Premiere: Nick Hans ‘I Ride Junk’ – ‘The Magnolia Sessions’ Drops Today

What a start to 2021 we’ve had, but let’s not dwell on the world failing apart around us as to brighten up your Friday, Anti-Corporate Music have been at it again with the continuation of the stripped back, raw and truly awesome The Magnolia Sessions. And today, we’re delighted to premiere a track from the fifth instalment, I Ride Junk, a sombre slice of country Americana from singer songwriter Nick Hans.

Nick Hans - Photo by Ericka Poore
Nick Hans – Photo by Ericka Poore

Released today, 8th January, via Anti-Corporate Music, while Black Matter Mastering’s Dan Emery, who engineers The Magnolia Sessions, reveals…

‘I first met Nick Hans in 2006 while he was crashing on the couch of my girlfriend (now wife), preparing for an ill-fated/ill-advised winter-time bicycle ride from Nashville to Oklahoma City. I instantly admired his insane dedication to doing things his own way and truly hoped that he didn’t die on his journey. ‘

Dan continues, ‘When I first started planning the idea that would become The Magnolia Sessions, Nick was one of the first people I thought about for the project. I feel that it fully encapsulates his style of delivery. Raw, in the moment, and driven by the emotions in the room (or in this case, field).’

Nick Hans - Photo by Ericka Poore
Nick Hans – Photo by Ericka Poore

Dan also comments about the recording, ‘This particular evening was one of the more frustrating nights as far as the elements are concerned. The wind was unbearably strong at times, causing us to split the session into two parts, hence the change in environmental sounds. Beyond overcoming those issues, Nick’s session has some of my favorite songs that have been recorded for the series.’

Nick Hans offers, ‘It was a real pleasure working with Dan Emery and Anti-Corp to make these recordings. Besides the fact Dan is an old friend who recorded my earliest solo demos, I also have a huge respect for his DIY punk ethics. In terms of the recording process itself, I felt like I was playing around the fire, felt like I was busking in the quarter. I think that feeling came through in the songs. There are so many talented musicians involved in this project and I gotta say I feel honored to be a part of The Magnolia Sessions.’

Now the background is out of the way, click below below to listen to one man in perfect harmony with his acoustic guitar…

More On Nick Hans

Nick Hans writes songs drawing primarily from his own life – sometimes dark, sometimes beautiful. He left Tennessee in his late teens and began crisscrossing the country by freight train, working seasonal jobs, farming, and living in punk and radical communities. When he found a cassette tape with Leadbelly on one side and Woody Guthrie on the other, he was blown away by the beauty and power of those legendary musicians and their songs.

Nick Hans - Photo by Ericka Poore
Nick Hans – Photo by Ericka Poore

He picked up a beat-up Stella guitar, and has been writing and playing his own songs ever since. Nick spent many years living in New Orleans, playing shows and busking with an ever-changing cast of musicians, including his previous bands the Sluetown Strutters and the Stay All Night Rounders. He currently lives in Taos, New Mexico, where he continues to farm, work, and write music.

More On The Magnolia Sessions

The Magnolia Sessions is a special new series which launched in early September 2020, which sees a new album released the first week of each month. All four records in the series to date – albums by Matt Heckler, Jason Dea West, Johno Leeroy and Cristina Vane – have instantly caught the attention of the scene’s passionate fans and have reached the Billboard Bluegrass Charts.

Nick Hans 'The Magnolia Sessions'

The series showcases bluegrass, dark country, and folk singer/songwriter acts in an intimate outdoor setting at the Anti-Corporate Music/Black Matter Mastering headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. Each installment features a different artist, some with additional guest musicians, who performs a live album of sorts, recorded outdoors by a large magnolia tree, as originally seen in Lost Dog Street Band’s September Doves video for GemsOnVHS several years ago.

Nick Hans The Magnolia Sessions Tracklisting:

01. Rise And Fall
02. Highballin’ Everywhere I Go
03. Days Of Old
04. Pineywood Blues
05. I Ride Junk
06. Sister St & Burgundy
07. Crooked Line
08. I Don’t Believe
09. Days So Lonesome
10. Mexico Blues
11. Rollin’ Back Home

Nick Hans and his The Magnolia Sessions recording is out today, 8th January, via Anti-Corporate Music.

Label: Anti-Corporate Music
Band Links: Twitter | Instagram