Today, 49 Winchester released their long-awaited fifth studio album Leavin’ This Holler. The release comes almost exactly a decade after the band dropped their self-titled debut album. The new 10-track collection proves that the Castlewood, Virginia-based band is still going strong with no signs of slowing down.
Videos by American Songwriter
Earlier this month, 49 Winchester’s vocalist and principal songwriter Isaac Gibson sat down with American Songwriter to talk about the new album, touring with Tyler Childers, and more.
How 49 Winchester Got the Czech National Symphony on the Record
“Fast Asleep” and “Anchor” feature orchestral arrangements from the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. During his conversation with American Songwriter, Gibson revealed how they got the Prague-based musicians on the album.
“The guy that owns the studio that we did most of the record in which is White Star Sound in Virginia, his name is Chris Keup. He had some connections with some people over there in Prague that were part of the orchestra,” Gibson explained. “We had just thrown around the idea of ‘Wouldn’t this song sound crazy if there was a big, huge, live orchestra on it?’ Like, a real one. Not something drummed up on a Mellotron or something but a real orchestra. He had that kind of in with those folks over there. So, we decided to give them a shot,” he added.
“It was really cool. We got to watch them track it live in real-time on a big screen in the studio,” Gibson said of working with the orchestra. “They were super pro. They started the takes and would just lay it down without missing a note. It was just killer and made for some really impactful moments in a couple of the songs for sure.”
The Story Behind “Leavin’ This Holler”
The title track is a standout moment on Leavin’ This Holler. Gibson said he initially wrote it as a breakup song. However, it took on a deeper meaning the more he listened to it.
“That song kind of came up for the first time, in my mind, as a breakup song. That’s where my head was at the time,” he recalled. Then, his mom heard it and gave her opinion on its deeper meaning. “My mom’s a brilliant writer herself. She isn’t a songwriter but she writes prose and poetry and stuff. I think that’s where I got my writing gene from. She heard the song for the first time and she said, ‘This is a lot more than a breakup song. This is a song that’s about the diaspora of Appalachia. All the people who have been forced to leave and all the people who have been displaced from here because they had no other option but to go look for more opportunity, something different, something better, a change.’”
“I think it’s kind of a two-edged sword, that song. It started out as a breakup song on paper but it was really me saying a lot more than that,” Gibson continued. “It was me saying it’s kind of a bittersweet thing that I have to be a citizen of the world to make this music career work. I have to leave the holler over and over and over,” he added.
“Ultimately, it’s a breakup song but people are going to spin it and take different things from it. That’s really cool. I love writing songs that are able to do that for people,” Gibson said. “At its core, it’s really me digging back into some feelings and writing about some things I haven’t written a song about in a long time, honestly.”
How Isaac Gibson’s Girlfriend Reacts to 49 Winchester’s Love Songs
Leavin’ This Holler has two top-tier love songs in “Yearnin’ for You” and “Rest of My Days.” During the conversation, Gibson revealed how his girlfriend reacts to 49 Winchester’s love songs.
“Me and my girlfriend Oliva have been together for eight years, we might as well be married,” Gibson said. “She loves them. Those are always the songs she’s drawn to the most because they have more of a personal feeling for her,” he said of Olivia’s reaction to the love songs.
“She’s always been really appreciative and supportive of our careers as musicians. I think one of the hardest things you can do in a relationship is to love somebody who is always gone. We have to travel a lot and we have to do a lot of things that are not really easy to maintain a good relationship through,” Gibson explained. “I think songs have been a part of how I’ve tried to cope with that, to try to give her some token of my gratitude that she can keep with her while I’m away.”
Touring with Tyler Childers
Earlier this year, 49 Winchester joined Tyler Childers for a handful of dates on his Mule Pull Tour. Isaac reflected on what those shows meant to him and the rest of 49 Winchester.
“It was a lot of fun for us. Doing shows with Tyler is something that was on our bucket list forever since we were kids,” Gibson revealed. “Seeing the things that he’s done and the career that he’s forged out for himself, being from central Appalachia, too. He’s kind of cut from the same cloth we are and has done something really impressive for an artist from deep in Appalachia. So, to be part of a tour like that was really an honor for us,” he added.
“We feel like Tyler has been bearing the torch for real country music and for artists from Appalachia for a long time now. So, any time we can have our name associated with his, we’re proud to do it.”
Isaac’s Favorite Song on Leavin’ This Holler
“Honestly, I think at the time the record was being finished, in the home stretch, I probably would have told you that it was ‘Leavin’ This Holler.’ I love a lot of the sounds and textures of the song. I love what Maggie [Antone]’s voice does to the song,” Gibson said. However, as time went on, another song moved to the top in his mind.
“Now, ‘Hillbilly Happy’ is the one I keep coming back to. It’s the feel-good anthem on the album. That’s the one you want to blast from a pontoon boat,” he revealed. “I feel like the process of making a record can get so emotionally heavy and having those little light moments are great for a record cycle,” Gibson explained. “That’s also a song I’m drawn to a lot because of the way we play it live. It’s heavy-hitting, it’s an absolute rock-and-roller. It’s the heaviest, loudest, hardest-driving moment in the show.”
Unable to narrow it down to one song, Gibson pointed to one of two old-school 49 Winchester songs that found new life on Leavin’ This Holler.
“One of the sleepers on the record is ‘Anchor.’ I wrote that when I was 18 or 19 years old,” Gibson said, pointing to another album highlight. “We used to play it live all the time but never recorded it. Then, one day in the studio, I was like ‘Boys, let’s give this song what it’s due. Let’s give this song some justice.’ It’s always kind of fun to breathe new life into an old song and I think we did it in a cool way with the string sections.”
Featured Image by Thomas Crabtree via New West Records
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