FEATURE: Denver-Based Western Folk Act Shovelin Stone Share A Cowboy’s Story On New Single “Ain’t No Shooting Star”

With roots embedded in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and a sound true to Texas, Denver-based folk quartet Shovelin Stone share a passion for traditional bluegrass and country, an interest that brought together songwriters Makenzie and Zak during their college years. Their sound has grown over the years, but at its core remains an energizing folk spirit that leads to storytelling and homegrown musicality. With the addition of multi talented bassist, cellist, and anything under the sun Russick Smith, Shovelin Stone is gearing up to release their sophomore album recorded deep in the Appalachian Mountains with Grammy winning producer Chance McCoy of the Old Crow Medicine Show. With songs about longing, love, and the hunger to be heard in this big world it is hard not to relate to this group on their quest for success.

From the upcoming album is the new single “Ain’t No Shooting Star”. Inspired by old western films, the song explores the tale of a cowboy from the wild west, and his demons that follow him. About the song, the band share:

“I had been watching a lot of old western movies at the time and listening to a bunch of old cowboy country, and I started thinking about how rough life must have been back then, just to survive! Which would have made life so much more precious because of how quickly and easily it could be taken away in old west days. So this song is more or less a letter back home to a cowboy’s wife telling her how he had had a few too many whiskeys and had killed a man, and is awaiting his hanging the next day. He is writing to her all things he wished he would have done differently and deeply regretting his choices!! With that being the theme of the lyrics me and the boys wanted to play something that sounded kind of old west Texas almost salsa sounding. With the cool banjo riffs after the chorus and the groovy reggaeton bass and drums you almost can’t help but dance to it. Chance killed the production side, seeing how it was all recorded in more or less one take around one mic! I think it came out really awesome and is a favorite of the band”.

The rustic and traditional style of the recording aid the story along, as banjo picking and steady upright bass play underneath a gritty vocal quality.

Listen to the single below, and discover more about the band and their recording journey with Chance McCoy in the Q&A feature just past:

How did Shovelin Stone come to be?

We stem from a long deep seeded friendship that started over ten years ago. During Zak’s college football days he was one of the only of his kind to also be picking banjo. A mutual teammate and friend introduced Zak and Makenzie because he knew we both had deep roots with bluegrass and folk music. After many nights stumbling around the Telluride Bluegrass Festival a tight bond was formed. Once the college years ended Zak began traveling around the world and Makenzie stayed home writing; a lot. Zak eventually landed in Austin, Texas and knowing the music scene that is down there Makenzie moved down to live on his couch for many months while getting his feet wet in the music scene. That’s where the initial part of Shovelin Stone was formed. Many years later after countless gigs the stages started to grow and we knew the sound needed to grow as well. Through a few fortunistic events we were able to recruit multi instrumentalist (electric bass, stand up bass, cello, mandolin) Russick Smith and rock drummer Brett Throgmorton and the bond was quickly formed to the unique sound that it is now.

How did being in the Appalachian mountains for the recording influence your music?

We don’t think the music was really influenced at all. The songs were already written and composed back home in the Rocky Mountains. But just being in the Appalachian Mountains influenced the process, vibe and headspace we were all in while recording. Being as deep in the Appalachian Mountains as possible led to very little wifi and even less cell phone service. Being able to isolate with just the four band members and producer Chance McCoy gave us a real opportunity to bond and become closer.

How was working with Chance McCoy?

Chance is as authentic Appalachia as the moonshine we drank with him. He embraces that culture and lives it to the fullest. We even nicknamed him “The King of Appalachia.” Having spent the last handful of years with the Old Crow Medicine Show, his knowledge of the industry and music really helped us embrace what we were doing. He was open to our ideas and let us work through things as a band. We’ve built an extremely long lasting friendship with him and it never once felt like a business transaction. From the hours spent in the studio, to dinner on the front porch of his beautiful Appalachian farm, to the time spent in the creek to really get to know each other we built a bond that will last forever.

What is next for Shovelin Stone?

What’s next? Well things seem to be moving quicker and quicker these days. Having started to release the first few singles of the album, the excitement is growing for the release of the full length. We are really excited hearing what is coming out of that farm in Greenville, West Virginia. Gearing up for some very big shows across the United States as well as a full length tour in Europe this spring, we will see if we can’t get people stomping their feet around the world.

With this sophomore album, what were some things you wanted to do differently?

From the writing side of things lyrics were written with a little more intent. We really wanted to capture our authentic sound, kind of like what you would hear at a live show because we have been known for bringing a wealth of energy. That is why Chance suggested we all just sit down with our instruments around one mic and play our songs for the initial recordings. We then went back and could add to this authentic sound that we had produced.

If “Ain’t No Shooting Star” was its own western movie, who would you cast as the lead cowboy?

We would immediately cast Emilio Estevez because he played Billy the Kid in Young Guns, which was one of my favorite movies as a kid. The reason I would pick him is because the character in Ain’t No Shooting Star is modeled after Billy the Kid. A young, reckless, hot handed gun slinger.