This re-imagined cover of the Tim O'Brien/Seldom Scene classic "Like I Used To Do" features a husband/wife duo singing back and forth, cherishing their love. Jana, originally from Slovakia, and Stephen are joined by an all-star cast of musicians including Darol Anger, Sharon Gilchrist, Dennis Crouch, and Jana's former bandmate from Slovakia Henrich Novak. The song, a longtime favorite of the couple, showcases a congruous taste in bluegrass, even though they grew up on different continents.
“When Tim O'Brien's album “Odd Man In” came out in the early 90s,” Jana shares, “I listened to it over and over and always loved this song. I decided to learn it last year and I told Stephen it would be a great song for us to sing as a duet. Around the same time we bought a car that used to belong to our dear friend Joyce, who lost her long battle with cancer. Joyce was a huge bluegrass fan who had been in Stephen’s life since his early childhood and she was one of his biggest fans. I met her when I started touring with Fragment and she would come to our shows in different states. She loved to travel and she was a very important guest at our small wedding. When we got her car, there were still a few of her personal things in there… including a couple of CDs. The Seldom Scene “Like We Used To Be” was one of them. I knew that album (we recorded “Some Morning Soon” with Fragment), but I totally forgot “Like I Used To Do” was a part of it too! When I put that disc in the Cd player and I heard this song, it was a sign for me. We had to record it!”
The single debuted on SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction - The Fishbowl Session with Joey Black and the interview with Stephen and Jana is available for listeners on the Sirius XM app.
SONGWRITERS: Patrick Alger/Timothy O'Brien
MUSICIANS:
Stephen Mougin - lead vocal, guitar
Jana Mougin - lead vocal
Darol Anger - fiddle
Sharon Gilchrist - mandolin
Henrich Novak - resonator guitar
Dennis Crouch -bass
Recorded and mixed by Stephen Mougin at Dark Shadow Recording, Goodlettsville, TN.
Mastered by David Glasser at AirShow Mastering, Boulder, CO.
ABOUT STEPHEN MOUGIN: Most musicians wear many hats, and Stephen “Mojo” Mougin is no exception. Mojo is best known as a member of the Sam Bush Band and a sought-after instructor. But he is also an award-winning producer and engineer, a label head, mentor, songwriter, band coach, and more. Mojos’ commitment to high standards and dedication to everything he works on have made him an in-demand partner and collaborator for any creative endeavor in the world of acoustic music. He is that rare musician that can help grow a band or artist from developing talent to professional quality performer; and shepherd artistic visions from one end of the creative process to the other. If a new bluegrass band has caught your ear in recent years, or a new song given you goose-bumps, it’s very likely that Mojo had something to do with it. Stephen released his solo album in 2020 and he plans to start working on a new one in the near future.
ABOUT JANA MOUGIN: Slovakian born and classically trained vocalist, Jana Mougin oversees radio promotion, publicity and social media for Dark Shadow Recording. Jana holds a master’s degree in audio-visual media journalism from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Jana was introduced to Bluegrass music when she was fifteen years old, and in 1993, she joined the European Bluegrass band Fragment as lead vocalist. She later became the groups’s bassist. She served twelve years in the band during which they recorded eight albums and toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States and won several awards within the European industry.
In 2006, Jana married Stephen, who was a guitarist with the Sam Bush Band at the time, and she made her permanent move to the United States. The couple founded the Dark Shadow Recording label in 2009, with their focus being releasing top-notch bluegrass music as well as instructional material to musicians. She and Stephen have a son, Sammy, who has also been bitten by the Bluegrass bug and loves spending time in the studio, following in his parents’ footsteps.
Jana's first solo single "If I Didn't Love You" released in 2023 (followed by a music video) and received significant airplay and chart action. She also maintains her love of music by moonlighting as a studio vocalist for the artists who record with their label. Her vocals can be heard on albums from Becky Buller, Breaking Grass, Rick Lang, April Verch, Laura Orshaw, the Daughters of Bluegrass, Rick Faris, Nedski & Mojo, and many more.
ABOUT DARK SHADOW RECORDING: Dark Shadow Recording is a full-service studio and record label led by award-winning Stephen Mougin, located on a hilltop that surveys Music City's electric skyline. The label produces and turns out music from some the industry's most promising artists in the Bluegrass, Americana, Country, and Folk genres - Becky Buller, Rick Faris, Laura Orshaw, Stillhouse Junkies, Henhouse Prowlers, Full Cord, Jana and Stephen Mougin.
