The Cold Stares look death in the eye in their new single ‘Mortality Blues.’ A slow burn of a track centered around a rustic dobro guitar riff, the song builds but never boils over. This is the latest single from their seventh full-length album, ‘The Southern.’ Singer Chris Tapp’s Kentucky roots can clearly be heard in his bluesy growl and his victory over cancer lends a gravitas to the lyrics.
Tapp describes the inspiration for the lyrics, “I had Robert Johnson on my mind for a couple of songs on this album, I had read a few biographies that recently came out, and it always seemed Robert was doing his best to stay alive in a time where it wasn’t necessarily easy. The song is my contemporary version of my delta blues influences and is about looking around and seeing others take risks with mortality while you are doing your best just to stay alive.”
‘The Southern’ is available now on all streaming platforms via Mascot Label Group.
Ed Donnelly is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer and record producer from Los Angeles. He has worked with Willie Nelson, Crowded House, Marc Cohn, Jools Holland, Matchbox Twenty, The Cult, BoyHaunt, Gladys Knight, Trent Summar and The West Coast Mob, Smashing Pumpkins, Del McCoury, OK Go, Exodus, Molly Leach, Tom Morello, O.A.R., Madness, The Crystal Method, DrunkHungry, Deadmau5, Zac Brown, CrysP Tyger, Bighead Todd and the Monsters, Jake Shimabukuro, Barenaked Ladies, Tsar, Killola and more. Donnelly regularly performs with Nathan Jacques as well as Little Silver Hearts and records with GhostsDream. Little known fact: He previously held Top Secret Security Clearance with the U.S. Department of State and Q Clearance from the Department of Energy.
He currently runs The Barber’s Basement Recording Studio in Highland Park and is a partner in The Atmos at Lemontree Studio.
