Listen to the Vane’s bluesy album-closer “Badlands” now
Vane’s debut full-length album, Nowhere Sounds Lovely, explores the depths of her new home’s musical history from her unique perspective without ever sounding like a re-hashing of old tricks. Out April 2nd, Nowhere Sounds Lovely flows naturally from the album-opening slow-burn blues of “Dreamboy” to the clawhammer banjo driven lament of “Will I Ever Be Satisfied.” Yesterday, American Songwriter premiered “Badlands,” the album’s closing track–a haunting and visceral nod to the Dakota’s rocky, windy plains–noting, “Like a young Bonnie Raitt, Vane sings from both her voice and her supple, bluesy guitar playing almost simultaneously–her sound as earthen as the South Dakota landscape…” “Badlands” can be streamed now at this link.
After spending almost four years in Los Angeles, Vane began to feel stagnant, and decided that it was time to take her music on the road. During that time she had built up a solid following on Instagram, so she reached out to her network of fans for help in booking a tour. An outpouring of support ensued, and she was able to book a five month cross-country tour, playing at small bars, breweries, coffeeshops, and clubs, in peoples backyards, through these connections. She crashed with friends, kind strangers, or slept in a tent. “My favorite part about traveling across the country was reclaiming my American heritage, which was very difficult to figure out.” she explains. “Anywhere I went I had my anthropological hat on, watching how people talk and interact. There were new places that sometimes felt totally familiar and sometimes completely foreign. Each pocket of the country has its unique flavor, and discovering the musical stylings that go along with that really informed this record. I knew virtually nothing about country, old-time, and bluegrass music until I ventured to the American South, but seeing those different musical traditions on a local level was inspiring.”
After completing her successful five-month-long touring campaign, Vane relocated to Nashville where she hoped to find a larger community of like-minded musicians. Working with Grammy-award winning drummer and producer Cactus Moser (Wynonna Judd) on Nowhere Sounds Lovely was assurance enough that she’d come to the right place. “When it came to the album, I wanted it to be a reflection of who I am, not just of the old music that I’ve come to love”, she explains, “and I’m essentially a rock kid who is obsessed with old music.” Moser also played drums on the record and his style “has some grit and some rock, mixed with these really awesome references to traditional roots music,” says Vane. The album was engineered by Rodney Dawson, and also features bass player Dow Tomlin, fiddle player Nate Leath, and pedal steel player Tommy Hannum. These musicians imbued her blues rock sound with tinges of country and old time for the first time in her career, reflecting the expansion of her own musical palette over a summer of touring.
Vane’s perspective on American music is a decidedly unique one, but absolutely an authentic one; pieced together through sights, sounds, and experiences just like the pioneers of the music she so dearly loves. If Nowhere Sounds Lovely is any indication, Vane’s ability to carry the torch of her forebearers is strong—and she’s just getting started.
Nowhere Sounds Lovely Tracklisting:
Dreamboy
Dreaming Of Utah
The Driving Song
Heaven Bound Station
Prayer For The Blind
Satisfied Soul
Travelin Blues
What Remains
Will I Ever Be Satisfied
Wishing Bone Blues
Blueberry Hill
Badlands