Americana Highways is hosting this premiere of Adam Klein’s song “Wait Til They Come Knockin’,” from his forthcoming album Holidays In United States. The album was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Bronson Tew at Dial Back Sound (Water Valley, MS). The recording sessions engineered and produced by Will Robertson at Gallop Studios (Atlanta, Georgia), with additional recording, engineering, and production by Bronson Tew. The album’s cover art photo is courtesy of Sean Dunn.
“Wait Til They Come Knockin'” is Colin Agnew on drums; Jay Gonzalez (Drive-By Truckers) on keys; Bret Hartley on electric guitar; Adam Klein on acoustic guitar and vocals; Will Robertson on bass; and Bronson Tew on electric guitar and harmony vocals. This is a song about freedom marching, inspired by a commemorative march through Selma, Alabama on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Anyone who’s been involved in any protest knows the euphoric feeling that comes from the feeling of large scale solidarity. This song by Adam Klein captures renewed hope with glorious tones.
“Wait Til They Come Knockin’” was one of the first few songs written, at least in some sort of draft form, for the record, and originated way back in 2015. It got fleshed out when I revisited it while writing the album in earnest in 2020. But along with a few other early songs, it helped bring a sense of clarity to the collection— a certain definition and character which drove the project forward to completion.
I had been an extra in the film Selma, with an on-screen moment as a photo journalist. I decided to go to Selma, since I’d never been, after the release of the film on MLK Weekend in January 2015, for a march across the Edmund Pettis bridge led by Oprah, Ava DuVernay, John Legend, and Common. The symbolic march was a madhouse with throngs of media on-hand to capture the stars. Afterwards, I heard a few protestors yelling to journalists about some abusive situation they had endured at the hands of local officials and the legal case they were waging. One lady shouted those words over and over, ‘Wait til they come knockin’ at your door’. Of course that needed to become a song.
As they did throughout the record, producer and longtime collaborator Bronson Tew and Jay Gonzalez lifted the feel of the song dramatically by adding Bronson’s Smiths-like guitar part and Jay’s keys. And they had a great palette to work with in the initial recording produced by Will Robertson. I love everyone’s contributions on here— Colin’s drums, Will’s bass, Bret’s guitar lines and solo, Bronson’s harmonies and integral guitar parts which fill it out nicely and bring it all together, and Jay’s wicked keys. — Adam Klein
Find the music here: https://show.co/1iVq0gT
and pre-order the album here: https://adamklein.bandcamp.com/album/holidays-in-united-states
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Adam Klein “Take It (On Faith”
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