Songwriters go online to craft hits remotely
Songwriters go online to craft hits remotely
AP
Everyone’s itching to get out of the house, but there’s something to be said for hurrying home to the one you love.
Justin Wade reminds us of that joy and anticipation in “Lonely Road,” a single released Thursday by his country-rock band.
With a proper longing in his voice, Wade imparts the point of view of a man ending a work-related journey and eager to scurry home to his wife, imagining a scenario with “our bodies colliding/the temperature’s rising.”
Hmmm, so some sort of couples yoga or exercise routine, right?
“As a working musician, you spend a lot of time on the road,” Wade, of Chippewa Township, said. “Before COVID, we were averaging 100 shows a year. That means a lot of time away from the ones you love. That was the inspiration behind this song. So many late nights driving home from a show on the road with the feeling of not being able to wait to get home to my wife.”
He gives a countrified vocal growl to the “Lonely Road” choruses, which are bridged by thick and tangy rock ‘n’ roll guitar, bass and drums and from Bobby Thompson, Rob Sinchak and Cody Fritzley, respectively.
Part of the melody line reminds me of Coldplay’s “Don’t Panic” from the “Garden State” soundtrack.
‘”Lonely Road” is country with a rock edge,” Wade said of the release, produced By Al Torrence at Music Garden Studios in New Brighton, and streaming on platforms like Spotify, ITunes and CD Baby.
Even if you’re not are a musician, or don’t work a job that takes you away from home, “the last year, and being forced to be away from those you love, will connect a lot of people to this song,” Wade said.
Justin Wade Band fans soon can hear it live.
“Working on bookings as we speak,” Wade said.
Love is all you need
The true artist that he is, Joel Lindsey continues to achieve a perfectly measured emotional tone and timely message with his music.
The London-born, former Brighton Township-ite last week released “Take Some Love and Pass It On,” a single reflecting on how positive minds and compassionate hearts have carried us through the pandemic.
The accompanying music video, filmed in Gateway Center in Pittsburgh, features Lindsey and his two bandmates performing for small groups of masked, socially distanced people enjoying the open air, as children frolic and give flowers to each other.
“So how did we pull through this dreadful year? It might sound cliché, but I think that the answer is Love,” Lindsey says in a press release, spelling “love” with a capital L.
“We reached out to one another more than ever before. We entertained each other from near and far with jokes, music or a simple phone call just to check in. We were compassionate, considerate and concerned because we knew that our neighbors were enduring the same things that we were.
“This was the inspiration for the song. It was the will to care for one another in spite of our own hardships and differences. By sending out love, we as a community endured.”
Landing somewhere in the indie-pop/singer-songwriter realms, “Take Some Love and Pass It On” recognizes these past 13 months have been filled with frustration and fears. Some days, getting out of bed seemed to be an overwhelming task. Neighbors heatedly took sides on the best course for recovery, but Lindsey’s lyrics suggest the key is finding common ground in between.
“Don’t tell each other how to live, because you’ll only forget how to forgive,” Lindsey sagely sings.
Available at joellindseymusic.bandcamp.com, “Take Some Love and Pass It On” arrives one year after Lindsey’s song “The World Will Heal in Time,” inspired by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Due to social-distancing limitations, Lindsay and his mates — Tim College and James Kurasch, on drums and bass — recorded their individual “Take Some Love and Pass It On” parts in their respective homes.
Unable to perform in bars in 2020 like so many other musicians across the globe, Lindsey regularly streamed solo performances from his Pittsburgh house for audiences on both sides of The Atlantic. He made the most of the experience, engaging fans in a new, virtual way.
“Initially, performing online was a daunting new medium. But I grew into it once I got past the oddity of standing alone singing into a webcam in my living room. The virtual gigs gave me a musical workout, plus the ability to watch these live performances back led me to become more critical of my intonation, dynamics and audience engagement,” Lindsey said. “Listeners responded particularly well to original music, so I found myself songwriting again — a welcome escape from the day-to-day worries.”
In non-pandemic years, Lindsey operates an event company, Joel Lindsey Entertainment, specializing in weddings. To make his new music video, Lindsey reached out to a wedding videography company, Light Motion Studios, run by James Palanza of Pittsburgh.
“James’ film work is amazing, but he hadn’t shot a music video before,” Lindsey said. “I told him it would be just like shooting a wedding, just without the cookie table.”
The hopeful video points to brighter days.
“Just as Spring 2020 was stomped out by the start of the pandemic, Spring 2021 brings something we’ve missed — Hope. Resurgence. A glimpse into a possible future where we can return to who we once were,” Lindsey said.
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Currently recording a full-length album, Lindsey said all the down time of the past year has taught us something.
“That a little love goes a long way.“
Fetterman & The ’80s
Say what you want about his politics, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has good taste in music.
Fetterman shared his love for a wide span of ’80s music in the latest episode of “Tough Cookies,” hosted by Adam Weiner of the must-see rock band Low Cut Connie.
“I loved (Motley) Crüe as much as I loved The Cure,” Fetterman said, also fondly recalling catching Guns ‘N Roses in Hershey, and going album shopping at Sam Goody’s.
Fetterman joined a lineup of intriguing interviewees including Sly & The Family Stone members, early punk-rocker Richard Hell, Joan Osborne and author Nick Hornby on the twice-weekly variety show Weiner streams from his South Philly basement.
You can watch “Tough Cookies” on YouTube. The Fetterman episode also features Low Cut Connie sharing a video, covering INXS’ “Need You Tonight.”
Scott Tady is the local Entertainment Reporter for The Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger. He’s easy to reach at [email protected].