Do I need to add the Newport Folk Festival to my schedule next year?
The annual festival in Newport, Rhode Island is currently in full swing, and from the videos that are coming out, it seems like one hell of a time.
Last night we got Tyler Childers performing a (sort of) unannounced show under the name of his character Shadrach “Shady” Boggs, where he was joined by…Floyd Pepper from The Muppets.
Yes, really.
But apparently wasn’t ready to leave Rhode Island quite yet, and today he made another surprise appearance, this time joining Turnpike Troubadours during their headlining set to pay tribute to the late, great John Prine with a performance of Prine’s song “Paradise.”
And he also performed Turnpike’s hit “The Bird Hunters” with the band while he was there.
That settles it. Looks like I’m booking a trip to Rhode Island next summer.
Tyler Childers Announces New Album
A NEW ALBUM IS ON THE WAY…and soon.
Tyler Childers is back, and this is some real-deal country music from the Kentucky artist.
After a week of posting cryptic short-form videos and changing his social media profile pictures, fans speculated new music was on the way. I was thrilled when earlier this week when he announced the quick turnaround to the release of a new single, “In Your Love.”
But I was not expecting an album date to be announced with the drop of the single, but oh boy, were we in for a treat.
On September 8th, Tyler Childers will drop his sixth studio album Rustin In The Rain, via Hickman Holler Records/RCA Records, having “In Your Love” as the album’s lead single and music video out today.
“In Your Love” is a love ballad that depicts the story of two people wanting to be together, despite their challenges:
“…will wait for you
Til the sun turns into ashes
And bows down to the moon
I will wait for you.”
The music video matches the visuals he teased for the single about rural Appalachia. The video tells the story of two coal miners, who are secretly in love, during the 1950s.
After hiding their forbidden love, the couple decides to no longer hide and build their dream life on a farm. However, the effects of working in the coal mines have taken its toll on one of the men’s lungs, leading him to fall ill. As the illness takes over, the man passes, making the visuals come full circle that the music video is a flashback from an older man in the first scenes.
The story is a flashback of the older man reminiscing on the love he once had.
The video was written and creatively directed by Silas House, and the story idea was created with House and Jason Kyle Howard. The video was directed by Bryan Schlam and stars Colton Haynes and James Scully.
House says:
“As a gay teenager who loved country music, I could have never imagined seeing myself in a video. That visibility matters. There have always been LGBTQ people in rural places and finally we’re seeing that portrayed in a country music video.
Tyler and I both felt the attention to detail about rural life was very important, so we made sure that the house and the people looked realistic for the time period instead of the stereotypes of country people that have become so ingrained in the public consciousness. We used our own family pictures as references.
We wanted to tell as complex a story as we could in four minutes, not only about a gay couple, but also about rural people. We wanted to show their joy and their sorrow—all the things that make up a complex life. Too often simplistic notions are pushed about both rural and LGBTQ people, so we did everything we could to make this story as rich and layered as possible.”
Tyler Childers stays true to his roots in the lyrics with nodes to the rural part of Appalachia that he grew up in and advocates for in his personal life.
“Like a team of mules
Pulling Hell off from its hinges
It’s the love that I’ll keep tendin’
I will work for you.”
This strong single indicates what is in store for the rest of Rustin’ In The Rain.
Childers shared his thoughts on the curation of this album, noting:
“This is a collection of songs I playfully pieced together as if I was pitching a group of songs to Elvis.
Some covers, one co-write, and some I even wrote in my best (terrible) Elvis impersonation as I worked around the farm and kicked around the house.
I hope you enjoy listening to this album as much as I enjoyed creating it. Thank you. Thank you very much.”
Childers chose the perfect time to announce this album as he has been riding a high since his triple album release of Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?
While some fans did not see the creative vision of the album, it has not slowed him down from selling out show after show. He also announced a two-night span featuring a New Year’s Eve show in his home state at Rupp Arena. I’m sure these tickets will go quickly, adding two more stops to his sold-out list.
Man, I am pumped to see what the rest of this album holds, and in the meantime, I will be playing the fire out of “In Your Love.”
