Arlo McKinley might not be a household name just yet, but he will be sooner rather than later.
He’s signed to John Prine’s ‘Oh Boy Records’ independent record label and has opened for the likes of Tyler Childers, Jason Isbell, John Moreland and more. This past August, he released his second studio album, Die Midwestern, which is now being regarded by many as one of the best country albums of the entire year. Some would even call it THE best album this year.
And last night, Arlo released a music video for “She’s Always Around,” a powerful and deeply personal song about opioid addiction and the friends he’s lost to it.
It starts out by McKinley lighting a cigarette at an old time bar before getting in his car and driving around seeing a variety of different people dancing along to the song. The song has a very saloon-like feel with the piano and the way Arlo does the vocals on this track, a slightly different feel than the rest of the album.
With the release of the new music video, Arlo McKinley is also trying to raise funds for Hope In The Hills, a charity that is trying to combat addiction issues found in the Appalachian region. Donations will go towards Christmas meals and gifts to families in need.
“I wanted to work with Hope in the Hills in some way since Healing Appalachia had to be canceled this year due to Covid. I’ve seen first hand what that organization does for those in need of help with addiction. I thought that having an option to raise some money for them with the release of this video and this song in particular made sense.”
If you’re unfamiliar with his music I highly recommend diving in head first.
