The vintage motel where singer/songwriter Noah Vonne filmed the atmospheric video for the acoustic version of her single “Sunset Inn” is quite telltale of the old soul that exists in this Nashville-based artist.
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And indeed that sense of calm and nostalgia one gets when passing by such a living roadside artifact as a quiet, old motel far away from home when listening to this lovely ballad, which will remind deep music listeners of classic Suzanne Vega or Tracy Chapman, albeit with a modern country twist.
“I found the words ‘Sunset Inn’ written in my notes when I was going through a hard time after a breakup,” Vonne tells American Songwriter. “The words immediately took me back to an exact snapshot memory that held so much pain while on a road trip with my ex. The Sunset Inn was the only thing we passed for miles, and at that moment, it looked like an escape. The song came from the memory of the intense emotion, of wanting to flee, mixed with the longing feeling of wanting my lover to come back. I wrote it to remind myself that I did want to flee, but it became quite a bit more than that by the end.”
The New Braunfels, TX, native cites the likes of Janis Joplin, Sara Bareilles, Brandi Carlile, Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Joan Jett and Ella Fitzgerald as key influences in her approach. And elements of each of these powerful women can be heard within the ripples of Vonne’s vocal delivery.
“They range quite a bit,” she admits. “But I have always been drawn to female powerhouses who carry so much kindness alongside their incredible talent.”
Prior to COVID-19, Noah spent last year touring with Shawn James on his national “The Dark and the Light Tour”, as well as curating her own “Love Move Living Room Tour” in partnership with SoFar Sounds. During the these times as much of the live concert industry remains on hold, she was part of the Virtual QuaranTour, which consisted of pre-recorded sets debuted by prominent venues such as Mercy Lounge, Empire Control Room & Garage and more.
As she anticipates a follow-up to her acclaimed Love Move EP, Vonne hopes listeners continue to find peace in these uncertain times in what she calls “a sense of finding peace in limbo, even if the peace feels rather melancholy.”
“I love ending the song with ‘so I got two room keys just in case,’” she tells American Songwriter. “This leaves the listener in that limbo space, and the last line reminds them the longing for that person has not left, even by the end of the song. And let’s be real- sometimes it never does.”
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