Video Premiere: “Gun,” by Erik Koskinen

“Gun” is the first track on Burning the Deal, Erik Koskinen’s forthcoming album, and we are thrilled to premiere its video here on Red Line Roots. Erik just finished up a tour with Jeffrey Foucault and the record comes out June 28. I am really excited about it.

From the first lines of this song, you know you’re in good hands with this songwriter. Nothing is hurried and at the same time, the song feels vital. That’s a hard needle to thread, and Erik does it brilliantly.

 

“Gun” is a story-song, based loosely on a high school acquaintance whose third strike with the law landed him a much longer prison sentence than any of the individual crimes would warrant. The song isn’t a polemic, though; it has a wry humor even as it details a series of tragedies small and large. Lines like “We had money for the rent, most of the bills, an extra ten dollars for fun” give you a full picture of the people in the song with an incredible economy of language. As the song progresses, it is easy to see how trapped someone can be until one day robbing a bank with a pencil in your pocket sounds like the logical thing to do.

 

The players on this record are just incredible. Bernie Larsen plays electric guitar and sings backing vocals; Jennifer Condos is on bass; Greg Leisz plays pedal steel and Jay Bellerose is on drums. And though they’ve recorded with legends like Jackson Browne and Melissa Etheridge, they know to let Erik’s songs take center stage. There’s nothing overdone or showy; you hear experienced players say they want to “serve the song,” and this band does just that.

 

You can find more information about Erik and pre-order the record here.