With an original and experimental characteristic sound, Gunslingers’ EP “Green Acres Motel” is a folk-rock study of death, love, heartbreak, regrets, and memories. Gunslingers showcase their strong and promising debut album by transporting listeners on a nostalgic and melancholy journey with powerful vocals, descriptive lyrics, and a peaceful environment.
Lou Heneise, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who founded the folk/americana ensemble Gunslingers, started out as a solo artist. She encountered a lot of talented musicians through her live performances, and they gradually started joining her band. Eventually, it didn’t feel right to call the group Lou Heneise. Lou Heneise (vocals, songwriting, guitar, banjo, fiddle, percussion), John Swan III (harmonies, banjo, percussion, trumpet), Michael Vasquez (mandolin), and Jon Howard (fiddle) make up the band Gunslingers. Their music owes a great deal to the contributions of many musicians, including Tom Waits, Shovels and Rope, Shakey Graves, and many others.
Gunslingers recently released their debut EP, “Green Acres Motel,” on March 24th, 2023, which is a bold folk-rock proposition that advances the genres. The EP’s six songs deliver musicality, poetry, and beauty through potent vocals and narrative. The EP is invaded by death, love, heartbreak, regrets, and recollections. They transport us to a distant fantasy world with the cozy feeling that only Gunslingers can provide!
“Green Acres Motel” Tracklist
· How To Sleep
· Happy Hunting
· Step Up
· Winking
· Old Friend
· Gloryland
Gunslingers distinguish their folk or Americana music as their signature sound in “Green Acres Motel,” which is unique. They are frequently experimental and don’t mind defying expectations to elicit feelings of introspection so we can discover our most private thoughts. Despite singing about sinister subjects like murder in the track “How To Sleep” and death in the track “Happy Hunting,” their music and Lou Heneise’s vocals ensure a tranquil atmosphere that encourages the listener to take a close look at the frailty of life.
The opening track of the EP, “How To Sleep,” is an acoustic country song with incredible guitar riffs performed at a leisurely tempo. The singer’s vocal performance is lovely and melancholy, and the lyrics are profoundly reflective.
A lovely acoustic guitar track called “Happy Haunting” is just as mellow as the previous track but has a richer melody. A warm and ear-warming melody is produced by the perfect blending of the male and female vocal performances. This song’s absence of drums gives it a very country feel. When they crash and die, the musicians sing about having scars in their eyes and how new purples will bud. A strong message about decisions and their effects is conveyed by the lyrics: “They said now is the time you can hold your head high, but you can hide and run; it’s your choice.”
The artist sings “dear lord, remember me” at the start of the EP’s final track, “Gloryland.” Vehicles, chaos, rain, and gunshots are some of the ambient noises. The artist sings about the Bible’s Book of Revelation while an overlay of a person’s heartbeat plays throughout the entire track. This song differs from the others in that it uses only natural sounds rather than any instruments or guitar. The song is haunting and a perfect way to cap off this incredible EP because of the background chaos and rain.
This is their debut EP, and the majority of these tracks were recorded in Lou’s home studio or John Swan III’s home studio. Various sections were recorded in various home studios and then combined during mixing. Joshua Kristopeit, who mixed and mastered the songs in his home studio for them, was a true blessing.
A year or so went into the creation of this release. This was a process of learning how to record themselves after working with producers in studios and disliking the finished project. It was a technical process as well as a growth process in terms of understanding their process and result. They started with stripped-down, unfinished tracks to get a sense for the mood, and then they built on that.
The Gunslingers’ powerful and promising debut EP, “Green Acres Motel,” takes folk on a novel path. Each of the six tracks leaves the listener with nostalgic and melancholy feelings that are bound to stick with them for a while. Do take a listen and include it in your collection!
For more information about Gunslingers, click on the links below.
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