Check out the new single from folk-duo Golden Shoals. Amy Alvey and Mark Kilianski combine fiddle, guitar and banjo to create new music that builds on the traditions and roots of the past. With folk, country and bluegrass influences thrown together, the resulting blend feels and sounds authentic. Storytelling and great instrumental prowess are at the heart of the pair’s songs. In ‘Jimmy Beam Ain’t My Friend’, Kilianski’s fast picking alongside Alvey’s drawn-out notes is a compelling platform for their harmonies and their voices complement one another well.
Lyrically, the song delivers a direct message about the problems of alcoholism and addiction. A particular issue in the music industry because of the nature of late-night gigs and tough touring schedules, addiction ruins lives and the duo tackle it head on: “Locked inside this room all by myself // my sanity I’m trying to restore // my mind is full of misery, my heart is full of war // Jimmy Beam, he ain’t my friend no more.”
Mark Kilianski explains the challenges of alcohol use in the industry and how it inspired the song: “When you’re on tour and at festivals, you end up partying with your friends and colleagues. At some point, you realise that when some of us go home and go to bed,others try to keep the party going, to their own detriment. Most genres have countless drinking songs. I wanted to add to the much more limited cannon of anti-drinking songs, to lend a voice to everyone out there who has struggled to find a healthy relationship with alcohol, whether that be moderation or abstinence.”
It’s stirring, rousing stuff. Enjoy.
