{"id":15432,"date":"2020-12-09T05:12:33","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T11:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/garyhayescountry.com\/?p=15432"},"modified":"2023-09-03T20:08:21","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T20:08:21","slug":"bo-armstrongs-debut-full-length-chasing-ballads-is-an-ode-to-what-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/garyhayescountry.com\/?p=15432","title":{"rendered":"Bo Armstrong\u2019s Debut Full-Length Chasing Ballads is an Ode to What Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"BoArmstrong\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Bo Armstrong<\/strong>\u2019s full-length debut, Chasing Ballads<\/em>, is both conversational and poetic, Americana with a tinge of Texas influence. Out today, the album focuses on chasing after what matters to you, whether that\u2019s realizing lifelong dreams or finding the love you believe in.<\/p>\n

Produced by Brian Douglas Phillips<\/strong> (David Ramirez, Rob Baird, Thomas Csorba) at Rattle Trap Audio in Austin, TX, Chasing Ballads<\/em> follows Armstrong\u2019s 2017 EP, Where We Are<\/em>. Throughout the 11 tracks, Armstrong seamlessly transitions from love songs to declarations of his purpose and finding his own voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy idea of what it means to \u2018make it\u2019 as a songwriter has changed over and over and over again,\u201d Armstrong says about the album. \u201cI\u2019ve learned that\u2014despite all the necessary collaboration\u2014this is often a lonely pursuit. But what calms me when I\u2019m feeling overwhelmed is the realization that such behavior isn\u2019t unique to me; it\u2019s not even unique to someone pursuing a career in the arts. We all experience these flurries of emotion, and we all have to find ways of coping with them. That is the very shared human experience that the storytellers I admire capture so gracefully, and it is what I aim to get better at myself in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChasing Ballads<\/em> is about finding love you believe in and going after it,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt\u2019s about acknowledging your past and letting it motivate your future. It\u2019s about finding the courage to live in the moment without throwing caution to the wind, and learning that so little in life can be accomplished on your own, even if the road you\u2019re on is sometimes a lonely one.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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“The album\u2019s eleven tracks develop an inviting sense of intimacy by reflecting on life\u2019s small moments, while its subdued instrumentation lets the songwriting truly shine, putting the focus on the lyrics and Armstrong\u2019s soulful delivery.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Raised Rowdy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cMeet Me in Memphis\u201d offers a rollicking start to the album, an ode to long-distance love. \u201cBuilt to Last,\u201d featuring Laurel Wright of The Young Fables, examines love that spans decades. \u201cWhere Are You, Lonesome\u201d explores “the universal feeling of loneliness,” notes Wide Open Country<\/a><\/strong>. \u201cMama Sway\u201d is a tried-and-true love song, written for Armstrong\u2019s wife while watching her with their young son. \u201cChasing Ballads,\u201d one of the most affecting tracks on the album, finds Armstrong digging his heels in on what he believes in and remaining true to himself. \u201cYou Know What I Look Like in the Dark\u201d offers a rare look at what it means to really be vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Born in Dallas, Texas, Armstrong played four years of NCAA ice hockey in upstate New York. Following graduation, he spent two years in the Mississippi Delta with Teach for America. After close to a decade in New York City, he convinced his wife in 2017 that they should move to Nashville, where he could finally give music a real shot. His songs have garnered the respect and subsequent mentorship of storied songwriters (and fellow Texans) Jack Ingram, Jon Randall, and Liz Rose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Chasing Ballads<\/em> Track Listing:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Meet Me in Memphis
\n2. Built to Last (feat. Laurel Wright)
\n3. Where Are You Lonesome? (feat. Taylor Stearns)
\n4. Wildfire
\n5. Wearing Out These Wings
\n6. Here’s Looking at You, Kid
\n7. Used to You (feat. Sierra Carson)
\n8. Mama Sway
\n9. Dance With Me
\n10. Chasing Ballads
\n11. You Know What I Look Like in the Dark<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Bo Armstrong\u2019s full-length debut, Chasing Ballads, is both conversational and poetic, Americana with a tinge of Texas influence. Out today, the album focuses on chasing after what matters to you, whether that\u2019s realizing lifelong dreams or finding the love you believe in. Produced by Brian Douglas Phillips (David Ramirez, Rob Baird, Thomas Csorba) at Rattle Trap Audio […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":21723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t