Crimson Calamity releases new single "First Snow"
Crimson Calamity is an American band based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Formed by Lauren Harding and Mallory Trunnell, the duo revealed their debut EP “All In The Cards” in 2015, followed by their second EP “Gypsy Heart” released earlier this year. In 2018, the band won the LA Music Critic award for Best Single for “Fools Gold”.
The americana/folk duo unveiled their Christmas song “First Snow” on November 30th.
“We set out to write a holiday tune about the first snow of the year and wanted it to have a timeless reverence to it. Almost a canon. As we went about writing, this story emerged of this soldier who hasn’t made it home yet. We wanted to be vague enough that the story could be from now or yesteryear, the narrator could be waiting on a soldier today or during wartimes past. There are a whole lot of people in our country that can relate to that feeling and we wanted to honor all of them.”
The band will be performing at The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on January 22nd 2019.
“First Snow” is now available worldwide.
Introduce the band - what's your story?
We’re Crimson Calamity. A duo that’s a hybrid of Roots Rock, Americana and Folk that we call “Outlaw Americana.” We originated after writing a couple tunes inspired by the Wild West while we were living in LA and have relocated to Nashville.
You've just released a Christmas song entitled "First Snow", what made you want to release a Christmas song? Who wrote and produced the single?
We wrote it a couple years ago but really wanted to wait until the right moment to release it to the world. It ended up being a bit more melancholy than either of us imagined when we started the writing session. We tend to write songs that are a bit of a faster pace, and there are no shortage of upbeat, happy Christmas songs, but the holiday season can also evoke emotions that are often a bit more sad. Feelings of loneliness, missing loved ones who aren’t around. We felt that there ought to be a song about those folks who are waiting on someone. Our producer was the lovely Gena Johnson. She’s amazing. She thinks of every little detail. The day we tracked the song at The Sound Emporium she brought along glittery snowflakes and lights and really made it feel festive. It really helped us channel the mood we were going for… especially since it was about 90* outside!
What message do you want to convey through this song?
We really wanted to capture that feeling of yearning that Winter brings with it. Longing for spring, hoping for loved ones to come home and celebrate the holidays. Mostly we wanted anyone who’s in a military family or partnership to have a song that they can relate to. A lot of people in our country have loved ones overseas or who are no longer with us. They deserve a song. It’s a song for anyone who’s feeling lonely or a loss.
What does Christmas mean to you? Any favorite Christmas memories?
Lauren: To me Christmas means hope. It brings loved ones together and even without the gifts and parties, you can feel the specialness of it. One of my favorite memories of Christmas is from when I was in the children’s choir at church and we would do a special Christmas Eve mass pageant. It always felt so magical and was such a nice way to start our Christmas festivities. My family would always order take out afterward and make cookies for Santa before going to bed and trying to sleep.
Mallory: To me Christmas is about family, friends and the earth reaching its darkest point before it starts get lighter again. I’m big into solstice celebrations. When I was little my brothers and I would all sleep in sleeping bags in the basement. My dad would get up on the roof, shine a blinking red light and walk around with heavy footsteps pretending it was Santa and the reindeer on the roof. Who knows? Maybe it was. It was certainly magical. I think that’s my favorite thing about Christmas. That magic feeling that can’t be explained fully in words.
You released an EP called "Gypsy Heart" this year. How would you describe this EP? Who did you work with?
This EP is our baby. It really solidified the direction we want to go in as a band, sonically. It’s got a lot of different tones and texture to it. There are moments that are more rock forward and it’s got other moments that are more inspired by Fleetwood Mac, The Civil Wars, and The Lone Bellow. Zane Carney produced “Horses to Holy Water” in LA at Heritage Recording Co. before we moved to Nashville. Jeff Zacharski produced the other 4 tracks with Gena as the engineer. The musicians we worked with were a combo of our original band members and new Nashville session players. We tracked those 4 songs in one day at The Sound Emporium. It was a whirlwind but tons of fun!
2018 is coming to an end. What are the things you are the most proud of?
What we’re most proud of is releasing Gypsy Heart and all the lessons we learned along the way. You really have to be your own champion as a band. No one else will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself. We’re an even more capable, united front after what we learned about releasing music, touring, and being a band with a brand. The industry in Nashville has really expanded our perspective as artists and business people.
What are your plans for 2019?
We’ll be taking a trip out west at the top of the year to play at The Hotel Cafe in LA on 1/22 and then navigating north to Utah for some of the festivities at The Sundance Film Festival. Then it’s back into the studio and back on the road. Stay tuned, there’s definitely more to come!
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