The Sugar Hollows — “Sweet Virginia Girl” and interview
Americana Highways presents this premiere of The Sugar Hollows song “Sweet Virginia Girl” from their forthcoming album, due out next fall. This song will be available on May 27. The album was recorded by Gabriel Spadaccini at Good Weather Records; co-produced by Gabriel Spadaccini and Hayden Chance; and mastered by Hayden Chance.
“Sweet Virginia Girl” is Michael Dunn on vocals and acoustic guitar; Gabriel Spadaccini on electric guitar and percussion; and Sean O’Reilly on bass guitar.
Americana Highways had a chance to chat with Gabe Spadaccini about the song and more. The premiere appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: What is this song, “Sweet Virginia Girl,” about?
Gabe Spadaccini: This song is about reflecting on love and being thankful for the journey we are on with our respective soulmates. Michael brought these lyrics and chords to a session a while back, but it took a few months for them to bloom into a full song. The more we started playing it and trying different things, the better it was sounding. Even though the song is about a girl from Virginia, it feels relatable to just about anyone that shares a deep bond with a life partner, or even a friend or family member.
AH: “Sweet Virginia Girl” is a lot different from your previous single, “No Good.” What about this song led you to strip back the arrangement?
GS: The context of “Sweet Virginia Girl” felt more like a fun folk song rather than a hard hitting rock song like “No Good, or anything else for that matter. We wanted the music to feel a little looser and imaginative, which seems to fit nicely with the lyrics that Mike wrote. One thing we’re really conscious of when writing songs is making sure the lyrics and music tell the same story, and we think this one does just that.
AH: How does this song fit in with the rest of the material on the forthcoming record?
GS: This song is a one-of-a-kind on the album; it definitely brings out our country and folk influences more than the other tunes, but that’s what we love about it. We originally bonded as a group by listening to and playing country and folk songs, so Sweet Virginia Girl kind of serves as a reminder as to why we started playing music together. Some of the other songs on the album are a little more genre-bending and can be seen as a fusion of all of our different influences.
AH: What’s it like to be a country band from Richmond? What’s the scene like there?
GS: Being in a band in Richmond is a lot of fun and can be very rewarding. We see Richmond as a bit of a melting pot for different genres and musical tastes, so for a band like us that draws inspiration from country and folk, new indie rock and classic rock, funk and jazz, and anything in between, this city really makes us feel at home. But it’s not just the different kinds of music here that inspire us; this city is such a loving, welcoming, and creative place, which makes it really fun playing music where people are genuinely enjoying what they’re hearing.
AH: You mentioned that this song started as simple lyrics and chords and expanded from there. Is the arranging process in this band pretty collaborative?
GS: In general, the writing process is pretty collaborative as we get lyrics and chord progressions together, but they really come to life during the recording and mixing when we’re able to fine-tune and develop each idea. Everything is tracked at Good Weather Records here in Richmond, and then the songs are co-mixed and co-produced with Hayden Chance, who is a good friend of ours from Delaware. We’ve found that listening to and exploring each other’s different ideas is what has helped us find our sound and write songs that we’re really proud of, whether it’s an idea for a lyric, a funky chord, a groove on the drums, or something with the mixing.
AH: When can we expect more music?
GS: We currently have two singles released (“Sweet Virginia Girl” being the third), six other songs completely tracked and in the queue to begin mixing, and one other song left to track and mix, which ironically will also be the closing song on the album. We’re hoping to have the album released by September with a coinciding tour in the fall. There’s a ton of stuff in the works that we think (and hope!) people are really going to enjoy.
Thanks for talking with us!
The Sugar Hollows make good country Americana music. This song is about meeting that stranger in a smoky room, and the fate that unfolded for them. The music buoys the strength of the love song with an arrangement that just feels like love.
You can find more about the Sugar Hollows and follow them here: https://www.instagram.com/thesugarhollows/?hl=en