About Lovers Leap
Lovers Leap, a brand-new partnership of musicians Shelby Means (Sally & George, formerly of Della Mae), Mary Lucey (formerly of Biscuit Burners), Joel Timmons (Sally & George, Sol Driven Train), and Billy Cardine (Acoustic Syndicate, formerly of Biscuit Burners), have announced their debut EP, Lovers Leap. Set to be released April 19, 2019, the eponymous collection of songs is a healthy mix of all four member’s backgrounds; beautiful, tight three-part harmony, dobro acrobatics, easy groove, and galloping bluegrass. Over the course of a year, Lovers Leap was recorded one or two days at a time, dancing around band members’ hectic schedules, in both touring and everyday life. When possible, the group would retreat to Cardine and Lucey’s home studio in Pisgah National Forest, outside of Asheville, NC. At the end of a steep gravel road, the group had no choice but to let their surroundings seep into the project. Long walks, tending to beehives, and digging holes for fruit trees broke up routine and refreshed spirits in between song takes, and the songs shine in the laid-back, tranquil nature of the recordings. The record’s first single and opening song, “Walnut Tree”, was debuted today by Folk Alley. Lucey told Folk Alley, “I wrote this song, sitting on the deck, gazing out at a beautiful giant walnut tree on our mountainside. It’s about the subtle power of nature that can help us along when we are in need of clarity or rejuvenation.” Hear the song and more about “Walnut Tree” here.
In addition to “Walnut Tree”, Lovers Leap features four more original songs and an album-closing cover of “California Stars”, a tune that came from Billy Bragg and Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco) completing an unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyric for their albumMermaid Avenue. “Red Dawn Awakening”, a somber prayer for Shelby’s dear friend, patiently graduates into a celebration of life and strength of love in trying times. “Love Is Gonna Live”, written during the early days of Means and Timmons’s courtship, was originally recorded on Sally & George’s Tip My Heart. “Love Brewed Cold” is Lucey and Cardine’s rollicking lesson in not going to bed in anger. As the band says, “It’s a great way to not wake up to cold love in the morning.” The final original tune, “Great Expectations”, was penned by Timmons after Sol Driven Train’s van broke down, causing them to miss their gig opening for Sheryl Crow. “Great Expectations” leans on the bright side of tribulation; an amusing study of “it is what it is”. Lovers Leap, as a whole, weaves a beautiful, honest tapestry of hope, renewal, nature, and love, leaving nothing on the table.
Individually, the members of Lovers Leap have each made an impact on the evolving Americana music scene. Means began singing and playing upright bass as a teenager in a family band on the high plains of Wyoming. These talents led her to Nashville where she landed a GRAMMY nomination with distaff bluegrass powerhouse Della Mae. Timmons, as a founding member of Charleston, SC’s brass-forward jam band Sol Driven Train, has cultivated a grass roots following through the band’s two-decade-long commitment to touring, sonic playfulness, danceable rhythms, and musical independence. Timmons and Means teamed up in 2017 as husband and wife duo, Sally & George, and released their critically acclaimed debut album, Tip My Heart. Lucey, a founding member of The Biscuit Burners, helped propel the band to international attention with her powerful singing, bass playing, and songwriting. She also played with Uncle Earl alongside John Paul Jones for their album release tour. Cardine has been hailed as a slide guitar pioneer and innovator, taking the Dobro with him into unchartered genres, teaching around the world and performing from the jungles of India to New York’s Carnegie Hall in addition to being a producer and composer. As a founding member of The Biscuit Burners and current member of Acoustic Syndicate and Rapidgrass, he continues to show off his chameleonesque voice on all things slide. He has collaborated with greats such as Debashish Bhattacharya and Jerry Douglas. Collectively the bandmates have presented their sound from the Kennedy Center to Bonnaroo, Merlefest to Telluride, and across Europe, Asia, Australia and the Caribbean. They each have been musical ambassadors and have taught workshops throughout the country and internationally on their respective instruments. They demonstrate a commitment to building cultural bridges and community through the universal language of music.
About Seth Walker
Seth Walker is often cited as one of the most prolific contemporary Americana artists on the scene today. He’s a multi-dimensional talent who combines a gift for melody and lyric alongside a rich, Gospel-drenched, Southern-inflected voice with a true-blue knack for getting around on the guitar. His most recent studio album, Are You Open, produced by Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, and a string of singles, including “We Got This,” “Spirits Moving” and a cover of Van Morrison’s classic “Warm Love” further build upon this reputation.
Most recently, Walker added published author to his oeuvre with his first memoir, ‘Your Van Is On Fire.’ A riotous and charming mélange of a touring musician’s life, the book is comprised of many short essays, poems and paintings he’d accumulated over a near 30-year career. Written during the 2020 lockdown, Walker offers a firsthand account of an artist in perpetual motion who’s dedicated his life to chasing the muse wherever it may lead.
Growing up on a commune in rural North Carolina, the son of classically trained musicians, Seth Walker played cello long before discovering the guitar in his 20s. When his introduction to the blues came via his Uncle Landon Walker, who was both a musician and disc jockey, his fate was forever sealed. Instantaneously, Seth was looking to artists like T-Bone Walker, Snooks Eaglin, and B.B. King as a wellspring of endless inspiration. The rest is history. He’s released ten albums, broken into the Top 20 of the Americana Radio Charts, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart and received praise from NPR, American Songwriter, No Depression and Relix, among others.
In addition to extensive recording and songwriting pursuits, Seth is consistently touring and performing at venues and festivals around the world. Along with headline shows, he’s been invited to open for The Mavericks, The Wood Brothers, Raul Malo, Paul Thorn and Ruthie Foster, among others.
Seth Walker is currently based in Asheville, NC after previously residing in Austin, New Orleans and Nashville. He’s used those experiences wisely, soaking up the sounds and absorbing the musical lineage of these varied places. With a bluesman’s respect for roots and tradition, coupled with an appreciation for—and successful melding of—contemporary songwriting, Seth sublimely incorporates a range of styles with warmth and grace. Perhaps Country Stan
dard Time said it best: “If you subscribe to the Big Tent theory of Americana, then Seth Walker –with his blend of blues, gospel, pop, R&B, rock, and a dash country—just might be your poster boy.”
About Stone Cottage Studios
Founded in May 2019, Stone Cottage Studios is a music discovery platform based in Boulder, Colorado, which exists for the support and promotion of local and touring musicians. Comprised of musicians, songwriters, audio engineers, and filmmakers, the Stone Cottage team is passionate about music, live entertainment, and providing pro-audio recording and cinematic video production in an authentic, unique, and inspirational setting. We produce high-definition hybrid performances, allowing fans to see their favorite artists either in-person or from the comfort of their own home – wherever in the world that may be.
Best known for The Stone Cottage Sessions, an interview-based live studio session, the platform offers artists a place to tell their stories, connect with fans, and play their music, all while presenting and filming the performances and recording pro-level audio. As Stone Cottage moves into hybrid shows that aim to bring audiences a quality blend of live music and technology, the team remains focused on capturing musicians at their best and igniting discovery across genres.
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