The Rose Valley Thorns who releasing their debut full-length on July 12th and to celebrate we asked Joshua Bergmann to tell us about the song "Steel Strings". Here is the story:
I wrote "Steel Strings" to express the double-edged sword that being a musician can be. Everybody knows how difficult making a career in the music industry is and it?s a daunting and uncertain future I see ahead of me. But my passion for music is so compelling to me that I feel as though I have no other option. This feeling of being trapped by this indescribable passion that music evokes in me is the inspiration for this song, as "steel strings tie my body down... when they sing my heart is bound."
As I wrote this song I was overwhelmed by fear and doubt. Music is the thing that has brought me the most joy in life, and the idea of that being spoiled by the pressures of a career in the music industry is something that truly scares me. I never want to find myself in a place where I?m resenting being a musician. While people often have this glamorized image of touring musicians, in reality it can sometimes be a disheartening grind composed of dingy bars and lots of time in a cluttered van, all for maybe enough money to scrape by. I?m rewarded by the fact that I?m doing something that I feel I was made to do, but there are moments of doubt and fear that come along and "Steel Strings" was made out
of one of these.
The song is really a raw expression, as is much of my writing, so we wanted to record it in a manner to represent that. We recorded live in one room using vintage ribbon microphones at the Grammy Award winning Canyon Hut Studios. We featured Alice Wallace, an amazing Country artist who?s vocals captivated me since the moment I heard her. The pressures of recording live, especially with such a presence as Alice Wallace, are intense, but the authenticity and genuineness that was captured was well worth it and we ended up with a really special track that we look forward to sharing with everybody.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!
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