This week’s local artist spotlight goes to folk artist, Carl Anderson. Virginia born, tuned Nashville resident, Anderson has been making 70s inspired soft rock hits for most of his life. In 2016, he came out with his first full-length album, Risk of Loss. This mostly acoustic album mixes country, folk-rock, and Americana seamlessly. Some of our favorite tracks from his debut project are “Cold Hands”, “Broken Hearted Man”, and “New Orleans”. Over the years Anderson’s signature southern rock-inspired sound has only matured to become a standout amongst the Nashville singer-songwriter scene.
His 2019 second EP, You Can Call Me Carl, has an added element of bedroom-pop, that opened a new chapter in his musical career. This record was made with the help of songwriter and producer Chris Keup at White Star, a studio located outside Charlottesville, Virginia. Anderson spoke on the importance of relocating to make an album, “I still like the idea of getting out and making a record somewhere and going to a place where you’re not seeing all the familiar places,” says Anderson. “We all sort of moved in for about ten days. It’s very intentional. You fall into a bit of a state of mind knowing you’re there for a specific project.” This EP is full of resilience and resolve and really speaks to how much pain we can push through, even in the toughest times. This message of carrying on has become a huge theme in Anderson’s projects since 2019.
As of late, Anderson is back with a brand new single, and our favorite of the week, “Closer Now”. This easy rock single is full of melancholy, but transitions to a song full of hope, despite the devastation of this never-ending year. “Closer Now” is a bewitching single that will be featured in his forthcoming EP. “Closer Now” is perfect for anyone struggling, especially with the upcoming holidays.
“I realized through this process that we’re capable of handling a lot more pain than we think we can. If that message can come through to even just one person who needs to hear it, then that’s what it’s all about”.
Carl Anderson
We’ll be playing “Closer Now” throughout the week as we feature Carl Anderson as our Local Artist of the Week. Catch it live on-air at 100.1FM on your dial or streaming live at lightning100.com.
