I just love this song.
Today, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Hailey Whitters released an acoustic version of Stephen’s song “American Gothic,” from his bon aqua EP that was released in March.
Originally from Southern Indiana, Stephen has a really unique sound that draws inspiration from indie rock, grunge and country (dubbed “Death Cab for Country”), which you can definitely hear both in the studio cut and stripped-back rendition of “American Gothic.”
Stephen says that he and Big Loud labelmate Hailey have been singing the song together while he’s been out on the road opening for her, adding that they wanted to do the acoustic live perfomance video in an effort to get back to the basics with the grungy lyrics and production:
“Hailey and I have been singing ‘American Gothic’ on her US headlining tour and thought we would climb into a Nashville time capsule at Welcome to 1979 and record a live version of the song exactly how it started, grungy and stripped-down to the basics: gut-string and lyric.”
They filmed it inside Nashville’s famed Welcome to 1979 Studio, and in addition to actually singing the song, you see them exploring the former record pressing plant, which definitely pairs well with the vintage, gritty feel of the song.
“American Gothic”
The studio cut:
Wilson will be on tour with Marcus King, Drake White, Charley Crockett, 49 Winchester and Joss Stone this year, in addition to making his Red Rocks debut supporting Midland on October 14th.
Bon Aqua tracklist
1) the devil
2) American Gothic (feat. Hailey Whitters)
3) Year To Be Young 1994
4) Hometown
5) Holler From The Holler
6) billy
7) The Beginning
Stephen Wilson, Jr. 2023 tour dates:
6/2: Chattanooga, TN – Riverbend Festival
6/9: Nashville, TN – CMA Music Festival
6/11: Fargo, ND – Fargo Brewing Company ^
6/16: Eridge Park, Kent, UK – Black Deer Festival
6/19: London, UK – Scala *
6/21: Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy *
6/22: Glasgow, UK – SWG3 *
6/24: Gateshead, UK – Sage Gateshead *
6/25: Cambridge, UK – Cambridge Junction *
7/1: Fort Wayne, IN – The Clyde Theater &
7/4 & 7/5: Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall &
7/18: Bozeman, MT – The Rialto #
7/19: Des Plaines, IL – Des Plaines Theatre %
7/21: Kemmerer, WY – Oyster Ridge Music Festival
7/22: Redmond, OR – FairWell Festival
7/22: Cleveland Heights, OH – Cain Park Evans Amphitheater %
7/25: Washington, DC – Warner Theatre %
7/26: Niagara Falls, ON – OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino %
9/3: Marietta, GA – Georgia Country Music Fest
9/14: Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond
10/13: Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater @
10/14: Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre @
^ – with Marcus King
* – with Drake White
& – with Charley Crockett
# – with 49 Winchester
% – with Joss Stone
@ – with Midland
