Ana Lee here with my Lightning 100 DJ pick! I am super pumped to bring you this new song from North Carolina artist Caleb Caudle. I picked this song after his visit to the station last week then found out he’s playing our Thunderground show tonight at The Basement East! It’s called “NYC in the Rain” from the new LP Crushed Coins available everywhere now via Cornelius Chapel Records. Listen below and let us know what you think!
Growing up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle was raised on rock n’ roll and Southern hospitality. Influenced by bands like The Clash and Velvet Underground, Caudle was playing North Carolina’s punk rock circuit by the age of 15. Naturally, his music matured with his age and he became more lyrically driven, adopting a love for collecting vinyl. In 2012, he decided to quit his day job and focus solely on music — five years and four albums later, Caudle is gaining the traction he deserves.
Crushed Coins is a dark and dreamy narrative about following the light at the end of the tunnel. “I think the overall theme of the record is trying to find hope in a dark place. It’s about relying on the people and the things that you love,” Caudle says, who was inspired by soul, blues, and jazz, specifically Miles Davis’ In A Silent Way. However, producer Jon Ashley is well-versed in a multitude of genres, having produced records for bands like Band of Horses, Hiss Golden Messenger, The War on Drugs and Dawes. While the two have worked together before, co-producing both Paint Another Layer On My Heart and Carolina Ghost, the duo wanted to take a different approach than ever before.
