Here’s the video premiere for ‘Shelf‘, the latest single from Duluth singer-songwriter Breanne Marie Tepler and her band The Front Porch Sinners. The band create a full sound with absorbing layers and depth. Over Tarek Makky’s bass, Evan Tepler’s guitar and Matt Groom’s percussion, Johnny Peterson’s pedal steel and Dicky Brooks’ keys float up in gorgeous, warmly melodic waves. Midway through, the fiddle from Kailyn Pelerin elevates the song still further.
Breanne Marie delivers a sincere, heartfelt vocal performance, her voice rising high as the song swells and grows, aching with remembering as she recalls feelings of being limited and constrained: “Don’t fly too high, keep your smile to yourself //It’s easier to fall from the bottom shelf than to stand tall // I was just a child trying to learn and grow // And not let it show that I was scared and so alone // So goddamn alone.” Her words are powerful and will resonate with many listeners, who may associate with those feelings of knowing a life unlived, obstructed by ceilings and barriers. The video, shot in a beautiful natural space during a hazy sunrise, is soft-focused and light-saturated, reinforcing the feeling of looking back, remembering.
This is the latest single from the brand new album “Two Trees”, which has just been released. It’s a thoughtful, sensitive collection that explores life’s familial traumas and challenges. Breanne Marie explains: “Two trees taller than a building. One is dead, one of them is living.’ These lyrics came to me after I received the word prompt ‘slump’ from a songwriting group. I looked out my window and saw these two trees, one slumped onto the other. These two trees represent how we continue to grow while still carrying loss, grief, and trauma. Within this album is a trilogy following a fictional family that has been through tragic life events and the impact that has had generationally. I identify with them, and I think you will too. Other songs on the album explore my childhood traumas, being a teen mom, and a foster mom. All of it is me, and you, and the two trees that make us who we are right now.” The band’s sound is described as “Great Lakes Country from a front porch in Duluth, MN”, and they deliver a blend of soulful ballads, country stomps and energetic Americana – check out the new album now.
