After four Grammy nominations and years spent on the road, Yarn songwriter/frontman Blake Christiana found himself in a rut and unsure if the band was going to continue. But NC-via-NYC roots rockers are back after eight years with Born, Blessed, Grateful, & Alive, their new studio album which sees them breaking out of the doldrums and venturing into fresh territory.
Ultimately, what was left of Yarn, the rhythm section of Robert Bonhomme and Rick Bugel, wound up tracking on this recording, Guests include Mike Robinson and Johnny Grubb (Railroad Earth), Andy Falco (Infamous Stringdusters), Mike Sivilli (Dangermuffin), Heather Hannah, Elliott Peck (Midnight North) and co-producer Damian Calcagne.
The words and music on Born, Blessed, Grateful & Alive reflect the arc of human experience. Finger-picking and pedal steel riffs run the gamut from loneliness to transports of delight. JJ Cale meets Roger Miller on the road song “Traveling Kind,” premiering exclusively today on American Blues Scene. “Like a junkie needs a fix, I’m headed out / And I never get lost / No, I always get found,” Blake sings with humor and honky-tonk flair.
Road songs are what he knows best, but on this one he seems especially “found.” Blake shares with me, “I guess the cornerstone of all my albums is ‘life.’ I’d hate to be regressing and getting more lost as my life goes zooming by. Hopefully this album has the most to contribute to the greater good of the listener than my albums before it. There’s something about this album that feels different to me in the best possible way and I sure hope the listener feels the same. I’d say this is definitely one of the lighter songs on the album, but it needs that.”
“Traveling Kind” came to him in the midst of a big writing spurt. “I remember I was on Ocracoke island at the bottom of the outer banks in North Carolina and I just wanted another upbeat song for the record,” he says. “The rest of the record had already been written. And I wanted that JJ Cale type vibe.”
Blake co-produced the new record with Damian Calcagne at his studio The Pinebox in Boonton, NJ. “We just met by chance by getting thrown on the same benefit show by our mutual friend Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth a couple months prior to recording. Damian took a liking to my songs and wanted me to come play around in his studio and see what happened. We brought in Mike Robinson from RRE to play pedal steel, Heather Hannah and Elliott Peck on background vocals, and of course Damian on all the keys. This song is heavy on pedal steel and keys which we’ve never really done before. I needed a change in every possible way, and I think the change could not feel better.”
While driving Blake had the idea for the video, so he and his wife started making it right then and there. “I can’t remember exactly where we were going to or from when my wife shot me singing along to the track in my van. I also used footage and pictures from our trip out west during Covid. I booked a bunch of house shows during Covid, and my wife and I hit the road for almost two months out to Cali and back, playing in peoples’ houses and backyards. It was 100 percent nomadic and it was badass. It was when all the major cities downtown were boarded up from the George Floyd protests. It was a wild time in America and we saw it all. Even Rodeo Dr. was boarded up. Folks, If ya get a chance, hit the road; it gets in your blood and you’ll never wanna stop.”
Yarn will be playing festivals and dates this summer including Rhythm & Roots Fest, River Jam, Yarnival, and more.
TOUR DATES:
7.19 – Yarn Camp at USA Raft Adventure Resort – Erwin, TN
7.20 – Yarn Camp at USA Raft Adventure Resort – Erwin, TN
7.23 – Gaffer’s – Emerald Isle, NC
7.24 – Gaffer’s – Emerald Isle, NC
7.25 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC
7.26 – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
7.27 – River Jam – Charlotte, NC
8.2 – Ting Pavilion – Charlottesville, VA
8.3 – Natty Greene’s – Greensboro, NC
8.4 – Avlfest – Asheville, NC
8.15 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA
8.16 – The Basement Nashville – Nashville, TN
8.17 – Windy Hill Farm – Loudon, TN
8.30 – Rhythm and Roots Festival – Charlestown, RI
8.31 – Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock – New London, CT
9.1 – Concert Series – Frenchtown, NJ
9.6 – The Purple Fiddle – Thomas, WV
9.7 – The Purple Fiddle – Thomas, WV
10.25 – 10.27 – Yarnival – Troy, VA (SOLD OUT)
