Alice Howe — “500 Miles”
Americana Highways is hosting this video premiere of Alice Howe’s version of the song “500 Miles,” (also known as “Railroader’s Lament”) a song from the recently released collection Americana Railroad. The album was produced by Carla Olson. The song was produced and arranged by Freebo; recorded and mixed by Brian Boozer with additional recording by Jeff Fielder, and the song was was produced at Aum Studio Productions in Bakersfield, CA. It was written by Hedy Wet, Bobby Bare, and Charlie Williams.
“500 Miles” is Alice Howe on vocals; Freebo on fretless bass and acoustic guitar; Dave Pearlman on pedal steel guitar; Jeff Fielder on electric guitar; and John Molo on drums.
The video was shot and directed by Mitchell Haeuszer (Haus Music). Howe’s rich throaty vocals are perfectly matched for nostalgia and that in this song as the protagonist rolls 500 miles from home. And those back home are clearly there in the subtext, missing the traveler who’s now penniless and uncertain.
It was an interesting challenge for me to take a classic song like “500 Miles,” one that I heard countless times growing up, and find a way to make it fresh. I had to sink into the emotion of the lyrics to put the song into my own voice. Freebo was a key part of the process as producer and arranger, changing up the chords and guiding the band to create this beautiful track. As a singer, it’s so satisfying to know that people are hearing the song in a whole new way because of how we brought it to life. — Alice Howe
You can order the music here: https://americanarailroad.lnk.to/Album