The Farewell Drifters are looking at June 7 for the release of Echo Boom, their second album for Crash Avenue, and fourth overall.
Their music has always been based on original songs written by the members, and this new project continues that trend – though a bonus track that will be available through iTunes is a Drifters cover. That extra track will also be included in the vinyl version of the record.
The writing is divvied up between mandolinist Joshua Britt and guitarist Zach Bevill, both of whom also serve as lead vocalists in the band. Clayton Britt plays lead guitar, Dean Marold is on bass, and Christian Sedelmyer takes care of the fiery fiddle.
We spoke this week with Bevill, who shared some insight into the project title, and how their eclectic bluegrass/Americana sound evolved.
“We are a part of the Echo Boom generation, the kids of the original Baby Boomers. We named our album that because we think that our upbringing has had a particularly strong influence on the music we make. We listened to and loved our parents’ music, while at the same time we grew up with the internet and were able to get our hands and ears into any kind of music we decided to listen to – all of that comes out in the sound we’ve ended up with. Also, though it wasn’t by design, some have pointed out that lyrically our album has generational themes running through it. I guess we just kind of let it all out on this album as we explored what it means to come of age in the 21st century.
The first single, Punchline, is one song that kind of gets at that.”
Punchline: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/punchline.mp3]
Zach tells us that the band took care of all the vocals and instruments in the studio, though they did bring in percussionist Evan Hutchings for a few of the tracks.
But he was especially stoked about getting to work
“This was the first time we had a producer in the studio with us, and it really made a huge difference. Neilson Hubbard is becoming a bit of a go-to guy for the ‘other side’ of Nashville’s music scene – he has produced everything from indie rock (The Apache Relay) and singer/songwriter pop (Matthew Perryman Jones), to various shades of Americana (Shannon Whitworth, Kim Richey, Jill Andrews).
Neilson was so great to work with, and I had the time of my life recording this album!”
Punchline is available for download through Noisetrade online. It will only cost you your email address, though tips are encouraged. You can also download the track via Facebook.
