Surrender Hill – “Get Out of Your Own Way”
Americana Highways is hosting this video premiere of Surrender Hill’s song “Get Out of Your Own Way” from the seventh album River of Tears, which is due to be available on June 14 via Blue Betty Records. This song will be released on May 31. Robin Dean Salmon and Afton Seekins Salmon recorded the album at Blue Betty Studio in Ellijay, GA. Robin produced, engineered, and mixed the album, with Grammy Award-winning engineer Joe Smith doing additional mixing.
Musicians on this song are Robin (lead guitar, acoustic, vocals) and Afton (vocals, percussion); Jonathan Callicutt (guitar); Matt Crouse (drums); Mike Daly (steel guitar, dobro); Eric Fritsch (organ); Drew Lawson (bass); Kevin Thomas (organ); and Mike Waldron (guitar).
Americana Highways sat down with Robin and Afton to chat about the song. The premiere appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: Can you tell us what inspired you to write this song and what it’s about?
Afton: I have always been inspired by change and eager to chase a dream and travel the world. I am blessed to have parents who have always supported me and gave me the courage to do so. This song is about perspective. I am a big believer in the power of change and self-improvement has been at the top of my list for a long time. This song is a reflection of my past and also a reminder for the future.
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?
Robin: We wanted a really open, tumbleweed-flying-across-the-desert, Southwestern-soul vibe. I think we captured the vibe pretty well, but for us, what took it to the next level is Mike Waldron’s recurring guitar lick. That guitar lick added a wonderful, gunslinger swagger that we really love.
AH: What do you hope listeners get from hearing the song?
Afton: I hope that people will connect with the song and interpret it as it applies to their own life. Maybe inspire a little change in someone who needs it.
AH: Have you played this song live? If so, what kind of reaction has the song gotten from audiences?
Afton: Oh yes, we have played it many times live, and it always gets a powerful reaction.
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?
Afton: While all of our albums are personal, this one, especially, has come from very intense and emotional experiences that have happened in our lives over the last year and a half. Love and loss. This song wraps around all of it; the idea that all our experiences in life are what shape us, give us perspective, and hopefully we move forward in a way that will better ourselves and those around us.
Robin: We still think of albums as “albums” and listen to music that way. I love the way this song sits in the mix. It’s a beautiful reprieve for the listener, and I think it draws you in a little closer.
AH: What’s next for Surrender Hill?
Robin: We are currently in the middle of a Texas tour, and we are really focused on this new album and getting as many ears on it as possible. Then we will probably start writing again, working on the next album.
Thanks very much for chatting with us, Surrender Hill. You can find more information here on their website: https://surrenderhill.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Surrender Hill “Just Another Honky Tonk in a Quiet Western Town”
The video was shot and edited by Nathan Burnett. Wild horses, arid landscape formations, and pedal steel and sustained guitar riffs were all made for each other, and this video captures it in perfect harmony with Afton and Robin singing and playing within the visual milieu. “If I never left that desert sun, I’d never know where I came from, and everything looks different now, I’ve seen a little bit of the world go ’round.” Surrender Hill make songs that are poignant, touching, and bittersweet, and this one is no exception as they examine love and loss and then, how to move forward in the aftermath.
