Take That Shot from Tim Stafford & Thomm Jutz

Mountain Fever Records has released a second single from their upcoming duo project with Tim Stafford & Thomm Jutz. Both are heralded as among the top songwriters in the bluegrass genre, as well as veteran performers. Their new album, Lost Voices, is due later in 2022, consisting of songs the pair have written together over the past two years.

This latest track, Take That Shot, plays on the triple meaning of the phrase, as either taking a photograph, firing a gun, or going for your dreams. The lyrics are sung as though they were coming from a number of historically important figures including Billy The Kid, Robert Johnson, and Bill Monroe, with additional references to other pop culture figures like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. The song also includes a first for both men – their initial journey into bluegrass rap!

Take That Shot was inspired by recently released archival photos of Billy The Kid and Robert Johnson. Thomm said that he and Tim were struck by the contrast between these pictures of the two as youths, and how their images were eventually honed by time.

“Those two photos revealed so much more about these two legends than anyone previously expected. Billy the Kid, in the newly discovered photo, looks like a boyish Huck Finn-type and not like a juvenile killer. Johnson looks like an upbeat young man with a guitar and not like the brooding bluesman with the cigarette dangling from his mouth we all know.”

Tim agreed, reflecting on the tremendous value of historical photography.

“We talked about other iconic photos that shaped American history, and this song fell in our lap. I love the idea that the art of photography can say as much as libraries full of books, summing up entire eras, defining moments in time.”

Stafford and Jutz trade verses throughout the song, harmonizing on the chorus and both playing guitar. They are supported by Ron Block on banjo, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, Shaun Richardson on mandolin, and Mark Fain on bass.

Have a listen…