Song Premiere: Pert Near Sandstone, “Believe”
We’re thrilled to present the exclusive premiere of a song off the iconic Midwest roots band’s upcoming album, Waiting Days. Hear it first here!
Pert Near Sandstone’s Waiting Days album artwork by Michael Byzewski at Aesthetic Apparatus.
Midwest stringband mainstays Pert Near Sandstone have been around for nearly two decades. As an international touring band and hosts/curators of the annual Blue Ox Music Festival since 2015, their importance to the contemporary roots/bluegrass scene, both here in the Midwest and farther afield, is undeniable.
The sextet is gearing up to independently release their eighth studio album on October 20. Waiting Days is a collection of 11 original songs by the four songwriters of the band—Justin Bruhn (bass), Kevin Kniebel (banjo), J Lenz (guitar), and Nate Sipe (mandolin, steel guitars, fiddle). Recorded in the dead of winter in Minnesota, the record warms the soul, thanks in part to an impressive list of guest artists that provide even more richness and texture to their already intricate sound.
We’re honored to share the exclusive premiere of one of those 11 songs today! “Believe” is a lovely midtempo ballad that opens gently with only banjo, soon joined by fiddle and gradually the other instruments and vocals. While this often boisterous band is able to reach the stratosphere with their layered sound and blazing fast solos, their interplay throughout this track is soft and tender, highlighting the beauty of each instrument’s individual sound.
Pert Near Sandstone. Photo credit: Tony Nelson.
With evocative lyrics about memories of summertime love, the song dovetails perfectly with the nostalgia and contemplation that comes with autumn and the approach of winter in the Midwest. “There’s so many lives in one lifetime,” the song muses; “I long for the one where you were mine.”
Kniebel, who wrote the song, explains: “This song is a reflection on the paradox of choice. Never knowing where any of life’s paths will lead tends to fill me with wonder and hope for what will be, rather than leading to second-guessing or discontent. But sometimes when you play those old tapes you can zoom right back into a different time and place. The smell of the flowers and the warmth of the sun through the trees. What could have been? And what evidence is needed to commit to what you really believe is the right path?”
Listen to “Believe”!
Pert Near Sandstone is currently touring the country, with a Minneapolis appearance in the First Avenue mainroom on December 2!
Waiting Days Album Credits
Band Members:
Justin Bruhn - Upright Bass, Vocals (2,8)
Kevin Kniebel - Banjo, Vocals (4,6,9,11)
J Lenz - Guitar, Vocals (3,7)
Nate Sipe - Mandolin, Steel Guitars (7,8,10,11), Fiddle (6), Vocals (1,5,10)
Matt Cartier - Clogs
Chris Forsberg - Fiddle
Special Guests:
Ryan Young - Fiddle (4,6), Organ (6,7,8), Percussion (4,7,8,10)
Sean Roderick - Piano (6)
Andy Lambert - Washboard (9), Drums (10), Percussion (11)
Chris Bruhn - Guitar (8)
Jason Marks - Trumpet (7)
Anna Mason, Del Kniebel, Lena Kniebel, Lisanne Bogaard, Katie Bellville - Vocals(4)
Engineered and Mixed by Ryan Young at NeonBrown Recording Studio, Minnesota
Produced by Pert Near Sandstone
Mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering, Boston, MA
Album Artwork by Michael Byzewski at Aesthetic Apparatus
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is a full-time marketing copywriter and the primary music journalist and social media publicist for Adventures in Americana. In addition to studying the guitar and songwriting, Carol’s additional creative side hustle is writing self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley!
