courtesy photo

words by Hanna Guenther

Surrounded by a cave of bookshelves, Bud Heavy & The High Lifes transformed the Antiquarium bookstore of Brownville, Neb. into their own recording space. With the twang of strings and voices marked with notes of bluegrass and folk, the group constructed their debut EP.

Below, find the premiere of “Sail Away, Ladies,” the second release from that EP. Just like a ship at sea, the song rises and falls in volume and sound. The band calls out “fiddle,” “guitar,” and “mandolin” to introduce the instrumental solo that follows each round of the verse and chorus. With softened moments as the strings serenade the listener, the volume gains momentum as the choir of voices sounds out, “Sail away, ladies. Sail away.”

With its elongated notes and phrases, this song feels unhurried by comparison to the EP’s first single, “Ol’ Plank Road.” However, both songs do taper off at the end. “Sail Away, Ladies” concludes by silencing the instruments, allowing the harmonizing vocals happening across the band — Max Morrissey (banjo), Emma Nelson (fiddle), Jeremy Wurst (guitar), Kenny Kinlund (bass) and Casey Hollingsworth (mandolin) — to shine.

The band will release the EP this Friday night at the Zoo Bar at 9 p.m. RSVP for that show, with Bolzen Beer Band and Twenty Thousand Strongmen, here.