Singled Out: The Deep Hollow ‘Freedom Street’
Who: The Deep Hollow
From: Springfield, Illinois
Song: “Freedom Street”
Latest record: Weary Traveler (out on November 9th)
What about it:
Micah Walk: “Freedom Street is about homelessness. It’s one of those songs that almost feels like it wrote itself. There’s this street in our hometown called Freedom Drive with a busy intersection that’s a common place for folks who are down on their luck to see if drivers sitting at a red light might offer some help. Cardboard signs saying things like “Jesus saves” and “Veteran, anything helps” reveal these little hints of their stories. My parents took my brother and sister and I to our very small town Baptist church every Sunday and religion is definitely a reoccurring theme in my songs, even though I question it now. And like a lot of artists right now, my work is certainly impacted by the current political climate. Both religious and political overtones are thick in Freedom Street – from the woman who doesn’t need saving because she’s certain her faith is all she really needs, to the veteran who is struggling with being back home in a country that doesn’t seem to appreciate his sacrifices, with a street called Freedom Drive as the setting.”
Dave Littrell: “We are big fans of T-Bone Burnett productions and when we started recording, Freedom Street immediately felt like a perfect chance to ask “What would T-Bone do with this?” I love how all the understated parts fit together on this one, and it’s an example of simple parts coming together to support and reinforce the emotional theme of the song.”
Micah Walk: “Our co-producer Gary (Gordon) really helped us create the vibe we wanted for this song. I think he was a little out of his comfort zone at times on this one, but he was always graceful about allowing us try some things out. I think it really paid off. He even tracked a percussion part on a suitcase. I love the percussion on this song. Like Dave said, I definitely had T-Bone in mind for this production, specifically in terms of percussion. We also listen to a lot of David Rawlings / Gillian Welch and love those guitar sounds. I think those influences are pretty evident in terms of Freedom Street’s production.”
