Heard only sparingly as a songwriter, with only a few handfuls of originals spread out over eleven studio albums, Tom Rush is poised to releases Voices the first album ever of all-Rush originals containing ten relaxed, warmhearted, and sometimes thoughtful songs that perfectly reflect the singer-guitarist's persona. Ahead of the album's release on April 27th, Rush kindly took the time to answer his Essential 8 where he spoke about a few of his musical influences, shared the story behind Voices, as well as advice for a musician just starting out, and more.

​Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? 
I’m easily influenced, so it would be just about anybody I’ve ever listened to. Main ones would be—Paul Robeson, the operatic baritone; I loved his voice and wanted to sing just like that. I was 10 at the time and my voice hadn’t changed yet, so that didn’t work out well. My (older) cousin Beau Beals, who taught me how to play the ukulele and, more importantly, taught me that music was fun, despite my horrible experiences with Piano Lessons. Josh White—I loved his songs, guitar style, voice. Eric von Schmidt, who was, in my mind at least, the mainspring of the whole Cambridge, MA, folk scene in the early ‘60’s; he had the songs, he wrote the songs, he had the style. I stole a lot from him!

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? 
I’m still looking forward to such a moment. Songs, unfortunately, don’t come with those pop-up timers you get with roasting chickens. (I’ve asked the Muse about it, but she hasn’t been returning my call for some reason.)  Songs, for me, are very pliable, and tend to change even after I’ve recorded them. And, “Perfection,” as the wise ones say, “is for Allah.”

What’s the story behind your album’s title? 
“Voices” is, of course, one of the songs on the album. It’s a pretty diverse selection of songs, and I felt that “Voices” represented the best overview.  (I didn’t want to call it “If I Never Get Back To Hackensack It’ll Be All Right With Me,” for instance.)

Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did? 
This is the first album I’ve done where I’ve written all the songs (with the exception of two traditional tunes—I didn’t want to compromise my Folksinger credentials), and they happened to be all the songs I had at the moment. (In fact, Jim Rooney, the producer, was appalled to discover, on the second day of recording, that we only had 11 songs. “I counted one twice!” he exclaimed. I thought I had the ideal solution: we’d number the album the way Trump numbers the floors on his towers. “We’ll have songs 1 through 6, and then 8 through 12, see if anybody notices.” He wouldn’t go for it. I had to go back to the motel and write a song that night, and thus “Hackensack” was born.)

Touring the Midwest since May 2012, the Vogts Sisters -Maggie and Abigail - have gained widespread recognition for their haunting vocals, tight harmonies, and timeless melodies, taking their music wherever they can including festivals, auditoriums, theatres, and more than a few coffee houses. The Vogts Sisters, who count Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, and Gillian Welch among their influences, have garnered numerous awards in regional and international songwriting competitions and have released a total of three albums with their fourth, Broken Ties, coming in May. Ahead of its release, the sisters kindly took the time to answer their Essential 8 where they spoke about the album's title, life on the road, and much more.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
Maggie: Not so much a story as a theme. Abbey and I were writing songs, and we could tell they differed from those we’d put on our previous album, “Homeward.” Maybe we’re too close to the project to judge very well, but something seemed to have shifted. We didn’t intend it during the writing and composing, but these new songs seem to orbit around loss. Varying losses. They are glimpses at brokenness. 
 
What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
Maggie: Relax. You’ll do fine.
 
What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
 Maggie: I guess… don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s very healthy to be able to laugh at yourself and to learn from the mistakes you’re going to make. Move right along.
 
What are your “must have” albums for the road?
Maggie: Anything from Emmylou Harris! And Gillian Welch! And Socks in the Frying Pan!
 
How do you kill the long hours in the van?
Maggie: Read. Sleep. Play word games with Abbey.
Abigail: Watercolor painting, coloring, reading, listening to music, and talking.

Hailing from Alberta, Canada, Bria Wilson is an aspiring country artist and songwriter who carries her passion for music with her no matter where she goes or what she does. In fact, Bria always has a notebook so she can continuously write down ideas for new songs.  Bria's latest self-titled EP was released in January 2018 and consists of four tracks, including the song "Too Soon" which was written for her father who passed away in January 2016. Here, Wilson answers her Essential 8 and speaks about her mom, first concerts, touring, and more.

Do you have a favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended?
The first concert I ever attended was Shania Twain. It would also have to be one of my favourites. I love live music and go to a lot of concerts so it’s really hard to choose. 

Do you have a favorite thing to do on a day off?
I like to hang out with my family, friends, and dog. I’m also a very active person so I have a workout routine I do daily. 

Do you have a favorite gift from a fan?
I haven’t gotten any gifts from fans yet. But I can’t wait until I do. Right now the biggest gift I can be grateful for is just having active fans who will support me through everything. 

“When I wrote ‘Sleeping Dogs,’ I got this image of sleeping dogs lying, and how I need to let shit go,” Plankenhorn explains. “I literally took a lot of things that I’m really bad at or think I’m really bad at, and told myself, ‘If I sing this for a year or two on tour, it may make me better at these things; maybe I won’t take stuff personally, won’t let things get me down.’ And I thought, ‘Maybe somebody else will hear this song and maybe it will help them, too.’ And I really like that idea: I like the idea of writing songs that have a little moral imperative to them.” 

One of the most highly regarded guitar players on the Austin music scene, Jeff Plankenhorn is readying the release of his new album Sleeping Dogs on May 4th. The all original collection contains eleven tracks including “Tooth and Nail,” which features Ray Wylie Hubbard, the arresting “Holy Lightning” with Patty Griffin, the hurricane Harvey-inspired “Further to Fall”,  and the closer, “Heaven on Earth,” a tribute to his wife's love of nature. Ahead of the album's release, Plankenhorn kindly took the time to answer his Essential 8 where he talked about his brother John, shared the story behind Sleeping Dogs, relayed advice from Ray Wylie, and more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
My older brother John who is a bass player and composer. When I was growing up it was always “oh you’re John’s little brother. You pay guitar too? That’s just great.” 

He taught me so many things about music I couldn’t possibly mention them all. 5 years my senior, I would get influences earlier than all my friends and be listening to Classics from The White Album to Are You Experienced long before I was even in high school. His advice was always sage. A great mentor indeed.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
Never. Hasn’t happened yet. Probably never will. 

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
The title track ‘Sleeping Dogs’ became the album title because was a vehicle for me to work out demons and problems and shortcomings. I believed if I sang this song on tour for a year or two, maybe I would learn to ‘let sleeping dogs lie” in a number of ways, and maybe it could help my audience do the same when they sing along.

Why did you chose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
We started the recording the day Tom Petty died, and everything changed without any discussion. Not entirely, but all sorts of decisions began to be made like ‘what would Mike Campbell do on this guitar part’ and ‘don’t bore us, get to the chorus.’ 

Growing up in California, Jesse Daniel experienced hard times when his parents split up. Daniel and his brother would help their mother scavenge metal at the local landfill, which she would weld and sell at the flea market, to put food on the table. His father, a musician and songwriter, instilled the importance of music in Daniel, who soon found refuge in punk rock. A gifted drummer, Daniel played in numerous punk bands and ultimately found himself increasing his drug and alcohol consumption. “I was so lost…I became a garbage can. Any drug I could get, I’d take, until I found heroin. After that it was a wrap, that’s all I wanted to do," he said. Music quickly took the back burner as he started getting arrested and missing shows, to the point where he sold his drums just not to get sick. He traded everything for nothing and spent the next several years in a series of stints in rehab, jail, and homelessness.

Some years later, while in a rehabilitation facility in Oakland, California, he heard someone playing a Hank Williams tune. “I had just enough in me to sit in a chair and listen to this guy I didn’t know play.” Daniel said. “I told him I wanted to play like him and he said, ‘Why don’t you?’” It was time to make a change. This was the final event of many that planted the seed and he began to write songs out of sheer necessity. 

After getting back on his feet, Daniel bought a Fender guitar at a pawnshop for $50 and began writing songs. He assembled a band and began playing bars and clubs, quickly gaining notoriety for his energetic music and rowdy showmanship. With the blood, sweat and tears of past and present, Daniel cut and co-produced his debut self-titled album, which takes you on a journey through his life. Ahead of the album's May 26th release, Daniel took the time to answer his Essential 8 and talked musical mentors, songwriting, Billy Joe Shaver, and more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? Over the years I’ve had a lot of people mentor me and influence me, some really great ones who I’m still friends with today, but the biggest influence of my was always my Dad. My earliest memories were of wanting to play in a rock & roll band like him. He influenced me in a lot of ways, by always facilitating and encouraging my musical abilities, as well as just leading by example. He never pushed music on me, I fell in love with it and I think it made him happy that we could share that. The first time I really remember wanting to play country music was seeing him playing telecaster in a honky tonk group from our hometown. I’d say a big part of my appreciation for music in general came from his influence, so when he agreed to play some lead guitar on the album, I was honored. Things have really come full circle.

"As a new artist, I wanted to introduce myself to the world by showcasing my best songs that could collectively live together as one piece of art. If you have never met me or don’t know who I am, and you listen to my album; you’ll have a pretty good idea of who I am afterwards." ~Arkansas Dave

Austin-based blues singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Arkansas Dave will release his self-titled debut April 20. Featuring a wide range of blues-gospel-rock, the 13-track album features “a collection of songs that tell my story,” says Arkansas Dave. Recorded over eight days at Fame Studios with the Swampers, the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section -Will McFarlane, Clayton Ivey and Bob Wray, with horn arrangements by Charles Rose and Jim Horn, the project contains originals such as "Squeaky Clean" and "The Wheel" as well as a soulful cover of Tom Waits' "Chocolate Jesus."  Ahead of the release, Arkansas Dave kindly took the time to answer his Essential 8+ where he spoke about drawing on personal experiences in his songwriting, success and struggle, Levon Helm, and much more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
I’m not sure I do. I can definitely say that there are a number of people that have impacted me, but no one person has necessarily “taught me how to play music”. I guess my dad is definitely responsible for showing me the ropes; but he basically just gave me the tools and let me run with it. He bought me my first snare drum at the age of 5, then my first set around age 10 or 11, and by the time I was 12 I was playing the drums in church every Sunday. Playing in church was the cornerstone of my musical education; especially since I was playing with people over twice my age. I would have to say that everyone that I’ve ever played with that impacted my musical life had an influence on me as a musician.  

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
"The Wheel." I remember writing this song like it was last night. That night, I sat on the floor with my legs crossed and an acoustic guitar in hand sitting in front of my late father-in-law’s altar. My wife being the Mexican/Apache American woman she is, has an altar set up for her father with gifts and a white candle in honor of him. As I played, I watched the candle flicker and burn faster with every strum of the guitar. By the time I finished the lyrics, the candle (which was about ¾ full before I started playing…) burnt out. I never changed or edited the lyrics from that night. Looking back on that experience, I feel that is was a conversation I had with my father-in-law beyond the grave. To me, it was a confirmation that I had his blessing and that I should always follow my light; because no matter what, my wife and I would always have each other.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
I purposely self-titled my album, because I wanted the album to be synonymous with me. If I would have given it a name, then I feel if would be a separate piece of art altogether. As a new artist, I wanted to introduce myself to the world by showcasing my best songs that could collectively live together as one piece of art. If you have never met me or don’t know who I am, and you listen to my album; you’ll have a pretty good idea of who I am afterwards.

Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
I’m not quite sure I understand the question, but I feel that the songs that I chose to include on the album tell my life story. Every song has a story, and I try to tell them in the most clever, interesting ways possible. Everything from the lyrics to the tempo down to every note, I try my best to create songs that I enjoy listening to. ​

Hailing from Asheville, Brie Capone is a singer-songwriter and performer whose unique vocals, heartfelt, introspective lyricism, and unforgettable melodies single her out as one to watch. In 2012, Capone graduated from Berklee then made the move to NYC where she was part of the pop/rock duo The Humble Grapes. In 2016, she moved back to Asheville where she wrote and recorded her solo EP Orbit. Recently, Capone released her latest single, "Enough" and here she answers her Essential 8 where she talks about her new EP, due April 20th, how she spends her day off, John Mayer, and more.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
The EP 's title is based off of the song “Let You In”. It’s probably the most hopeful or loving song on the record. I found myself falling for someone and didn’t know what it would look like to have them in my life. I think it encapsulates this batch of songs the best. If I were to let someone into my world, these songs are thoughts and experiences of mine, sort of a “here you go…” “here’s my thought process…” sort of record.

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Making mistakes and being wrong is ok. Don’t beat yourself up, but don’t inflate yourself or think you know all the answers. No one does. It’s why we write songs to begin with. Try as hard as you can to question everything so that you don’t get bored with your writing. Don’t fall into cliches. Stay hydrated. Seriously, it will help your mood and work ethic. I swear.

What has been your biggest struggle so far?
I think right now, as an independent artist balancing time and expenses, as well as continuing to develop as a person has its challenges. Overall learning new things about music and the profession, and meeting new people has been awesome.

New Orleans native, Karen Waldrup, is a triple threat musician, songwriter and recording artist known for her thrilling performances and bold musical style.  
In November of 2016, Waldrup, who recently won 3 Nashville Independent Music Awards for Best Live Country Performer, Best Video and Best Solo Female Country Artist, became a viral sensation when her cover of Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” garnered more than 24 million views (and counting). In early 2018, Waldrup released her new single, “Warm In Your Sunshine” and recently she graciously took the time to chat about her roots, the importance of giving back, and much more.

While you currently live in Nashville, you’re originally from New Orleans. How did you initially get into music and decide it was something you wanted to pursue professionally?
I’ve been singing my whole life, but when I was about sixteen I was in the church choir and one of the men in the choir sang and wrote songs – he had a new one every week – and I remember thinking that I wanted to do that. So, at sixteen, I started playing guitar and writing songs, and I got hooked. At the same time, I had an incident where I got into a lot of trouble. My friends and I went to the French Quarter, which was a place, for obvious reasons, that we were not allowed to go. I got grounded for three months straight and during that time all I could do was play guitar, cheerlead, and go to school….and I played a lot of guitar. In fact, I credit my guitar playing to that time because I spent three months in isolation and really worked on it. I always tell parents when kids do something wrong to just ground them to their instrument!
​
Out of trouble then, you found your calling.
​You went from singing in church to singing country. What steered you in that direction?
My big sister was into country. She liked Faith Hill, Reba, and the Dixie Chicks, so we listened to them a lot. And the more I listened, the more I became inspired, especially by the Dixie Chicks and their writing, style, and harmonies. Eventually, I developed my own unique sound, which I call "nostalgically new country." It’s lyrically country, but with a soul feel since I am from Louisiana. 

Natives of Mobile Alabama, Gary Stanton and Charlie Muncaster came together to form Muscadine Bloodline in early 2016. With three single releases under their belt and a schedule full of shows spanning the states, they’ve hit the ground running. With Charlie’s vocals and Gary’s harmonies and guitar licks, MB is a refreshing mix of talent, passion, and authenticity with a sound that intertwines early southern rock with 90's country love songs and captivating hooks, all of which can be found on their new EP, Movin' On. Here the duo answer their Essential 8+ and talk everything from musical mentors and touring to The Ryman, Stagecoach, and more.

Did you approach this EP any differently than the prior? And if so how?
This EP is different because we wrote all of these songs since we signed a publishing deal with Creative Nation. Movin’ On is ironically symbolic of what we are doing in our career as we gear towards the release of our second EP in April.

There's a song on the EP entitled, "Gravel." Can you share the story behind the track?
Gary: I’d been listening to “Everybody’s Something” by Chance the Rapper and really loved the laid back feel. I started listening to the instrumental to think of a guitar melody in my head. I’d been wanting to write a song called “Gravel” because I’d never seen the title. Charlie had the idea of it taking place in a bar and it being a humorous breakup song. We took the idea into the room with Derek George and “Gravel” is now the first song on the EP.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? 
When we were writing “Put Me on a Pond” we came up with a line using Boca Raton and felt really good about it.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing and do you best writing? 
Inspiration mostly comes from moments in our lives and the people that keep me pushing. We do our best writing after time off on the drive back to Nashville.

What’s the story behind your album’s title? Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did? 
Besides being the lead single and last song from our upcoming EP, we felt it was a good representation of the new music and our sound at the time.