There’s not a much better way to start the day than waking up to new music from Shane Smith & the Saints.
The five-piece Texas country music outfit dropped a surprise single today with the thoughtfully penned track “The Greys Between,” a love song in which Smith explores a deeper meaning of love and what that may look like in circumstances within a relationship where they may not be a clear cut solution to an issue.
The band also revealed the insight behind the song’s cover art, which features Smith’s grandparents way back in the early 50s, reuniting after he hitchhiked his way across Texas to surprise her:
“Got a little impatient, so we’re dropping a new song today. Wanted to give everyone a small taste of what we’ve been working on this year..
Also, this photo was taken sometime around 1952 of my mammaw & papaw at the “Dean Hill” house where she grew up, in Athens, Texas.
He’d just hitchhiked across the state, from his army base in El Paso to surprise her with a visit. She was pregnant with my uncle Andy at the time, and there’s just so much more to it, than what this black & white photo shows on the surface.
It seemed like the perfect photo for this song. Go check it out, send it to your friends for us. We hope you love it.”
Released with an accompanying lyric video, the band provided some insight into the meaning behind the song in the video’s description:
“This song is about still having your partner’s back and fighting for one another, no matter what. There’s not always an obvious answer to issues and life can be complex.
At a certain point, love means accepting that it no longer matters who’s wrong or right; it’s all about finding the greys in between.”
“The Greys Between” comes as the band’s first single since a killer cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty,” perhaps the best country song of all time, was released alongside fellow Texas troubadour Hayes Carll just over a month ago. It is the first release of original music, though, in nearly a year.
Presumably the third single on a forthcoming record that Smith has alluded to on a couple of occasions, this one follows the previous two singles “Hummingbird” and “Fire in the Ocean” as the potential foundation for the band’s next project.
If this in fact the case, then it would appear we are in for something special with the band’s first studio album in over four years.
“Hummingbird”
“Fire in the Ocean”
Truly one of the best bands in country music, Shane Smith & the Saints’ full catalog features three powerful records and a live album that showcase the bands sonic sensibilities, breathtaking harmonies, and spectacular songwriting. Their seminal debut record Coast was released in 2013, and with plenty more stories to tell and songs to sing, they have followed that up with 2015’s Geronimo, Hail Mary in 2019, and their 15-track Live from the Desert project in 2021 that captures how incredible the band is live.
In its current form, frontman and songwriter Shane Smith leads the attack and is backed by some of the best musicians in the genre with the iconic Bennett Brown sawing fiddle, Dustin Schaefer slinging lead guitar, Chase Satterwhite keeping rhythm on bass, and Zach Stover rounding out the crew on bass.
Together they are obviously capable of some special things, and with momentum building ever since a catalyzing name drop and song inclusion in Paramount’s Yellowstone series, and a subsequent live appearance on the show, there seems to be more new music on the way.
In the meantime, get out there and catch them live for one of the most electric shows out there. Chances are they’re hitting a city near you soon
10/4 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR+
10/5 – McMenamin’s Spanish Ballroom – Tacoma, WA+
10/6 – Knitting Factory – Boise (SOLD OUT)+
10/7 – Cascade Theatre – Redding, CA+
10/8 – Rebels & Renegades – Monterrey, CA
10/13 – Cuero TurkeyFest – Cuero, TX
10/15 – State Fair of Texas – Dallas, TX
10/20 – Gordy’s HWY 30 Music Fest (TX) – Fort Worth, TX
11/1 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL*
11/2 – The Machine Shop – Flint, MI*
11/3 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH*
11/4 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON*
11/6 – The Bluestone – Columbus, OH*
11/7 – Manchester Music Hall – Lexington, KY*
11/8 – Jefferson Theatre – Charlottesville, VA*
11/9 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA*
11/10 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC*
11/11 – The Palladium – Worcester, MA*
11/14 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA*
11/15 – Webster Hall – New York, NY*
11/16 – The NorVa – Norfolk, VA*
11/17 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC*
11/18 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA*
11/30 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN^
12/7 – ACL Live – Austin, TX
12/9 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
1/23-1/27 – Mile 0 Fest 2024 – Key West, FL
2/15 – San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo – San Antonio, TX
4/26 – Stagecoach – Indio, CA
6/20 – Gordy’s HWY 30 Music Fest – Filer, ID
8/10 – Bootheel Rodeo – Sikeston, MO
+w/ Matt Koziol
*w/ Calder Allen and Angel White
^w/ Tanner Ursey
