Step inside Austin's renowned Church House Studios to experience the making of "Verge Of Tears," the video for Kelley Mickwee's new single, out today on all streaming services. "I enlisted an amazing cast of characters, from Pumas to Gary Clark Jr. members to Heathens; it was a killer studio band,” Mickwee says. "Verge Of Tears" is the second single from Everything Beautiful, the first solo album in a decade by The Trishas co-founder and longtime 'Shiny Soul Sister' for Shinyribs. The video's retro feel and the song's vintage soul sound — featuring Wurlitzer, electric piano, Hammond organ, and an instantly memorable guitar solo — highlight Mickwee's incredible band at work as she delivers an emotionally charged, powerful vocal backed by her studio "choir."
Mickwee shares, "'Verge Of Tears' is one of my favorite tracks on the record. I wrote this one with my longtime collaborator from Memphis, Jed Zimmerman. I think we can all relate to that feeling of self-doubt, reflection, and just simply being on the verge of tears... looking around this room full of strangers and even friends, knowing no one has any idea what you are really going through."
LISTEN TO "VERGE OF TEARS" HERE
Order Everything Beautiful LPs and vinyl at http://www.kelleymickwee.com/shop.
It’s not like Mickwee just up and disappeared after releasing 2014’s You Used to Live Here, her solo debut after spending five years with the acclaimed Texas-based Americana band, The Trishas (and a handful of years before that in the Memphis duo, Jed and Kelley). She spent several years hosting her own “River Girl Radio” show on Austin’s Sun Radio and performed from 2017 to 2021 in front of some of the biggest audiences of her career as a Shiny Soul Sister in Kevin Russell’s explosively entertaining and wildly popular band, Shinyribs. She also sang on her friends' records, including those of Ray Wylie Hubbard, Charley Crockett, Silverada, Owen Temple, and Reckless Kelly.
"People ask me a lot, ‘Where did your singing style come from?’ And a lot of it is from growing up in Memphis,” she admits. "Not only was that music on the radio there a lot, but I was going out to hear live music in Memphis at a pretty early age, even in high school, using my fake ID to sneak into clubs. A lot of those local musicians had a big influence on me. So I really tried my best to ‘represent’ by making a record that sounds like a girl from Memphis because that’s who I am."
The Band:
JJ Johnson - drums (Tedeschi Trucks, Gary Clark Jr., John Mayer, Black Pumas)
Scott Davis - bass (Hayes Carll, Jamie Lin Wilson, Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, Band of Heathens, and countless others in the studio/production)
David Jimenez - electric guitar (Carrie Rodriguez's Laboratorio, Montenko, The Last Jimenez)
Trevor Nealon - Wurlitzer, piano (Band of Heathens, Black Pumas, Bruce Robison, Nicki Bluhm)
John Chipman - percussion (Band of Heathens, Marcia Ball, Jon Dee Graham, The Resentments, and many others in the studio)
David Boyle - B3 Organ (Bob Schneider, Elvis Costello, The Scabs, The Mastersons, and more)
Will Sexton - additional electric guitar
Background Vocal Choir:
Alice Spencer
Courtney Patton
Bruce Hughes
Tony Kamel
Tour Dates:
TUE, 9/04 Boerne, TX - Free Roam Brewery %
FRI, 9/13 Kalorama Heights, DC - Lucky Penny Concert Series %
SAT, 9/14 Chester, MD - Macum Creek Concerts %
SUN, 9/15 Fruitland, MD - Delmarvalous Americana Concerts %
MON, 9/16 Annapolis, MD - 49 West (Kelley Mickwee and Mark Douglas Berardo)
THU, 9/19 Nashville, TN - The Nations Bar (Torrez Music Group AmericanaFest Day Party) %
FRI, 9/20 Nashville, TN - Bowery Vault (East Coast Social Club AmericanaFest Day Party) %
FRI, 9/20 Nashville, TN - Basement East "Tribute to 1974"
FRI, 9/27 Austin, TX - Waterloo Records In-store #
SAT, 9/28 Austin, TX – The State Theatre album release show #
THU, 10/03 San Antonio, TX - Sam’s Burger Joint #
FRI, 10/04 Waco, TX - Texas Music Cafe #
SAT, 10/05 Dallas, TX - Poor David’s Pub #
THU, 11/07 Clarksdale, MS - Jason Eady's Way Down in Mississippi Fest 2024