Liam Purcell is one busy young man. A recent graduate of the Berklee College of Music, he leads his own bluegrass group, Cane Mill Road, and in addition, has a solo recording career outside of the band.
Living now in Nashville, Purcell is professionally proficient on all the bluegrass instruments, plus he sings and writes songs. On top of his own commitments with Cane Mill Road, he is in a position to help out anytime someone needs a fill in, so he doesn’t get a lot of down time. But he’s a young man, with energy and ambition to spare.
The band released an album last year, Yellow Line, so this year it’s a new solo project from Liam. We get a taste with the single, Nothing Like Trouble, where he displays all the instrumental versatility described above, on a song he wrote about the sometimes frantic life of a touring artist.
Or as he puts it….
“Nothing Like Trouble is a sort of reminder to myself about appreciating the ups and downs in this crazy thing we get to do for a living. In the time since we last released music, I graduated college, moved from Boston to Nashville, and played over 100 shows. I woke up one day in my new house feeling really frustrated with the road after a lot of things had gone wrong over the past two weeks. I took a few moments to remind myself that without all of the problems I face day-to-day, what would be worth achieving without the struggle to get there? That realization helped shape this song.”
The song moves right along at a swift pace, as of course it would, including the uncommon six major chord, a slightly unsettling sound which fits in with the theme of the lyrics. Liam sings lead and plays guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and reso-guitar, with banjo provided by Zack Vickers, who also sings tenor, and bass from Teddy Kent.
They turn in a powerful track. Check it put.
Nothing Like Trouble is available from Pinecastle Records at popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
Look for a new Liam Purcell solo album later this year.
