Dear Friends,
I can hardly believe this moment is here at last. It feels a little bit like stepping out from behind a blind into the open. Suppose that means I’ve been hiding.
Maybe it’s part of being an only child, or a product of the Generation X, or growing up the 1970s and 80s, but I don’t think I’m alone feeling this way.
When we were kids, things were so much easier. You walked from the bus the mile or two to the house. You didn’t worry about getting mugged or kidnapped, or poisoned in your trick or treat candy from the neighbors.
This is all new stuff that kids and parents have to deal with today. Scary, and sad, and seems like to me, somewhat preventable if we stop and start taking measures to self correct.
That’s what I’ve been doing, I guess. I used to be a lot different as a kid, and then as a teenager, and now as an adult, I’m different again.
Probably you can relate. Maybe you feel like a kid, too, even with grown children moving out of the house or fixin’ to (fixin’ is hillbilly for getting ready to – no, hillbilly is not a bad name, despite what people might tell you. I know because I am one.)
You know how it is, when you grow up in a family in a certain place, it’s easy to feel like everybody is growing up the same way. You maybe don’t realize until much later that the things that seem really normal for you in your family are totally not normal for others.
Things you think are funny cause them to wrinkle up their nose or turn away. You’re left laughing at your own joke, feeling lonely and alone, and trying not to notice or care much either way.
But then again, you can’t expect everyone to get it, can you. Afterall, that’s what makes it an inside joke – a family story. It’s special, and so are you, and don’t you by God ever let anyone make you think different.
Appalachia Kid comes from a place of vulnerability, and is the product of a long process of exploration with friend, collaborator and my signed writer Pete Garfinkel, former medical social worker and home hospice worker.
While he was reading the best seller Hillbilly Elegy back in 2016, and I going through cancer treatments, we explored my Appalachia upbringing in light of what he was learning about in the book. Some of it had to be better explained, in my humble opinion, and caused me to raise my hillbilly heckles a time or two.
To be honest, I didn’t read the book myself until after all the songs were written and recorded. When I finally did read the book, I got a good belly laugh a time or two from Mamaw Blanton’s tirades, and more than a couple a ha’s as I saw the cultural analysis of our Appalachia people and came to understand the tendencies reflected in my own family.
This collection of 12 songs was whittled down from many more, and likely represents just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to me releasing Appalachia roots music or whatever you want to call it.
It’s kind of country, kind of classic rock, kind of bluegrass, kind of mountainy – you can call it whatever you want. I like to think it’s Appalachia Soul, but I don’t think there’s a box to tik for that one yet.
At any rate, here’s a little run down of the album to celebrate the release day, October 29.
You can also save the release wherever you listen to your music, and just FYI, when you download, or save to your library, it helps the artist and songwriters most. Streaming and sharing is also great way to help and spread the love.
The album starts out with the title track, “Appalachia Kid.” This song gives the lay of the land and sets up the story line for the rest of the album. “Surrounded by smallness, and mama’s silk pajamas” is how I grew up, huddled in the coolness of my parent’s closet in East Tennessee.
Whether playing hide and seek, or just snuggling up to the silky robes and dresses hanging in there, it was my safe shelter as a child, and to this day brings back fond memories of shag carpet and a full length Elvis poster hanging on the door.
The next track is the current single “I’m On Fire,” a remake of the classic 80s Bruce Springsteen hit. They’re playing this one a lot on the syndicated Hoebee In the Afternoon Experiment on WAIL 99.5 FM iHeart Radio in Key West, Florida. If you want, you can call or email the station and request the song, and they may give it a spin. Thanks in advance if you do that.
“Lost Love Saloon” was written with my Texas gal pal, Michelle Hill of League City. She’s a single mother of four, and is a dang fine singer and songwriter, when you can get her to sit still for a few minutes.
This song is one of my favorites, and took a long time to get right in the studio. I ended up using this very stripped down version where I’m playing all the instruments with the help of my all star engineering team of Jesse Lavigne, Bill Warner and Benny Quinn.
“It’s a place where the heart broken go to get stoned,” is about having hope for the holidays and making sense of those faces you see popping up everywhere you go, online and in real life.
“History” is a vision of what it’s like from the inside when a public relationship falls apart. “Was it all just for show?” thinking about moments in the spotlight and how quickly those fair weather friends fade into the background when it all goes south. This song comes partly from self reflection, and partly from watching the string of failed celebrity relationships flipping through magazines during my doctor’s office visits and long breast cancer recovery. You’ll be able to hear this one on the airwaves in the spring.
The next few songs on the album take you on an introspective ride.
From the moody reflections of “Leaves No Scars” to finger pointing in “Enemy” to the childhood backstory in a minor chord version of dad, Kim Williams and Garth Brooks’ hit “Papa Loved Mama,” the album takes a turn through the dark before starting the ascent back into the light for the last quarter of the record.
“Getting Clearer” was inspired by the Aerosmith song “Dream On” and begins the journey upward toward salvation.
“No One Left To Cry” is a modern environmental anthem bewailing the wholesale destruction of our planet by “digital demons,” and is an attempt to wake us up before it’s too late - “before no one gives a damn anymore.”
“I Am Saved” acknowledges my place in that responsibility to do the right thing, and to hold the lighted vision for myself and others to follow, instead of succumbing to despair. Depression is so easy these days. It takes courage to find levity, and faith to hold onto it in the face of so much pain everywhere.
There’s a music video in the making for this song, which was the first single release from the album way back in the beginning of 2020. The song gets playlisted from time to time on Amazon Fresh Folk and Americana playlists, and you can help it along by saving and streaming it there.
“Happy Song” says, sure there’s a lot of bad stuff going on, but music is something that we can lean on to make us feel better. You’ll hear me demonstrate one of our authentic hillbilly calls, a “hee” in this tune, and it makes for a fun sing along.
“That Playground Is Closed” is only a minute and a half song, and has a creaking front porch swing in it to help set the mood. I won’t spoil it for you by telling you too much about this one, only to say that it’s based on a true story and stretches all the way to the Rocky Mountains in the telling.
Thanks so much for supporting me and my original artistry by purchasing the physical CD direct from my artist website shop, and also by downloading, saving, streaming and sharing the music on the digital music retailers including Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio and YouTube.
If you buy the album from me, you can get it autographed and mailed to you anywhere in the world– allow a few more days for international orders.
Thanks again. Please drop me a line to let me hear from you.
Love & Light,
Amanda
Comments