Nashville, TN – A positive skepticism toward the mainstream permeates ‘Brightest Of Days,’ the new record from the Nashville-based progressive bluegrass outfit Sicard Hollow, out 11/11. The album’s second single “Forecast of Life,” for example, premiered this week by Jam Band News, impresses a new-American-Zen that dances through the chaos with a smile on your face. “Forecast of Life” is a song about making the most of situations that are out of your control,” comments guitarist and vocalist Alex King. “It’s all in our perspective— you can’t change the weather, but you can dance in the rain.”
Merging pop-punk melodies, psychedelic instrumental breaks, and existential songwriting — performed by a bluegrass quartet dressed in tattoos and tie-dyes — ‘Brightest Of Days’ brings new energy to a timeless style, with a combination of fearless improvisation and instrumental prowess.
Formed with a mutual passion for pushing the boundaries of genre, and heavily influenced by the Grateful Dead and New Grass Revival, the members of Sicard Hollow grew up sick of existing institutions telling them what their music should sound like. Before they met in 2018, none of the members even considered playing bluegrass – Matt Rennick (violin) was working on electronic music, Will Herrin (mandolin/vocals) was playing guitar in rock bands, and King spent years as an artist without an art-form, searching for a home by pouring every bit of his sweat and heart into anything he was doing. But after a few jam sessions, the bluegrass just kind of happened, “and when I found that fire inside my heart,” King says, “I found my home.”
Since adding Parrish Gabriel (bass) in the Fall of 2019, Sicard Hollow has been on a journey of self-discovery within the genre, while challenging themselves to make it their own, touring extensively and growing their sound with every performance. It just so happened that finding their home in bluegrass coincided with the shutdown of live music due to the pandemic, so in 2020 the band turned inward to reflect on their identity and how they could add their generation’s voice to a timeless genre of music. The resulting album, ‘Brightest of Days,’ is a perfect example of how the group can pay homage to their bluegrass roots, while blowing the door open on the expectations of the traditional folks. If unapologetically being yourself is the key to finding the “Brightest of Days” ahead, then you’ll hear it here first from Sicard Hollow.
“This record is a huge step forward for us musically, lyrically, and thematically,” adds Herrin. “We wanted these songs to demonstrate our growth as musicians and foreshadow the metamorphosis into our next chapter as a band.”
Having crossed the country opening for artists like Sam Bush, Infamous Stringdusters, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and performing at esteemed festivals like Summer Camp Music & Arts Festival and The Peach Music & Arts Festival, Sicard Hollow will be touring this fall in support of ‘Brightest Of Days.’ For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.sicardhollow.com/tour
Credit: Kendall McCargo
Stay tuned for continued updates.
‘Brightest Of Days’ by Sicard Hollow
1. Brightest Of Days
2. Where I’m At
3. This I Know
4. Escape The Unknown
5. Metamorphic Prophecy
6. Face The Wreckage
7. Bound To Die
8. Forecast Of Life
