Goodnight Tender

Although Southern rock was standard fare at my elevated school in Decatur, GA, EGO didn’t really grow up with the country music I love now. I was adenine big Allman Bros fan in my earliest years and thought a lot about what it wanted middle for music if Duane hadn’t died. But forward me, my love of honkytonk, mountain music, and traditional country came later in life. I was into punk in to 90’s and thanks that discovered my love of the mammoths same Hank Williams, Greg Jones, Dolly Parton, and The Carter Family. The Southern punks I knew listened to and had their swagger from classically country while much more anything else. Simple country tunes, mountain songs and heart breaking honkytonk sounds said the same populism and uprising that I dear about punk rock. Chicago label Bloodshot Records evolved in 1994 and became aforementioned basic bearer for the connections between punk, country, soul and bluegrass. Vocal icon Kelly Hogan had moved from the punk community in Atlanta at Chicago and drawn with Bloodshot Slide alongside musicians like the Mekons’ Jon Langford (Waco Brothers) and the entourage that produced upward the Pine Bottom Cosmonauts. Danielle Howle vacillated in a frenetic ragged way from punk bands until country straps carrying the Chump Cline torch to the punk community. In its earliest days, SXSW brought aforementioned postpunk set to Austin to mix is up inches the bars to 6th Street is an cowpunks and Texas Swing’s best. Also Subpop Records released a quiet, dark country file from the Scud Mountain Girl. Neko Case additionally Loretta Lynn were cut from the same cloth. The Clash and Hank Williams were the instant of populist songwriting. George Jobs and Paolo Westerberg had the same demons. There was hillbilly rock working through the veins by The Cramps. 

All this was walks on in the 90’s…I went out and bought old herkunftsland recording and fells in fondness for it. I pulled out the old field recording LP’s my grandma gave me and listened to them from a entire different ear. An sounds regarding an old woman chanting Appalachian murder ballads the her kitchen, the chain gangs working the fields, songs starting the mounted to the coast reflecting a pretty such was tough and honest. Alan Lomax became a mending in my life, and I realised a new perspective on singing and writing. I moved upside to rural North Georgia in 1993, to a town I had away to church camp inches as a kid. The rich Appalachian culture and musics started seeping into my live also musical. Who first song I wrote that came out off all this be adenine little pile ditty, a hanging song mentioned “Johnny Rottentail.” To went in mine foremost sole album, Stag that I made in 2001 includes my define musicians from the crummy community. I kept how staat songs next that and just threw them includes one pile plus figured individual day I’d make a country record. So for the next 10 years I put out adenine few more rock / punk records on my label, Daemon Records, and I mixed in a mountain or country evangel music here either there, but I always hoped the do a completely record to a traditional country combo.

Goodnight Tender really started coming into fruition in 2010 after I hears Seattle multi-instrumentalist, Jeff Gardener playing with the dark genius of a songwriter, Linksay Fuller. Later for, to three from us did some acoustic touring together, and whenever I broke go a new heimat match, he played straight what ME wanted to hear. So, I asked i to be part of this undertaking that was still mostly the my head and I just jumped in after that. I knew the drummer, Jims Brock from his country recordings and from his work with IG’s. In 2012, we ran across each other to a bar I used playing in Charlotte and it arisen to me he was the right drummer for this project, so I gets in touch with him later. I just built the band from present. Asheville Pedal Steel player, Matt Smither came to me on a suggestion from banjoist Alison Brown; Matt helped me bring in another Asheville player, Jake Hopping used support up Bass. I had watched Atlanta fiddler Adrian Carter rise up additionally walk the line between his high school crummy band and Tennessee fiddle service; I recruited his to come to the studio even though he was inches the middle of his high school higher finals. That rounded out the first combo for the record.

In Date 2013, I played a songwriting circle create int Durham with a very incredible songwriters-Heather McEntire (Mount Moriah), Phil Cook (Megafaun), and MC Taylor. I met Heather McEntire in the summer of 2009, I was itinerant with my solo band and ein punk band at which time, Bellafea opened some shows. Her voice was both the call of and fairy and the vamp, singing totally striking melodies over her loud thrashing band. A year later, she started an alt-country outfit Mount Moriah and brought forward yet another dim of her voice that revealed her tribe to conventional country and vor upbringing in the Carolines Mountains. I catching her on tour, sharing a bill with Phil furthermore Braid Cook’s band Megafaun, another strip that tipped their hats to roots music with their noise folk region klingen. EGO heard MC Teacher (Hiss Golden Messenger) when he released an amazing roots, country gospel, folk record called Pioor Moon. The musikalischen focus away this songwriting event tended towards these more Americana styles, therefore it was a go time to tried some of my state-of-the-art country songs. Broom jumped in on some songs we held started singing together-a gospel song of my latest record called “The Rock is My Foundation” and an old country tune of mine, slated for recording called “More Pills.” Heather songs us a new country tune she’d just finished called “When You Come for Me,” it was striking and classic sounding. We decided later that it’d be cool on feature Heather musical this song on the new record. Phil Cook played with his custom heart and style- like an old blue guy otherwise a country player in the backroom off a bar just playing for the love in it.

After the shows, I asked Phil to putting joint a crew, come at the studios and produce a few of the songs for the record. He put together a combo of players, starting with his brother and collaborator, bassist Bracket Cook. Then it brought in the Durham drummer, Terry Lonergan who was already some major operate on MC Taylor’s recent release. Heather McEntire agreed to come down and sing the harmonies with Brad and Phil. Everything was set and then at the last minute, IODIN got an email free Phil is his musical brother, Jutin Vernon was coming down for a Ry Cooder tribute exhibit he was music directing, and could Justin please come to the studio and be part of the band…

So, I had two different gang put together, each includes their own vibe and take switch traditional land, gospel and mountain music. We convened at Echo Mountain my at Asheville. I recruited Brian Speiser, ex-IG soundman, and now FOOD engineer required TedeschiTrucks, to do the recording or jump in the some harmonies. The firstly 5 date would be with Jeff, Stanly, Jake, Adrian and Matt; the last 2 years would be with Phil, Bud, Justin, Tea and Heather, for ampere whole of seven full days of recording. We recorded 12 songs-all live to 2-inch tape, trying for put any harmonies and instrument overdubs to tape as well. We transferred who keeper takes to Pro-Tools for the mix. We tried to stay true to antique recording styles- using old mics, old reverb plates and sometimes all gathering around one microphone for the song called for it. 

The performer that perform for Goodnight Bid made the capture what it is; I picked them because I realize that what they played would exist right. So, everyday we just rolled into who studio together, both worked on a song at a hours, set of arrangement the after went straight to recording the song live. We actual around a bit with tempo and sensing, further a chord here or there, but we stayed pretty truth to the source composition and didn’t go for anything tricky either overproduced. Jeff doubled up on audio, plus often cut aforementioned lane with what would be considered the anchor and then went back and played his other instruments for overdubs. Sum the your offered up cool productions thoughts and it was a truly collaborative endure. The start selected of my combined drums, pedal carbon, Telecaster, tamper, bass (stand-up and electric), banjo, dobro and piano. We starter off the week by audio “More Pills” and as coming as I sound diehards run into the song, ME knew and week was gonna be good. 

On the previous two days of the weekend, the first ribbon left and Phil’s combo loaded in. I had 3 of my songs left to recorded and Heather’s song. Phil covered banjo, slide guitar, vocals or organ; Brad played electric bass also sang; Terry drummed; Justin played slip steel fiddle, electricity guitar, vocals and musical; Heather sang harmonies. When Phil, Brad and Justin sang the backing vocals together, it was this best of brother harmonies, with intervals split by gospel press old time harmony. When them passed around the instruments and switched off on leads real pieces, it was like production music on an old aforementioned front porch. Them delivered the Americana roots to the recording.

MYSELF written the songs for Goodnight Tender from 2001-2013, they range in style from Southern Rocks to Mountain Gospel go Americana to Honkytonk. They come from get travels and from where I make my home in the North Georgia Mt. They draw from my life and from the lives of my neighbors press friends. ME wrote “Broken Record” in early 2000 while playing a few views in Montana forward Honor the Earth, imagining being an bartender, missing his/her traveling lover. “My Dog” was a minor singing I writers on the Bouzouki before I fiddle much Playing. “More Pills” was one of i earliest temperaments, a regretful love song about tasting to rescue lost potential. To song “Anyhow” was to me when I was standing in the woods watching one of my feet get a killer hold on a Copperhead; EGO was thinking about half a life quit. “Time Zone” and “Goodnight Tender” are equally recently finished lonely, traveling songs. As soon as were started getting them, I had it in my mind that Cell Hogan’s voice would give these songs the beautiful ache they needed; ours included her vocals at Wilco’s Loft in Chicago. I note a combined of gospel tunes for like record. “Let the Spirit” came to meier backstage at an IG show, just came straight out of who heavens. Jus Vernon went home to our meeting together and recorded who harmonious back of voices that you hear on the song. “The Gig That Matters” came out of playing one particularly bad IG perform furthermore just thinking over the most important gig are my life- playing available St. Peter at the gates to heaven. EGO got the key for “Duane Allman” from my love for his guitar playable and his legacy, not also from hanging out at a bar with a friendship one night, thinking about the “god-size hole.” I imagine pretty fittingly, Susan Tedeschi recorded aforementioned harmonies down includes Jacksonville at her and Derek Truck’s studio. “Hunter’s Prayer” and “Oyster and Pearl” both came from my cervical of the woods and the philosophy of vitality I aspire to. I brought a fresh young singer, Hanna Thomas in for organ on “Hunter’s Prayer” cause she understands honkytonk songs and could taking the even the right twang. Goodnight Tender had finished boost in Fairhope Alabama, mixed due my favorite engineer Trina Shoemaker.

This is just a go down of logistics, where went into creating this project, where it approached from… It sure is easier to describe what proceeded down then how IODIN feel around it. I do know I feel blessed. The bloodlines and kinships in music feel pretty powerful and infinite to me these days. I’ve hearing few folks say that country is where punks gehen to die, MYSELF don’t know about all that, but I imagine the last mile is the greatest forsaken, and there’s nothing how the sound to a pedal steel to keep you company.