Anthony Newes has a new EP coming out, Country Songs About Country. It’s unabashedly county and it’s the kind of pivot that I’ve come to love expecting from Anthony.
So far, we’ve talked to you about dream pop (In the Dark of the Sea), love songs (Love Songs About Love) and now Country Songs About Country. What drives your musical journey down these different roads?
Thank you for taking the time to ask these questions. I remember a local promoter telling me how difficult it is to promote artists who shift around from genre to genre. But I don’t really care. I love so many different sounds and styles that it wouldn’t be honest for me to only focus on one thing. Sometimes, I am envious of musicians who keep building on their one thing, but I’m just not built that way. I also really love learning new approaches to songwriting. Beyond that, we recently moved to the country not long ago, and it felt right to make this stripped-down, simple music.
I listened to the new EP, in the backseat of my parents’ car, in the snow on the way to Thanksgiving in Chicago while they listened to Willie’s Roadhouse. So, I was immediately drawn. It is a gentle, nostalgic song that conjures up memories. You describe they EP as “not inventive, and it doesn’t push limits.” But I think there’s a value in pushing comfort too. What helped you lean into the comfort?
I think you’re right. There is something comfortable about this music. It’s not forced at all. In fact, all of these songs are about 20 years old. I have a bunch of unreleased songs that never quite connected with other projects from the past. It seemed like a nice time to dust them off and reshape them. A lot of the music I’ve made in the past 10 years is not that easy to play live because of all the moving parts, but these are simple tunes that anyone can learn quickly. Being in a new community, I wanted to be able to connect with local musicians easily, so that was part of my thought process.
Wandering in Circles is a surprisingly spiritual song with the idea of letting go. (Surprising for the genre.) What was the inspiration?
I wrote Wandering in Circles when I was working full-time, going to college full-time and organizing shows regularly. In retrospect, I was insanely busy. I remember writing this song in a small sunroom that doubled as my bedroom. Whenever I would finish a challenging math problem or term paper, I would treat myself to playing or writing songs. This is one of the songs that came from that. I think you’re right that it does tap into a certain amount spiritually. I am a big believer in working hard towards goals, but at the end of the day letting go is often the final step. My daughter really loves this song, and she learned it on her ukelele recently, which brings me endless joy.
You always have an interesting cadre of collaborators on your projects. Can you tell us about this iteration?
I’ve known Ryan Young for many years, well before he became the violin guru we know from Trampled By Turtles. Ironically, whenever we collaborate I ask him to steer clear of his country influences. In fact, I had planned on playing all the instruments on this collection of songs, but the more I thought about it, the more it made perfect sense to have Ryan do his thing on violin. For the recording sessions, I set aside 4 hours for 4 songs, but he ripped through them in an hour and a half. Song to Make You Cry was done in one take! Ryan can play anything, but if you really listen to his playing on this ep, each song has a musical arch, and to be able to do that in only one or two takes is truly remarkable. A lot of people can play notes that fit the chords, but he plays notes in a way that tells a story within the story. It’s really a treat to work with gnarly, talented people. Thanks, Ryan!
Please tell us about the release of the new EP. How will you be celebrating? Where can people access the music?
The new ep Country Songs About Country will be released on Friday, December 12th. Most likely, I will quietly celebrate with my family and go for a walk in the woods. My goal for this year is to start playing live shows again. My family and I moved to a great little town called Northfield, and it is filled with artists and musicians, so I’m excited to start moving around a bit more. The ep will be available in all the normal places, but buying it through Bandcamp is the best way for people to support me. You can pre-order it through there starting this Friday, December 5th! https://anthonynewes.bandcamp.com/
Mostly Minnesota 