March to August – “Running Booze”
Americana Highways presents this premiere of folk-Americana duo March to August’s song “Running Booze” from their forthcoming album Songs Inspired By Witness, set for release on November 1. This song will be available on September 6th. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Darren Crisp of Crisp Recording Studios in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The cover art was created by David Tillinghast.
Songs Inspired by Witness takes the form of stories of local townsfolk as covered by a journalist (“Reynard Alexander”). It is set during prohibition. In “Running Booze” the lyrical protagonist is a moonshiner who knows the whole town from her day job running a diner, and delivered moonshine to speakeasies in the whole region under cover of darkness.
“Running Booze” is Derrick Mears on vocals and banjo; and Jodi Mears on harmony vocals, bass, and stompbox. Lively banjo sets up this bluegrass tale of “she knows every every law man can be bought with a swig or two … she loads up that old Packard and drives many a country mile. Don’t think the sheriff don’t know… it’s those little secrets that some day she’ll use….” This album is world-building; March to August have composed a detailed throwback microcosm rich with plausible characters.
“Running Booze” is based upon Iris Weaver who owned the diner in this small town, so she knew all the town gossip. She also lived a double life as a booze runner, packing up moonshine in her Packard at night and transporting it to all the speakeasies up and down the East Coast and into Canada. Her adventures gave her such power in the town as she also knew all the secrets about those who were visiting those speakeasies who might not want others to know. One of the most interesting parts of her character was that she was shaving money from her transport of liquor to send her siblings to college. This song also sets the scene for the album. – Derrick Mears
Find more information here on their website: https://marchtoaugust.com/
Check out our previous coverage here: Video Premiere: March to August Cold Wind