Happy release day to us! Our newest album, Only This Far, is officially out as of May 12, 2023, and we couldn’t be more excited. Sometimes, getting the album out there and the pure relief that comes with that is enough. But today, we’re feeling really proud. Really grateful. Like we can take a beat and celebrate.
And the best part is, this time we’re not celebrating alone. We’ve got so many people on board who have been with us throughout the creation of this record. Friends, family, patrons, the whole dang Catsnake Society, and those of you who just plain keep showing up. We wouldn’t be a folk band if you didn’t, so happy release to you too!
There’s a lot to say about this album, but let’s first thank the people who made it.
We wanted this record to be bigger, more immediate. What that meant was that we relied on our band in some serious ways this go around. A big thank you to Telisha Williams of the band Wild Ponies who played standup bass for us and who, with her musical and life partner, Doug, lent their voices to a few songs as well. They just had a baby a couple days ago, so a big congratulations to them and their family! Our friend, Alice Wallace sang a beautiful high harmony on “The Weather” and “Shallow Fall,” in a way that makes us want to sing three part harmony all the time. Longtime friend and stellar musician Zach Vinson played piano on “Ain’t That the Way” and “Get Your Shoes On” and really brought the party to those songs. Now, drummers are hard to find and great drummers even harder to find. Chris Benelli is a great drummer and takes care not only to play it until we’re happy, but also to play it until he’s happy. That sort of investment is what makes his playing so spot on. Once again we worked with East Nashville’s Dave Coleman, who is one of the most talented producers/engineers we know and has become a good friend. Dave just oozes musicianship, whether he’s playing guitar, bass or editing some weird-ass wine glass part we’ve become confident he’s gonna make it sound good.
This album is about showing up, not only for the hard stuff but for the easy stuff. It’s got the usual heavy subject matter and the not-so-usual heavy subject matter-- and there’s a lot of fun on it, too. Most of the songs grapple with the endings of things-life, friendships, bounty- but we hope that it also serves as a reminder that we are still somewhere in the middle. We are only this far. There is more to come and while life will inevitably go bad again for all of us-- there is no avoiding that-- we’re gonna be alright. We start and end the record with an iteration of that lyric. I’m gonna be alright. We truly believe that. You’re gonna be alright, too.
Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts,
Only This Far is available to be streamed just about everywhere today. CD’s and Vinyl Records are available too.
CD’s and Vinyl: https://theroughandtumble.bigcartel.com/