Moonsville Collective photo by Sagia Silva (l to r: Matt McQueen, Seth Richardson, Phillip Glenn, Corey Adams, Dan Richardson)
Moonsville Collective – “You Go Your Way”
Americana Highways is hosting this premiere of Moonsville Collective’s song “You Go Your Way” from their forthcoming album A Hundred Highways, due to be released on April 12 via Rock Ridge Music. A Hundred Highways was recorded at Jazz Cats Studio in Long Beach, California; engineered, mixed and mastered by Jonny Bell and produced by Moonsville Collective
Musicians on the album are Corey Adams on vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, drums and percussion; Phillip Glenn on vocals, fiddle, and banjo; Matthew McQueen on mandolin; Dan Richardson on dobro, vocals, acoustic guitar, and 12 string guitar; and Seth Richardson on double bass.
We had a chance to chat with Corey Adams, co-founder, songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist of Moonsville Collective, about the song and the album. The premiere appears just beneath this interview.
Americana Highways: Can you tell us what inspired you to write this song and what it’s about?
Corey Adams: This one came out of a season that saw me leave behind a former life of sorts to step into a new one, facing a load of uncertainty, and coming to grips with it all. I spent a lot of time alone, for quite a long time. Hard times have a way of exposing the strengths and the weaknesses in a person, as well as sifting out the wheat from the weeds when it comes to those we call friends. When you lean into yourself for long periods of time, if you get through the loneliness, the isolation, and the defeat, man, you can really get to know yourself, and better yet, you can really learn to enjoy your own company, and that gives you a certain kind of confidence and peace. This one is my attempt to convey that process, and stand firm in the choices that lead you to where you’re supposed to be, even if you have to go it alone.
AH: What kind of a vibe were you going for on this song? How does the final version differ from what you imagined it might be before you went into the studio?
CA: The main melody riff of the tune really found me in the place where all these feelings were living. It was simultaneous. The riff came, and I knew exactly what it was exercising. All this melancholy, and aggression, and tenderness that quickly collided, lyrically and musically. When I showed it to the guys, they just made it come to life for me. Everybody is riding the song hard, like some dude on a horse trying to save something, or get somewhere he really needs to be. I don’t ride horses, so I don’t know, but there’s an urgency to it.
Being a string band, there’s nowhere to really hide in the studio, so the songs don’t typically change much there. The hard part is catching the urgency. I hope we did.
AH: What do you hope listeners get from hearing the song?
CA: I hope listeners enjoy the middle-ness of it all. In bluegrass, or old-time music, or whatever it is we’re doing on this one, a lot of songs are either fast and bright, or fast and dark. This one is somewhere in the middle. The music really leads the tune, and the guys played it sad, beautiful, and triumphant. Maybe it hits a unique spot on the ears that people can enjoy. Or maybe some folks will find it as a companion if they find themselves in a very middle part of their journey.
AH: Have you played this song live? If so, what kind of reaction has the song gotten from audiences?
CA: Yes, indeed, we’ve been playing it live for the last year or so. People seem to really enjoy it. Honestly, I feel the lyrics are an afterthought when we play it live. The musical melody that Phil, Matt, Seth, and Dan deliver is just excellent. They’re great players, and when we play this one live, I think our audience really resonates with the collective spirit of the song.
AH: How does this song fit in among the others on the album? How is it similar and/or how does it stand out as different?
CA: This one is actually the first song that was written for the album. Both “Helen Highway” and “Ain’t Got a Home” had roots from a bit earlier, but this one found us in its entirety first. I think I wrote the lyrics in one sitting, and the band had it in the vest in one rehearsal. The record is fairly diverse, I hope, but this one stands out a bit in that it’s a touch darker, melodically, than the rest of the lot. What is consistent though, is the high caliber of my bandmates adding another tune with a quite impressive live performance in the studio. I can’t play like them, so please, allow me to sing their praises, as objectively as possible.
AH: Your new album, “A Hundred Highways,” is out at the end of this week. What can fans expect from this collection of songs?
CA: I think our fans would say we’re a fun live band. We enjoy ourselves, we enjoy each other, we enjoy them. We love to play fast and loud, to shed the weight of the world a little through song and dance. I think they can surely expect a couple new tunes to add to that canon of work. In addition, there’s quite a bit more banjo on this record than our previous works which adds a new feel I think is here to stay. But overall, I think this record grabs from quite a few chapters of the traditional American songbook. There’s a blue-collar country waltz, an old-time banjo burner, a little Cajun influence on one, some country/folk ballads, a Lead Belly tune, and so on. That doesn’t mean any of them are good. Fingers crossed.
AH: What’s next for Moonsville Collective?
CA: We’ll be supporting the record all year with tour dates. You’ll find us in San Diego, Joshua Tree, Orange and Los Angeles County towns, the San Francisco Bay Area traveling with Susto a little bit, then to Utah, Ventura, and the Central Coast. We’re still a smaller band and continue to expand our reach out here on our western side of the states. So there’s plenty of work to do. We’re also a bunch of family guys, lots of kids, everyone’s married. So between dates, we change a lot of diapers and do a lot of searching for worms in the gutters after it rains. Lots of mud balls left to be thrown. But, honestly, I think we’ll get back in the studio sooner than later to keep things moving. There’s some songs brewing.
Thanks very much for chatting with us, Corey Adams. You can find more information on Moonsville Collective and pre-save the music here: https://lft.lnk.to/highwaysAW
Like a heard of galloping horses, with every instrument going all out in turn, Moonsville Collective levels the message in a steady poised manner: “it’s funny you find out who your friends are when you’re stuck out in the rain.” And ultimately, going your own way is the way to go. It might be the only way.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=n4bAfxlvBIQ%3Fsi%3D6cozjUwQsSJXq724