Two americana icons join forces for a new rave up, ‘We Gotta Split This Town’. This is the second single from Stephen McCarthy and Carla Olson’s forthcoming duets album ‘Night Comes Falling’. The tale of a con man and his exasperated girlfriend, the sepia-toned video show McCarthy performing in jail and other ragged locales while Olson chimes in via TV and longs for the open road. Guitars roar and an organ played by Skip Edwards, rips through a solo, a road song for sure. Each performer was shot separately and then edited together by director Tim Roth.
Of the song McCarthy says, “I had an idea about a ne’er-do-well swindler whose luck was running out. A confidence man on the run with his gal who was trying to set him straight. She was in too deep to make a clean break. The story is a conversation between the two co-conspirators…I remember showing it to Carla and suggesting that she sing it in a way that showed she had some disgust with my character.”
The duets album brings together two performers with storied americana roots. Stephen first came on the scene in Los Angeles as one of the singers and songwriters as well as the lead guitar player in the Long Ryders. Along with Rank & File, Lone Justice and a few other acts, the Long Ryders helped launch what would later be known as americana. Combining the style of the Byrds and the raw energy of the Clash, they created a new twist on country music. Carla was one of the founding members of the Textones, a Los Angeles band that had a touch of americana mixed with straight ahead Rock’n’Roll. Carla followed her time leading the Textones with a series of both solo albums and collaborative albums with other artists including Gene Clark of the Byrds and Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones.
Great song!
Typo in the header — Song is called We Gonna Split This Town per track listing.