12 Mar 2008

Listen to McClain 'Growing Old'

And now for something a little different.

There's nothing better than a bit of Americana on a brisk, rainy Sunday morning. It has a soothing, down-to-earth quality, which is a refreshing alternative from the synth beats and brash melodies that occupy the mainstream music charts.

Meet Travis and Lindsay McClain who are McClain, a brand-new duo that bring their own distinct brand of alt-country and folk-rock to the flourishing Nashville music scene. The married couple moved from Los Angeles to New York City, and eventually to Nashville, TN to pursue a career in music. McClain's sweet harmonies, earnest songwriting and warm, full sound invokes memories of artists like Ryan Adams and Eastmountainsouth. And whenever you have a male-female married combination singing country tunes, also icons Johnny and June Carter Cash come to mind.

Last week, McClain independently released their debut EP "The Ivy" that is available at Speakerheart.com. The album was produced by 22 year-old prodigy Mike Odmark who is gaining a lot of attention in Nashville's music community

Lead track on "The Ivy" is the track "'Growing Old." Travis McClain explains to me that the song was inspired by the yearnings he had for Nashville when he lived in Los Angeles. "I had never been to Nashville, but I knew in my gut that I belonged in the musical community that existed there," the crooner tells me. "Some songs are written from the heart, some are written primarily through cognitive exorcism. This one came from the gut."

"Ten minutes of playing and singing, and suddenly the song was done. I performed the song the same day I wrote it on 3rd Street in Santa Monica to further alienate myself from where I was living at the time."

Download McClain "Growing Old" [MP3]