Wide Open Country

Song Premiere: Elijah Ocean’s Soaring, Laurel Canyon-Inspired ‘Down This Road’

L.A.-based singer songwriter Elijah Ocean knows a thing or two about finding inspiration on the road. Raised in rural Maine, he landed on the West Coast a few years ago and he’s spent the years since traveling the freeways and rural byways of America. It’s that sense of restlessness and the realization of the cyclical nature of life at the heart of his latest single “Down This Road.”

The first single from his upcoming fifth album, “Down This Road” is a song nearly four years in the making. Ocean first started writing the song when he moved to L.A. in 2014. He then teamed up with his friend and keyboardist Zach Jones to co-write the track. After putting it aside for a few more months, Ocean finished writing the song in Las Vegas on a particularly difficult day.

“I ended up finishing the chorus and third verse in a hotel room in Vegas last fall. I was in town doing some casino gigs and I had been spending my days writing and finishing up the (Tom) Petty bio by the pool,” Ocean tells Wide Open Country. “It happened to be the same weekend Petty died and there was that horrible shooting. It felt like the sky was falling. Anyway, I decided to take it into the studio with my band and we tracked it live to tape, overdubbing the doubled 12-string acoustics, and a few other things.”

Tom Petty ?ended up being an obvious source of inspiration in the studio, along with Laurel Canyon legends like The Byrds.

Ocean says the song is inspired by our habitual need to repeat our own patterns in life and how that impacts our relationships.

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by Baby Robot Media

Song Premiere: Leslie Tom’s Swinging ‘Hey Good Lookin’”

You’d be hard-pressed to find a traditional country singer who hasn’t been influenced by Hank Williams, but few modern traditionalists have taken the lyrics and legacy of Williams’ to heart as deeply as Leslie Tom. Tom has been a disciple of Williams since she was a child. She says the singer has shaped nearly every aspect of her career.

“I honestly do not remember a time I was not aware of Hank Williams,” Tom tells Wide Open Country. “I was introduced to music through my father on our 90-minute drives from my mom’s house to his house every other Friday evening. During those drives, the only music he played was traditional country. Hank Williams was one of the first, if not the first, artists I heard as a child. His impact on my music goes back to his influence from my birth.”

Today, Wide Open Country is proud to premiere Tom’s spin on “Hey Good Lookin’,” which Williams wrote and recorded in 1951. The song has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, but Tom’s Texas swing take on the track makes the classic sound as fresh as ever.

Tom says she was initially nervous to record with the industry legends, but the musicians’ excitement for the project put her at ease.

“My relationship with Nashville at that time was still not in a positive place so the last thing I wanted was to walk into a studio and be judged by a bunch of musicians that play and have played with the stars. My experience with all of them, but most specifically Lloyd, was quite the opposite,” Tom says. “There was excitement about the record because I write and play the music that they ‘grew up’ playing and loving.”

“Over the past two years, my relationship with Lloyd has grown into a very close friendship and I can tell you I love that man with all of my heart,” Tom continues. “During our session working on this album, he gave me a steel lesson on his guitar. That was about as nerve-racking as anything I’ve done in my life. But in true Lloyd Green form, he was a true gentleman. It’s an honor to have him play with me and I’ll be forever thankful.”

Ain’t It Something, Hank Williams is out March 23 on Coastal Bend Music.

by Baby Robot Media

Video Premiere: Derek Hoke’s Southern Gothic ‘Little Devil’ is an Enchanting Slow-Burner

There’s a brooding darkness that comes with Derek Hoke’s latest album, the ominous Bring The Flood. For much of the record, the East Nashville singer-songwriter dives deep to examine the unease, gloom and struggle found within America’s modern experience.

“It seemed like a dark cloud coming over America, watching a lot of people hurting, going through hard times, harder than ever,” says Hoke.

On Hoke’s Tom Petty-tinged “Little Devil,” he sets up a slow-burning southern groove. Hoke may open with lines like “I’ve been hypnotized by your skin,” but it’s us who are left paralyzed by the pulsing beat that creeps on through with ease. A sharp slide guitar pierces throughout letting in flashes of light in Hoke’s otherwise dead-end small town.

In the video, Hoke and company set up shop in that dead-end town for a sultry southern gothic tale. At times, it ventures into psychedelic trances brought on by Hoke’s slide guitar chops. But again, it’s the Petty-tinged piano groove that keeps everything from departing too far off the trail. Hoke’s southern croon is unwavering as he calls out on the entrancing tale of lust.

“Little Devil” features acclaimed drummer Matt Chamberlain and North Mississippi Allstars’ Luther Dickinson on slide guitar, while Nashville’s own Aaron Lee Tasjan also joins in on backing vocals.

Bring The Flood is available now.

by Baby Robot Media

Wide Open Country premieres Dallas Moore’s “Texahio”

If you love outlaw country music, you should be following Dallas Moore.

Originally from Ohio and currently residing in Texas, Moore has established himself as a skilled songwriter and performer over his 20-year career. He’s shared the stage with several honky-tonk heroes, from Merle Haggard to the David Allan Coe. Folks have taken notice. The Dallas Moore Band’s stage show recently earned them the Ameripolitan Music Awards 2017 Outlaw Group of the Year honor.

This year, Moore will cement his place at the forefront of outlaw country music with his upcoming album, Mr. Honky Tonk. Produced by Dean Miller, son of Roger Miller, the record features an all-star cast of players, including harmonica by Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson), steel guitarist Steve Hinson and bassist Michael Rhodes.

Today, we’re giving Wide Open Country readers an exclusive listen to his new single, “Texahio.” The track tells the story of how Moore and his wife decided to relocate from Cincinnati to Texas after years of touring the Lone Star State and falling in love with its culture.

“We kept playing for any crowd we could, constantly making new friends and fans,” Moore tells Wide Open Country. “One night, after a show outside of San Antonio, we were loading up the White Lightnin’ Express (our tour van) as my wife turned to me and remarked, ‘Honey, I want those new Lone Star plates on this ol’ van.’ That line resonated with me. Texas had truly become our second home. I had the entire song written before we even got to Waco!”

Look for Mr. Honky Tonk on March 2.

by Baby Robot Media

First Listen: Ross Cooper’s Road Weary Rodeo Anthem ‘I Rode The Wild Horses’

“I only ever wanted to be a cowboy and play music,” says songwriter Ross Cooper. At this point, the former professional bareback bronc rider has settled into both. This spring, he’ll release I Rode The Wild Horses, a collection of old-school cowboy mantras, rodeo circuit anthems and lonesome barroom ballads.

The title track kicks off the album as a homage to those road-weary cowboys Cooper often looked up to growing up in plains of West Texas. He delivers an authentic perspective on the jangly number that finds a weathered cowboy reminiscing about his glorified heyday.

“In the surrounding towns of where I grew up, there were all these old cowboys who are now the last of a dying breed,” Cooper tells Wide Open Country. “These old cowboys, my dad included, they accomplished a lot in their lifetime. But sometimes, it feels as though the rest of the world just doesn’t care anymore about them.”

Cooper delivers lines like “I’m a patchwork of scars posted at the bar because the pain ain’t up and left. Well, these beers taste old and they’re rodeo cold, but they ain’t killed me yet,” with a tongue-in-cheek smirk. There’s a textured warmth to his vocals that add a velvety touch and a healthy dose of confident swagger. Still, Cooper’s not necessarily sitting on his high horse or yielding a condescending and arrogant tone on “I Rode The Wild Horses.” Rather, he’s full of tact and charm on the hypnotizing ode.

Even though Cooper’s determined to remain true to his cowboy ways, he does so on his own terms. He’s not bound by those traditional ways simply for the sake of tradition. Cooper’s “I Rode The Wild Horses” isn’t so wrapped up in itself that it’s detached or out of touch. It’s not a dated or campy trail song.

by Baby Robot Media

Wide Open Country premieres Fred Wickham’s new single, “I Don’t Have to Like It”

Fred Wickham’s “I Don’t Have to Like It,” from forthcoming solo debut Mariosa Delta, is a tantalizing tale of loss. It’s also the bittersweet end of a Midwestern alt-country staple’s career, following the 2014 death of producer Lou Whitney.

The song tells of regretful farewells and emotional vulnerabilities, with each gut-wrenching verse punctuated by barroom piano riffs. At its core sits a songwriter, strumming his acoustic guitar while spilling his heart for all who might listen.

“I Don’t Have to Like It” is one of my favorite cuts on the record,” Wickham tells Wide Open Country. “The rhythm section paces the song perfectly—its dramatic without sounding melodramatic. I like the way the band exercises the restraint the singer is pretending to have, when in fact, unlike the musicians, he’s actually falling apart. This song owes a lot to producer Lou Whitney. He was the best.”

Although such lines as “I don’t mind saying it, I hate to see you go,” work as lamentations of a shunned lover, they took on new meaning after Whitney’s death.

Whitney died at age 71 following a battle with terminal cancer. The veteran Missouri musician’s production and engineering credits include releases by Wilco and Robbie Fulks. Whitney also produced both albums by Wickham’s prior band, Hadacol.

“He was a huge name among all those dedicated people who love Americana music,” says Wickham. “He was just an incredible character. If you met him and spent any time with him, you would say, ‘That’s one of the most interesting people I’ve ever been around.’”

Wickham’s solo debut comes 16 years after the dissolution of Hadacol, an alt-country band that also featured his brother Greg. That’s a mighty long stretch of living for a songwriter with a talent for basing narratives on triumphs and sorrows. For instance, Wickham became a new father recently, adding a heightened sense of joy to his life and songs. He’s also wrestling with a late-life admission by his deceased grandmother, whose shocking tale of her brother-in-law’s murder at a family-owned club inspired the title track.

For another taste of what Mariosa Delta has in store for listeners, check out the toe-tapping fiddle tune “You Don’t Need Me.” The album arrives Sept. 29 via Thirty Days Records. READ MORE…