notebook and phone in front of me for notes, and a glass of wine or coffee not far away. Sometimes we light candles and just get the mood right for talking and reflecting. Writing in Nashville is also very special and I have had a lot of great experiences there. I also had a wonderful opportunity to be selected as the Open Chair for SongWorks, a pro-writing camp put on by “Songwriters Association of Canada” this past summer. In SongWorks I had the opportunity to not only write with well known artists but have a top notch producer in the session co-writing and producing as we went along. That was pretty incredible!
 
Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
I draw much of my inspiration from my own experience. Things I have been through, my own thoughts and feelings,  and conversations with others.  I am most interested in matters of the heart, and tend to be motivated by discussing topics around relationships and family. I believe it’s most important to get to the heart of the matter in any writing session, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be my own story but it does have to be from a genuine and real place, and usually drawn from real life experience.

Music fans might recognize Jeff Bryant as the versatile keyboardist they’ve seen performing with Alpha Rev, Cory Morrow, and Hudson Moore, but for the first time, Bryant is taking center stage, releasing his debut solo effort, Sleeping with the Lights On, on Feb. 9th. The all original seven-track album showcases Bryant's songwriting skills, his warm tenor, and a fluid sound that blends pop, R&B and jazz. In advance of the project's release, Bryant took the time to answer his Essential 8 and talks about songwriting, the road, how he spends his days off, and more!

When/where do you do your best writing?
I feel like I do my best writing alone in a dimly lit room, sitting on a couch, in front of a coffee table, and a glass of good bourbon. I at least like starting a song by myself; hopefully finishing it. I’ll reach out to other folks for help when I feel like I’m stuck on line or need help writing a second verse. Its the second verse that usually gets me.
 
Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
It’s definitely a combination for me. Usually it starts with a personal experience or observation, then the story or emotion I’m trying to convey might work best when made-up elements or ideas work their way into the writing.
 
What’s your favorite food on the road?
I’m a sucker for a good hamburger and try to make it a point to ask people in different cities what the best burger in town is. I prefer those dingy local joints that are circa 1950.
 
What do you love most about being on the road?
Connecting with people and learning bits of history about the places we play in. I’m one of those nerds that will pull over when I see a historical marker. I’ll also try and connect with a few new friends and find an after show hang. It gives me a chance to feel more connected to the cities I’ve played in. I’ve made some great friends over the past several years by not just retreating to the green room, bus, or van after a show. Life is better when you connect with people.

Singer-songwriter Jon Worthy recently released his latest album, Only A Dream.  Recorded with Lincoln Parish of Cage the Elephant the album deals with life, love, and finding balance. Here, Worthy answers his Essential 8 and tells the story behind the album's title, offers his advice for someone starting out, relays a bucket list item, and more!

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
I think the song with the most direct lyrics on the album is the title track Only A Dream and the lyrics fit the narrative of what’s happening in so many places all over the world right now. The song/album title is my John Lennon moment of calling for peace, but at the same time it’s still just an idea and will never happen unless we all do something about it. Only A Dream can mean so many different things too. So many people have these ideas of what they want to be and how they want to do that, but for most people it’s only a dream and nothing ever materializes out of those ideas.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I’m very much a literal person so I don’t write a lot of stuff that has double meanings. I write about what I’m feeling or what I’ve felt at some point in my life. So naturally, my biggest inspiration is just my relationships with the people I interact with and connect to. I also get inspiration from songs I hear. If I hear a song and the vibe really connects with me I will try to capture a similar vibe, but in my own context and style.

When/where do you do your best writing?
I write almost all of my songs sitting on my bed. I have to be isolated from everyone and it’s just a matter of sitting there and coming up with melodies that sound cool to me. If I come up with enough parts that sound good to me I will start to put it together in to a full song. I find it to be a daunting process most of the time, but it feels good to have a song that you’re excited about!

What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
I watched a video of Eddie Vedder talking about his career and he said the phrase “Enjoy the struggle”. He went on to say how getting to the next plateau will allow you things you didn’t have prior, but a new set of challenges will arise and its all about enjoying the time and effort it takes you to get to where you want to be. In the 4 years I’ve lived in Nashville and started pursuing music it’s been nothing but a struggle, but I’ve enjoyed every moment!

Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, Eden Prairie - Peter Tierney (vocals, guitar), Tommi Kokkonen (guitar), Manu Nedhill (guitar),
Lasse Nevala (bass), and Jarkko Immonen (drums) - make story-driven, melodic tunes that bridge various genres from pop, rock, and folk. Their debut album Stories from the Foot of the Mountain was released in December 2017 and here, they answer their Essential 8 and relay the story behind their album's title, talk about inspiration, what they're currently listening to, and much more!

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
Pete: Jarkko (our drummer) informed us that the album, which at that point consisted of about 2 songs, was going to be called “Stories from the Foot of the Mountain”. The band took this information on board with a typical air of silence and the matter was never discussed again, thereby saving us countless hours trying to come up with something else. The fact that it perfectly summed up the mood of the album even before we had really started writing songs for it or discussed any real themes or motifs probably helped the creative process.
​
Jarkko: Maybe I should elaborate on that a little. In fact, the idea was there even before song one. On the album cover there's a picture of a power plant that's situated right on the beautiful shoreline of downtown Helsinki. I used to bike past it on my way to work. Next to the plant there's a huge pile of coal, I think it's even taller than the building save for the chimney. It's a grotesquely outdated concept, having a coal-operated power plant on the edge of the city, especially here in Finland where we're supposedly at the forefront at renewable energy research. I started thinking about the people working there and imagined this guy who'd worked there all his life and didn't want the same for his kid. That thought process then evolved into Coal Mountain, which became the album closer. It's the first song we wrote. The actual title came to me right after that when me and Pete started elaborating on the idea and pictured this fictional small town covered in ash with a giant coal heap and a closed-down power plant standing in the middle. It was like "Well, Faulkner had Yoknapatawpha, why not have a place of our own".

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
Pete: If I waited for inspiration to hit before I started writing I'm not sure I would have written a single song. Whenever I find myself in a writing rut it is invariably because I haven't picked up my guitar in ages. Not that every time I pick up the guitar I write a song but for me inspiration is an active pursuit. I get inspired by trying to come up with something new. I never know what I am going to write about until I'm playing my guitar and the words start falling out of my mouth.

Jarkko: Mainly from things that seem incomprehensible or unfair to me. If I find myself lying awake at night pondering about a thing I can’t wrap my head around, there’s a fair chance it’ll pop up in a lyric somewhere down the line. People are a fascinating and horrible species. For instance, there’s shit going down here right now you wouldn’t believe, I mean there are fucking Nazis marching the streets on a fairly regular basis. If we humans drown in our own shit tomorrow, I’m inclined to say we’ve all well deserved it.