Archives for 2021

Songwriter Shay Martin Lovette certainly has a way with delivery and story that summons the likes of Patterson Hood, Brent Cobb, and Rhett Miller. Yet there is a novel and mystifying tone in his folky delivery that wreaks of a creative pursuit unraveling, as one of folk rock’s vital new voices.

After releasing his debut in 2018, receiving a plethora of regional accolades, and spending over 100 days playing shows to eager audiences, Lovette is back with his sophomore effort. The new 12-song collection, Scatter and Gather, was produced by Joseph Terrell of North Carolina’s cherished indie roots outfit Mipso (Rounder Records), and features members of the band throughout.

Lovette’s songs deliver evocative imagery that invites the listener along on one’s life journey, full of incidents, escapades, and moments of clarity. From a canyon to a “cold casino rooftop,” and various locales around the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina, where Lovette is based, The backdrops are ever-changing but a common thread can always be found in the feelings of his colorful characters.

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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.

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Dallas Moore celebrates the raw, exuberant spirit of live music in his new song, “Every Night I Burn Another Honky Tonk Down.” The track looks back on better times when we could all still get together, get rowdy and blow off some steam … but it also looks forward to better days ahead.

Moore wrote the song before the pandemic, and the hard-charging track captures the spirit of his live shows. The track features a chugging, straight-ahead drum part that drives guitars and fiddles, topped off by a rough-and-ready vocal performance from Moore. You can hear the lived experience of his years on the road in his voice when he assures, “Everybody knows that I get around / Every night I burn another honky tonk down.”

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