This is how Americana should be performed. Singer-songwriter Andrew McConathy and his outstanding band Drunken Hearts have recorded a new video EP, ‘Wildfire Sessions’, which will be released one video at a time, beginning with ‘New Reseda’. This is high-quality country-rock, featuring great songwriting and musicianship, all built around McConathy’s impassioned vocals. “The sky was falling, // Just another projection..It’s a long ride to Reseda, especially with a big load. // She’s my only Señorita, last stop on this lonely road,” he sings, telling the story of a trucker driving home to his lover. There’s an irresistible foot-tapping bassline from Adrian Engfer and one of the song’s highlights is a gorgeous, twanging slide guitar solo from James Dumm. All the elements come together to create a fine Tom Petty-inspired song from the Boulder-based band.
Prolific live performers, this set of brand new, unreleased songs has a more intimate, acoustic feel than their previous material. There are songs of loneliness and anxiety, love and loss, with the pandemic as a background to the narratives that unfold. Filmed at Wildflower Pavilion at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, Colorado, by long-time collaborator Todd Divel and Tobin Voggessor of NoCoastTV, the video showcases the band at work and they have a powerful presence on the stage. Enjoy.
