Still Life Carson McHone

• 1 Hawks Don't Share 03:29
• 2 Still Life 05:11
• 3 Fingernail Moon 04:05
• 4 Someone Else 04:08
• 5 Spoil on the Vine 04:42
• 6 Sweet Magnolia 05:03
• 7 Only Lovers 02:51
• 8 End of the World 02:57
• 9 Trim the Rose 02:56
• 10 Folk Song 05:01
• 11 Tried 01:51
• Total Runtime 42:14

Info for Still Life

Still Life, Carson McHone’s third album and second release with Loose Music, quivers like a tightrope, with songs about existing within such tension and surviving beyond the breaking point. These are stories of sabotage, confusion, and surrender. The album is a testament to the effort of reaching, sometimes flailing, for understanding and for balance. Still Life invites us to gasp at our own reflection and acknowledge the unsettling beauty in this breath.

The songs of Still Life were written in quiet moments between tours and recorded away from Texas in Ontario with Canadian musician and producer Daniel Romano. McHone says of the session, “Daniel is a perceptive player, and his response was intuitive and organic. We attacked these songs as a blank canvas. Shadows sharpened and came to life as full vignettes that felt familiar in a magical way, a product of keeping things emotionally open. I think we picked up on things that were unwritten.” Together in a home studio they cut almost the entire record themselves, calling on two friends, the versatile Mark Lalama on accordion, piano, and organ, and David Nardi with some savvy saxophone, to round it out. The phrasing and tones recall John Cale, The Kinks, Richard and Linda Thompson—like- minded artists of the late ’60s and early ’70s, another era of transition and innovation.

Carson McHone

Carson McHone
is an alt-country/americana songwriter from Austin, Texas. She released her debut self titled EP in 2013 and toured nationally and internationally in its support. Her vocals are featured on Shinyribs’ newest album (Okra Candy, 2015), on Ray Wylie Hubberd’s newest song “Chick Singer Badass Rockin”, as well as a duet on Mike and The Moonpies 2015 release, Mockingbird.

In 2014 McHone was selected as one of six songwriters to represent the city of Austin in “Project #ATX6”. The group played showcases in Toronto, Canada at NXNE (North By Northeast Festival) and toured Northern Germany, culminating in a sold out out showcase at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. She has shared the stage with Ryan Bingham, Lydia Loveless, Charlie Mars, David Ramirez, Jerry Jeff Walker, among others, and in June toured as direct support for Shakey Graves.

Years before Rolling Stone was praising Carson McHone’s rule-breaking roots music, the Austin, Texas native played weeknights in local bars like The White Horse, keeping dancers dancing and drinkers drinking. With her 21st birthday still in the distance, McHone entertained late-night crowds bearing witness to the good times and bad decisions that fill a busy bar. It was a rare, raw education. She pumped her music full of details from an early adulthood spent in the company of the heartbroken and high-toleranced. In 2015, McHone released Goodluck Man which earned her a cover story in The Austin Chronicle as well as the support of local icons like Ray Wylie Hubbard, who said she “writes songs like her life depends on it.” Then she hit the road, touring the U.S. (and beyond) with acts like Shakey Graves, Gary Clark, Jr., and Joe Pug. Her writing style widened and her music evolved.

This album contains no booklet.