Americana Highways is hosting this video premiere of Rebecca Folsom’s song “Mercy,” from her forthcoming album Sanctuary. All songs on the album were produced by Tom Wasinger and Rebecca Folsom, with additional production by Shaun Martin, Steve Szymanski, Carli Zug, and Mark Oblinger. It was engineered by Tom Wasinger with assistant engineer Michael Van Wagoner. Mixing was done by James Tuttle, Tom Wasinger, and Rebecca Folsom, with additional mixing by Kevin Clock, Steve Szymanski. It was mastered at Airshow Mastering by David Glasser, with artwork and design by Susan Wasinger at Lost Angel Studios.
“Mercy” is Rebecca Folsom on lead vocals, acoustic guitars and backing vocals; Tom Wasinger on Weissenborn and backing vocals; and Christian Teele on percussion.
The music video was directed and produced by John Scott Clough at CloughNine, with video assistant Karen Horan. Mercy is a virtue we all need to carry with us consciously, and this song identifies that, focusing on homelessness as the vector for the reminder. Images of homeless girls, a man sleeping on the sidewalk, rain, a bustop, Christmas Eve and more, and the question, why do things have to be this way. All presented in Rebecca Folsom’s gentle style.
“Mercy” is one of the most intimate songs on the Sanctuary album, created from true stories shared by people who had or were experiencing homelessness, staff and counselors at the Shelter for the Homeless in Boulder, CO and from my own and my family’s own experience of homelessness. To write this song was to dive into some deep waters. I created this video with my brother, John Scott Clough, who had just as strong feelings and memories of our own “lost years” and our sister’s mental illness and years in and out of homelessness as I did. It was humbling and an honor to hear people’s stories of the reality of their homelessness. Writing and creating this video had us plumbing the depths of experience bringing forth old buried memories, intense feelings of disempowerment, and ultimately a fortified feeling of compassion. I am thankful to the people at the Shelter for Homelessness in Boulder for making this song possible. And though it was a deep dive, it has been very healing. My hope is those watching it are moved and inspired towards kindness. — Rebecca Folsom
Find the music here: https://www.rebeccafolsom.com/albums