‘Darkest Hollows‘ is the third single from Blake Brown’s new album ‘Show Me The Light‘ which will be released on October 4th. Its down tempo and tentative, questioning, lyrics “so pick me up / take me home / where that is nobody knows” in part reflect a restlessness that has occurred over the last five years – with multiple cross country moves; from Denver, CO (home for 15+ years), to Nashville, TN (in the middle of a pandemic no less), to Austin, TX (Brown’s home state). Blake Brown and his family have been on a whirlwind “adventure” searching for a sense of home, acclimating to the ever-changing world and experience of raising a child and living “normal” lives, all the while writing music and making records.
Similarly there have been musical changes – after years of collaborating in bands, Blake Brown shifted his focus to his own project: Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir. The intention was to create a project with full flexibility where he could play solo, duo (with his wife and mainstay member Tiffany), and with a rotating cast of musician friends. Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir are flexible enough to span the genres of Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Rock n’ Roll, Indie, and Americana. Throughout many years of establishing himself in the Colorado music scene, the American Dust Choir included members of The Fray, The Films, American Football, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Tennis, and Wovenhand.
Speaking of the inspiration for ‘Darkest Hollows‘ Blake Brown told Americana UK that “‘Darkest Hollows’ is a song about searching for the light, seeking relief in a dark situation. I wrote the song while living in Nashville. It was overall a challenging time. My family and I had moved from Denver, CO to Nashville, TN. There was a glimmer of hope that the pandemic would soon be ending, or at least taking a turn for the better, but then things actually took a turn for the worst as variants were discovered, etc. We had a little one (2 years old at the time), and vaccines for children were the last to come. It was also a time of financial hardship for us, and having a child and trying to really sort out life on many levels. It’s probably the most personal song on the record. I remember sitting on the porch in a rainstorm (if you know Nashville, you know their rain storms), and out came the lines “Show me the light. Give me a sign. Turn all my wrongs to right. Give me reason for this rhyme.” It all came out at once and I remember being like…”whoa…that just spilled out of me. I need a pen!” It was a dark time, but we got through it. The song means a lot to me and it’s a stamp of time I can now look back somewhat fondly upon now.”
