Americana Highways is pleased to premiere this video of the song “Little Miss America,” from Andy Hughes & the Mighty Few’s album Songs for Sunday, due to be released in March 2019. Songs for Sunday was produced by Joe Gantzer, recorded and mixed by Brett Huus Sound Stations Audio and mastered by Mike Von Muchow at Actual Size Studio.
“Little Miss America” features Andy Hughes on acoustic guitar and vocals, Rick Kreuziger on pedal steel, Joe Gantzer on bass with Ben Rohde on drums. Siri Undlin (Humbird) sings vocals also.
The video was directed and produced by Dylan Overhouse, with clips of live stage performance cutting in and out of scenes of a childlike innocence and the silence of our contemporary lives, lived through our smartphones and laptops. But at a deeper level, “Little Miss America” proposes a lyrical query: where is the heart of ‘liberty & justice for all’ — the heart of American purity and the kindness of its ideals — hiding itself? The vocals reference these ideals over understated, potent music with vocals and pleading harmonies by Hughes and Undlin. “Little Miss America why do you cry? Does the stain of our silence taste like good-bye?” This is a very thoughtful song to ring in the New Year by.
The song is someone attempting to come to grips with America’s perceived innocence, or lack thereof. I wrote it after watching the music video for the song, “Kansas City, MO” by the artist Humbird. That song/video really punched me in the gut and I remember sitting down and working out “Little Miss America.” Having Siri (Humbird) sing on the track was a real treat. – Andy Hughes