As any artist knows, traversing life’s valleys can be uncomfortable, but often invaluable for creative inspiration. Ashley & Eric L'Esperance (aka The Promise is Hope) are living proof of this very process in the making of their sophomore album, Every Seed Must Die.

The husband-and-wife duo -- who first performed together at an impromptu song swap and were married a year and a half later -- found themselves to be both personal and musical soulmates, releasing a joyful debut full-length in 2015 Where We've Been & Where We're Going. Following this upswing, the couple moved together into a painful season, losing four family members and enduring the disintegration of their local faith community.  Having witnessed firsthand the effects of cancer, suicide, mental illness, and disillusionment, the L’Esperances saw only one way to work through their confusion and questions. They began a slow process of songwriting as an outlet, which ultimately resulted in Every Seed Must Die. Here the couple answer their Essential 8 where they share the story behind the album's title,  growing together as a couple, Glen Hansard, Chipotle, and more.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
The two of us draw from the well of our own life experiences. This has been a matter of intuition rather than a specific choice. We each write as a way of processing big events, meaningful conversations, and transitions; and to wrestle the meaning out of the moments we've lived. We both find that we can express things in songwriting that we wouldn't necessarily go out and say otherwise. We find over and over again that the personal nature of our music resonates with listeners in a deep way. This continues to fuel the inspiration to pursue deeper intimacy in our writing.

Is there a story behind your album's title?
This set of songs is a collection of reflections on loss and death. We had witnessed the passing of five family members in three years. In the same season we saw a community of people that we had poured our hearts into slowly fall apart. The pain and disillusionment of these events found a cathartic repose in the writing, recording, and performing process. The title of the album is a reflection on the cycle of death and life that we see in the natural world. A seed goes into the ground and dies, but the death leads to new life, growth, beauty, and sustenance. We are wrestling to understand how to go through the pain of letting go and saying goodbye while also looking for the beauty that can come from our loss.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
In the title track, "Every Seed Must Die," Eric had a really strong first verse, chorus, and bridge, but was struggling to find the right imagery for the second verse. He kept returning to the song over the course of several months trying different approaches, but was not feeling settled with any of the results. Then he had a conversation with one of his cousins who shared his experience of watching his mother die from cancer. The exchange gave Eric what he needed to pull the song together. We both are really happy with the result.

Heart Hunters’ Drew de Man founded his first band, No River City, in 2001 and spent the next several years making records, touring the country and sharing bills with artists such as Iron & Wine, Calexico and Alejandro Escovedo. After a decade away from the spotlight, his new project Heart Hunters—a duo with his wife, singer/songwriter Brianna Blackbird—builds on the moody indie/alt-country sounds de Man explored with No River City, updating them for a new era with debut LP American Eclipse (July 20). The record’s alternately haunting and wistful folk songs find De Man and Blackbird engaging in potent social and spiritual commentary, clinging to silver linings while wrestling with an increasingly turbulent country. But while the subject matter is often heavy, the duo’s hook-laden melodicism offers all the balance the record needs. Here, de Man answers his Essential 8 where he shares the story behind the album's title, talks about road life, drinking at gigs, and more.

​What’s the story behind your album’s title?
We began the recording of the album during the solar eclipse of 2017. We wrapped it up on a full moon. We loved all the connotations of the phrase: an eclipse of the US, a darkening of the political and social landscape, an auspicious window of time during which vast galactic shifts can occur. Has America been eclipsed? Astrology even pointed to the eclipse having negative impacts on Trump...tee hee!!! We also mention the moon in the lyrics of four of the songs. It all just made sense. 

Who would you love to collaborate with?
We keep saying our next record might be a sort of folkloring trip around Senegal or Mali - we talk about grafting some West African music and instruments onto our music and writing a crop of songs with some artists there. We both have long been interested in a wide variety of African music. 

Is drinking at gigs a positive or a negative?
Well, Bri drinks lightly at shows and prefers to play without a buzz. Drew doesn't drink at all. You might say it used to be a negative for him, but he quit drinking over 5 years ago! 

What’s your favorite food on the road?
We always travel with a "foodbox" - a cardboard box with, you guessed it, food. We usually have salt and some utensils, fruit and healthy snacks. Remember, we take our two children with us. We keep trying to duplicate a certain hummus kale wrap with kimchi. (We pretty much eat like most hippies.)

Jacki Stone has announced her arrival with a debut LP loaded with her self-styled ‘California Country’ sound. On Like Hell It’s Yours, produced by the legendary Keb' Mo, the Sonoma County native crafts a raw, rootsy sound with a healthy dose of southern rock grit.

Like Hell It’s Yours is built on Stone’s uniquely approachable manner of songwriting, a style that owes a debt to the formative influence of seeing Carole King perform on her Living Room tour when Jacki was nine years old.  “That night, I realized that I wanted to be a songwriter as well as a singer,” Stone says. “Carole King is like the writer that I aspire to be.” 

As an eating disorder survivor and recovering alcoholic herself, Stone is evangelical about the importance of healing, hope and compassion. “When we heal ourselves…we help [others] heal,” she says. “I feel that music, in so many ways, can help…Whether that’s a teenager listening to the radio because it’s the only sanity he has, or someone in recovery from an addiction and they have that one song that can keep them from relapsing.” The track “This Side Of Blue” sits at the album’s core and expounds this central message by exploring recovery, acceptance, and self-realization. With this depth of soul-searching it is clear that Stone is not just a singer with a country sound. She embodies the spirit of the genre and the heritage of the land around her. Here, she answers her Essential 8 and speaks about the album, the place where she does her best songwriting, Carole King, her love of nature, and more.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
Like Hell It’s Yours is a bit like the light at the end of the tunnel, coming out of a dark time in my life, into new beginnings. It is me, taking my power back.

With Like Hell It’s Yours, what was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
My ah-ha moment with this song was actually a surprise, because I thought it was done.. but then it was accidentally sent in to have horns arranged for it, and the moment I heard the example arrangement, that was it - I knew it was meant to be; it had to have horns or it wouldn’t be right. Now, I cannot even imagine the song without them! Haha.
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Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
My musical mentors have been the vocal coaches that I have worked with throughout my career. Each one of them gave me new wonderful tools I would never live without, different and exciting perspectives, and each of them helped me build confidence in myself and my artistry. Those three women have helped me grow into the artist and person that I am today, and grateful is not a strong enough word to describe how I feel for them.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I draw inspiration from all around me. Whether it’s a couple at the local market, a woman riding her bike past me, or looking down at dirt on my feet. Sometimes it’s the realization of a feeling or a thought that I have. It shows up in beautiful and trying, unexpected moments. ​

When/where do you do your best writing?
I write best at night or driving around in my car. A combination of the two is golden, haha.

Country-rocker Adam Rutledge recently released his EP Runway on June 22. The new project showcases Rutledge's first class songwriting, which caught the attention of country music hitmaker Phil Vassar through a connection with longtime Vassar collaborator, Jeff Smith. This resulted in Vassar taking the fellow Virginian under his wing as a management client and opening act. Runway was produced by Smith alongside Hunter Hayes' band leader Andy Sheridan (CharlieHorse Productions). The seven-song collection features fan-favorite singles “July,” “Rub A Little Dirt On It” and “Love Kickin’ In.” Here, Rutledge answers his Essential 8 and talks about the project, his musical mentors, and the concert that changed his life forever.


Is there a story behind your album’s title?
It ties into the lyrics of my first single "Love Kickin' In" ("It feels like a jet plane on a runway about to fly, fly..."), but I also felt like this was the starting point of my career and that hopefully it's about to takeoff!
 
Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
Well, we had originally planned to only record five songs, but then "Hard To Be Happy For You" (Andy Sheridan, Justin Adams and Jared Slocum) popped up, and I loved it. I'd have to have been crazy to pass that opportunity up. I loved that song from the very first note. Such an honest lyric...Who hasn't had a relationship fall apart and then heard that the the other person is doing well or has moved on? That's hard to hear no matter how much you want those things for the person. We added "Curls" at the last second. Andy Sheridan (Producer) and I really liked that song. It's a sexy, playful song I wrote about my wife.  She has really beautiful straight black hair, but this one night I was waiting in the living room to take her out, and she walked into the room with these beautiful curls in her hair and KNOCKED ME OUT! So much so that I had to write a song about it.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
When we were recording overdubs for "Wherever The Night Takes Us," Andy Sheridan (Producer) had a last second idea to have pedal steel added to it.  When we got the mix back with the pedal steel, I knew it was finished. It was the icing on the cake...scratch that, it was the cherry on top!