The Vinnie Paolizzi LP, produced by Mike Harris (Old Crow Medicine Show)
due out on November 17th
Nashville, TN – “All we wanted to do was jam and write what we felt, not what we thought someone wanted to hear,” remembers songwriter and guitar slinger Vinnie Paolizzi about the origin of his new tune “It Ain’t Easy.” He and his friend, fellow rising country star Ben Chapman, have been thick as thieves since they moved to Nashville around the same time in 2018. So, when they sat down together to write “It Ain’t Easy,” the duo tapped into the ups and downs that Music City has dealt them on their journey thus far. “We both know the road we chose…ain’t easy,” laughs Paolizzi. “Making a living will make you feel like you’re dying in the music business and sometimes the work is in the way.” So they took to the studio to take a load off, musically speaking.
Yesterday, Raised Rowdy premiered “It Ain’t Easy,” describing the track as, “…a subtle reminder to every dreamer about the essence of perseverance, about finding solace in community, and the beauty of a shared dream.” Clocking in around five minutes, “It Ain’t Easy” is quite a bit shorter than its original, jam-laden worktape, but the vibe remains the same; a greasy groove and a beautifully uncomplicated message. “I ain’t too good, I ain’t too bad,” sings Paolizzi over a slinky, piano-led first verse. “But the more I run these roads, I’m getting tired, growing old.” Chapman guests with his mirrored sentiment on the second verse and chorus before the first slide guitar solo leads them both into a resolving bridge: “People thinking I’m wastin’ time. Turns out the slow road feels just fine.” Throughout, the pair dance a fine line between concern and apathy, singing their frustrations in the verses and mellowing back out through the instrumental interludes.
“It Ain’t Easy” is the first single from Paolizzi’s upcoming self-titled LP—due out on November 17th. Produced by Old Crow Medicine Show’s Mike Harris, Paolizzi’s debut promises to be a project showcasing a pocket of the Nashville community that has blazed its own trail in a time when Music Row seems to have forgotten its past, evident clearly in this first taste of the new music. Harkening back to the halcyon days of songwriting in Nashville—back when people like Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, and Guy Clark were kicking around and writing timeless songs before they became household names—Vinnie Paolizzi is ripe with collaborations from up and comers like Chapman and Meg McRee, as well as tried and true road warriors like Harris and Adam Hood. And the final product feels like that, like cracking a beer on the porch and working through a new song with an old friend.
Fans can listen to “It Ain’t Easy” today at this link and pre-order or pre-save Vinnie Paolizzi ahead of its November release right here. For more information, including merch and tour dates, please visit vinniepaolizzimusic.com.
The Vinnie Paolizzi LP Tracklist:
Proud of What I Did Today
Something We Said
Left My Heart Behind
If It Would Only Rain
Cairo
As Far As Goodbyes Go
Johnny Was A Baptist
It Ain’t Easy
Blame It On The Ivy
Ahead of Me
Catch Vinnie Paolizzi on Tour:
Nov. 5 – 118 North – Wayne, PA
Nov. 15 – Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge – Nashville, TN