Bozeman, MT-based alt-Americana-tinged bluegrass outfit the Kitchen Dwellers are thrilled to share “The Crow and The Raven (III)” which features Lindsay Lou on vocals, John Mailander on Fiddle, and Kaitlin Raitts on cello. This is the third single to be released off the band’s forthcoming studio album Seven Devils - out March 1 via No Coincidence Records - and is accompanied by a cinematic and captivating music video directed by Kayla Arend. "I am really proud of this one,” says Kayla, “It is a beautifully heartbreaking representation of Old West meeting New West, in this new world of 2024. This clash of cultures has been accelerated and exacerbated by the pandemic and the struggle of what it means to be an American today. Cowboys are purely an American thing, but what does it mean when our definition of the West is changing?"
Kayla studied film, photography and entomology at Montana State University before earning her Master’s degree in writing-directing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her graduate thesis film, Leaving Yellowstone, was executive produced by Spike Lee and won several awards for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Cinematography.
As to the song itself, Shawn Swain explains, “I wrote ‘The Crow and The Raven’ in the spring of 2018 after undergoing the end of a relationship. A lot of things came to mind in the process, but the thing I most commonly thought about was how sometimes a person's intent may be misleading. You may not actually know who they are. It doesn't mean they're a bad person, but sometimes people don't feel comfortable enough in themselves to show you who they really are. Sometimes those subtleties are hard to make out. The comparison came forth in deciphering a crow from a raven and how there are only a few differences that can only be made out at a close distance. The metaphor inspired the song. I returned to the piece in 2022 and worked on it with my friend, Elliott Blaufuss who helped me to see the story from the audience's point of view better. I'm extremely proud of the way this came together… it's got a massive feeling that's grown so much from the sound of the little camp guitar it was written on.”
“The Crow and The Raven” follows the release of the previous singles “Seven Devils (Limbo)” and “Pendulum (V).”
WATCH “THE CROW AND THE RAVEN (III)” MUSIC VIDEO
Inspired by Dante's epic voyage through the Nine Circles of Hell, Seven Devils guides the listener through a similar exploration, with certain songs corresponding to one of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride. Greed. Lust. Envy. Gluttony. Wrath. Sloth. Other songs draw inspiration from "The Divine Comedy," serving as checkpoints on this musical descent into the abyss. The Dwellers invite the listener to treat this experience as a musical journey inward - to the self.
The album was recorded at GBP Studios in East Lansing, Michigan and was recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Grammy winner Glenn Brown (Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass). “We knew going into this project that we wanted to work with someone that was really going to push us,” explains Davies. “Glenn has a way of working the music out of you in a way that is all his own - creating songs out of nothing. Many tunes on this record were written as a result of improvising and trying out different ideas. Each song contains a piece from everyone in the band. Every tune on the record holds musical ideas from each one of us. For this reason, we think it sounds the most like us that any record has.”
KITCHEN DWELLERS ON TOUR
1/23 @ Meow Wolf | Santa Fe, NM*
1/25 @ Beer City Music Hall | Oklahoma City, OK*
1/26 @ Deep Ellum Art Co. | Dallas, TX*
1/27 | Empire Garage | Austin, TX*
2/13 @ Treefort Music Hall | Boise, ID +
2/14 @ The Commonwealth Room | Salt Lake City, UT %
2/16 @ Belly Up Tavern | Solana Beach, CA
2/17 @ Troubadour | West Hollywood, CA
2/18 @ The Independent | San Francisco, CA
2/21 @ WOW Hall | Eugene, OR**
2/22 @ Revolution Hall | Portland, OR**
2/23 @ Midtown Ballroom | Bend, OR**
2/24 @ Neptune Theatre | Seattle, WA**
2/25 @ Wild Buffalo | Bellingham, WA**
3/1-3 @ WinterWonderGrass | Steamboat Springs, CO
3/21 @ Infinity Hall | Hartford, CT^^
3/22 @ The Met | Pawtucket, RI^^
3/23 @ State Theatre | Portland, ME^^
3/24 @ The Drake | Amherst, MA^^
3/27 @ The Capitol Room at The Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center | Harrisburg, PA^^
3/28 @ Lincoln Theatre | Washington, DC^^
3/29 @ Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY^^
3/30 @ Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY
4/2 @ Westcott Theater | Syracuse, NY^^
4/3 @ Electric City | Buffalo, NY^^
4/4 @ Beachland Ballroom | Cleveland, OH^^
4/5 @ Thalia Hall | Chicago, IL^^
5/21 @ The LAWN at Surf Hotel | Buena Vista, CO
5/22 @ The LAWN at Surf Hotel | Buena Vista, CO
5/24 @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre | Bellvue, CO
5/25 @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre | Bellvue, CO
5/26 @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre | Bellvue, CO
^^w/Cris Jacobs
**w/Armchair Boogie
*w/ Leon III
% w/ The Pickpockets
+w/ Tylor & the Train Robbers