After their songwriting course since 2014 and channelling their inner John Mayer and Fleetwood Mac and the Civil Wars Nashville duo Crimson Calamity consisting of Lauren Harding and Mallory Trunnell stir up a one of a kind refreshing project to kick-off 2022. But don't get it twisted the double power dream team who have dished out similar muses on their previous albums All in the Cards (2015) and Gypsy Heart (2018) present their new EP, Wild Card.
The 6 track spectrum of music-wonder recorded at MOXE studio in Nashville Tennessee provides the sweet chemistry of Americana, Folk and country energies to open up a proud project that pays homage to their countryside tales of freedom, friendship, loss of a past love, a tribute to their Nashville coast, the sense of letting go and more. Featuring on this shocker of a package are the songs Wild Card, My Best Friends, Ghost with guest contributions from guitarist Zane Carney (John Mayer, Johnny Lang), Due West.
The post-breakup and freedom searching upbeat single Tumbleweed. The EP comes to a blissful end with the pain fading single Sowyn Song with additional work from fellow songwriter and producer Kris Bradley written on the shores of Lake Michigan. other special guests on this masterpiece EP include drummer Chris Powell (Brandi Carlile, A Star is Born), Guitarist Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbel & The 400 Unit), and Bass and Cello player Brian Allen (A Star is Born, Reba). All songs were produced, engineered, mixed by Gena Johnson We fast-forward to a wholesome chat up with Crimson Calamity who graciously took us through their project, its writing process, growing up in Nashville, their hopes for listeners, their new tunes and their music podcast.
To stream the WILD CARD EP click here
1. It’s really cool of you to share your Wild Card EP. It’s a beautiful project. What sparked this collection of music being made?
Crimson Calamity: Thank you so much! We went into the studio in 2019 with the intention of creating a full album but once the pandemic hit, we decided to release the songs we had finished as singles. We found that they still worked so nicely as a collection of songs with the addition of our song Tumbleweed.
2. You both host a serious six stack of musical tales on your views on topics of love, heartbreak, memories and more. As songwriters how the writing room like when getting down the story, lyrics, and melodic ideas? It must have been a lot of fun.
Crimson Calamity: Each songwriting session is so different! Some songs are co-written with other songwriters and in those situations, we usually come into the room with a concept for a song and build from there. Some songs start with a melody, some with a single lyric. Some take several sessions to complete and others are done in an hour. It really is so fun to explore and tap into new ideas and emotions.
3. Favorite songs on our side are obviously the starter track ‘Wild Card’ its walking rhythm and tone and soft vocal delivery and also the third song ‘Ghost’ which has that rough raw but slick John Mayer rockesque to it. What is your favourite song on your EP and why?
Crimson Calamity: Thank you! We love how both of those songs turned out! Each song has a special place in our hearts but:
Lauren: My favourite song by a smidge is probably Ghost. It’s funny you mention “John Mayer rockesque” because Zane Carney, who did the stunning guitar on Ghost toured with John! I really love all of the raw emotion and I’m just so proud of how this song turned out. It was a bit of a beast in the studio and was the first song in the collection that we finished. It really set the tone for the rest of the project. I’m also super proud of the music video we made.
Mallory: My favourite changes from day to day, but I’m into the contrast between WildCard and Sowyn Song right now. Obviously Ghost and the others so much too. I’m so proud of the team we had in the studio and the result. Each song has a different flavour and I think the female touch from Gena manning the ship and partnering with other women audio experts in Rachael Moore and Kim Rosen really added a touch that the industry benefits from exponentially. Those three ladies are making serious waves and deserve every accolade they get.
4. We love that we can gain more music especially from the Nashville state. How would you describe your lives there growing and what would you say is your favourite memory that was special to you both musically?
Crimson Calamity: Well we moved to Nashville in 2016 from Los Angeles and it’s been such a great opportunity for us to really hone our craft as songwriters, touring artists and businesswomen. We are lucky to have experienced so many special memories on this journey but one that really sticks out in our mind is the recording of this EP. We rented the studio space MOXE which is just outside of Nashville on a beautiful farm. We were able to stay there while we created the record and really engrossed ourselves in the process. Our producer, Gena Johnson was so intentional about creating an environment that allowed everyone (the players and team) to contribute to their full potential. She has been such a blessing in our lives musically and personally.
5. You both explore a lot of topics and really draw the listeners attention throughout. What are your hopes for the EP reception, is there any tone you hope is felt or learnt?
Crimson Calamity: The overall message of this EP is hope. Whether it’s not giving up on chasing your dreams, on love or yourself. We hope that listeners find themselves in the lyrics and relate in a way that makes them feel that they aren’t alone.
6. To conclude what’s drifting onto our sound systems next? Could we expect anything from music videos to new live shows for the new year?
Crimson Calamity: Thanks for asking! We are excited to get back in the studio and work on some of our new tunes. In the meantime, we host a music podcast called The Liner Notes with Crimson Calamity that you can find wherever you listen to podcasts! We do deep-dive interviews, reviews and performances with some amazing up and coming artists. You can follow the pod on Instagram and Twitter at @thelinernotespod and our band on all socials at @crimsoncmusic.
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