STEPHEN FLATT / “Hold You Tonight”
Writers: Stephen Flatt; Producer: Dave Roe/Stephen Flatt; Label: SF
—It’s a breezy country rocker about a trucker headed for home. The ride is smooth and easy. The singer is the great-nephew of Country Music Hall of Fame bluegrass legend Lester Flatt.
Archives for March 2021
Wide Open Country Premieres Latest Release “Military Man” from The Rose Petals
Los Angeles band The Rose Petals, fronted by songwriting partners Peter Donovan and Elijah Ocean, take off their rose-colored glasses in favor of a historical lens on the folk rock “Military Man,” the latest release from the band’s debut album American Grenadine.
Donovan says the song was written about the Eisenhower era and the false notion that there was ever a time when everyone was living the good life.
“American Grenadine is an album about American legends and tall tales, specifically those involving our Presidents and First Ladies. Most of these stories are inspired by actual events. But, over time, the details become tailored and exaggerated to the point of mythology – their subjects commemorated as our de facto American gods,” Donavan tells Wide Open Country.
American Songwriter Interviews Dallas Moore
Dallas Moore has seen better days. Or, at least that’s what the road-worn, outlaw singer-songwriter says on his new single, “Better Days,” which dropped on March 18.
With an irresistible honky-tonk swagger—augmented by twangy guitars, a wistful harmonica and Moore’s gritty voice—the tune is one of the most authentically uplifting products of the COVID-19 pandemic thus far. But, as Moore explained, there was a year-long-journey leading to this moment.
“It’s crazy because I wrote ‘Better Days’ on March 18, 2020,” Moore told American Songwriter. “2020 would’ve been our 10th year in a row logging over 300 shows, but everything came to a screeching halt for us on March 18. That was the first day of the shutdown for us. We were supposed to play a show in Austin, Texas that night and it was the first time that we had to cancel.”
Not really knowing what to do next, Moore and his band packed up their stuff and headed back to their home-base in Universal City, Texas, right outside of San Antonio. Like countless working musicians across the country, the band was trying to understand the grim reality unfolding before them: they might lose months of income. Dumbfounded, they began discussing their options over a few rounds of drinks.
American Songwriter Calls Andrew Leahey a “True Rock Survivor”
Rock ‘n roll rarely involves matters of life and death, but for Nashville-based singer, songwriter and music journalist Andrew Leahey, it’s certainly proved plausible. During the lead up to his initial album Skyline in Central Time‘s release, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that showed up dangerously close his hearing nerve, giving him cause to worry that he’d not only lose his hearing, but very possibly his life as well. He successfully underwent 12 hours of surgery, but also had to undergo a recovery period that lasted more than a year.
Although the malignancy could have ended in tragedy, Leahey not only pulled through, but became more determined than ever to pursue his craft with a voracity to excel even more. He became newly inspired, endowed with a resolve and resilience that’s fully reflected in a decidedly insurgent sound and his own abject determination.
American Songwriter Praises “Tumbling” from DL Rossi
The dating scene looks very different when you’re in your 30s. “You stop carrying the weight of past lives,” sings DL Rossi. With his new song “Tumbling,” premiering today, the roots-rock musician wrestles with feeling “like a failure again” and accepting things as they are. We’re both too damn strong / And we don’t need no one, he sings, later learning that true happiness lies in one’s own self-worth.
“When I was younger I felt the cliche we all feel: I needed to have a relationship to find happiness,” Rossi tells American Songwriter. “Movies, tv, religion—everything pushes you towards that as a big goal.”
His life changed drastically in his late 20s. Now recovered, Rossi survived testicular cancer—and then went through a divorce. Those events left an indelible impact on his life, causing him to have several important epiphanies. “I realized how much I needed to count on myself and be content within myself. But the side-effect of that has meant it’s really hard to find someone I want to be with for the rest of my life. And I’ve found other people feel the same way towards me. This song is me coming to peace with that dynamic and allowing whatever is gonna happen, happen.”