STEPHEN McCARTHY (Long Ryders, Jayhawks, Dream Syndicate) and CARLA OLSON (Textones, solo artist, producer) have today (November 7) rolled out the fast-paced and fun video “We Gotta Split This Town.” It’s the second single from their first-ever duet album, NIGHT COMES FALLING, out this Friday, November 11. Watch the “We Gotta Split This Town” video HERE and listen to the single HERE. See quotes below from both artists.

Described as “a true Americana power duo” by Rock and Roll Globe, the two singers, songwriters and guitarists boast lengthy careers that have intersected a few times. NIGHT COMES FALLING brings them together again in exciting ways on this 11-song album of stirring and rocking Americana music (the track listing is below). It is being released via CARLA’s production company Have Harmony, Will Travel, with distribution and marketing by Bob Frank Entertainment via the Orchard. Pre-order the album HERE and read the bio for the album HERE.

The McCARTHY-penned “We Gotta Split This Town” is an urgent and infectious country-rocking duet about “a wayward couple,” he says, and the expertly edited video blends footage of STEPHEN (shot by Kevin Downs) and CARLA (by Ana Gazzola). It was directed by Tim Roth, who, explains CARLA, “utilized his magical green screen technique to put Stephen and I in the same space at the same time.”

“We Gotta Split This Town” follows the album’s first single, “Night Comes Falling,” a moving song that emerged after a conversation STEPHEN had with CARLA who was having dreams about her former singing partner, Gene Clark of the Byrds. It was on 1987’s classic So Rebellious A Lover, CARLA’s album with Gene, that STEPHEN and CARLA first recorded together when STEPHEN contributed lap steel to “The Drifter” and dobro on “Deportee.”

NIGHT COMES FALLING comes on the heels of McCARTHY and OLSON’s two songs on the 2022 BMG multi-artist album Americana Railroad where they offered a new version of STEPHEN’s “Here Comes That Train Again” as well as Gene Clark’s “I Remember The Railroad.” (CARLA produced seven additional tracks on the album including those by Dave Alvin, Rocky Burnette, Robert Rex Waller Jr. and John York.) NIGHT COMES FALLING is a testament to their individual and combined talents and was recorded at Robbie Krieger’s studio, Horse Latitudes, in Glendale, CA, It was produced by CARLA, STEPHEN and Mikal Reid.

The album’s musician credits are Stephen McCarthy (guitars, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, mellotron), Carla Olson (guitars), Paul Marshall (bass) and drummers Mitch Marine and Benjamin Lecourt. The album’s other players are Skip Edwards (keyboards, plus the string arrangement for “Long Way Back To Seventeen”), Jeff Lewis (flugelhorn on “Broken Lullaby”) and Jesse Owens Wells (fiddle on “I Remember The Railroad”).

QUOTES FROM STEPHEN McCARTHY AND CARLA OLSON ABOUT THE “WE GOTTA SPLIT THIS TOWN” SONG AND VIDEO
 
STEPHEN:
I had an idea about a ne’er-do-well swindler whose luck was running out. A confidence man on the run with his gal who was trying to set him straight. She was in too deep to make a clean break. The story is a conversation between the two co-conspirators.

The song was definitely written as a duet. A couple trying to make sense of their downfall. I think it works well with the melodic dialogue riffing over a driving beat and distorted B3 organ.

I remember showing it to Carla and suggesting that she sing it in a way that showed she had some disgust with my character.

Carla and I were touching on many different genres with this album. Mostly finding the intersection where rock ‘n’ roll and country collide. We had a talented group of musicians that were able to help get these songs off of the page with passion and a great groove.

Writing and recording was very challenging during Covid. We were sending ideas back-and-forth long distance and then refining them the few times we were able to get together before cutting the album.

For the video, we both shot scenes remotely and they were edited by a great director named Tim Roth. He added all of the extra scenes which visually illustrate the story of this wayward couple.

CARLA:
Stephen was in Los Angeles for the McCabe’s record release gig for my Have Harmony Will Travel 2 duets album in February 2020. We were performed several songs at the show.

When we got together to work on our songs for the gig, he showed me this idea for “We Gotta Split This Town” (the working title was “Not Tough Enough”).
We were alternating singing to each other and thought it had a pretty cool attitude, so Stephen turned into the story about the couple on the run.

I’m always impressed by the talented director Tim Roth who created the video for the song (he also made the clip for “Night Comes Falling”). He utilized his magical green screen technique to put Stephen and I in the same space at the same time. Not sure how he does it.

The NIGHT COMES FALLING track listing is as follows:
 
01 We Gotta Split This Town (McCarthy)
02 Night Comes Falling (McCarthy, Olson)
03 Broken Lullaby (McCarthy, Olson)
04 The Bell Hotel Is Burning (George Green, Olson, McCarthy)
05 Brink Of The Blues (McCarthy, Olson)
06 One That Got Away (McCarthy, Olson)
07 Don't Talk To Strangers (Bob Durand, Ron Elliott)
08 Long Way Back To Seventeen (McCarthy, Olson)
09 Just To Get To You (McCarthy)
10 Timber (Kosta Lazarides)
11 I Remember The Railroad (Gene Clark)