Are You A Better You Yet?

Does anyone else notice a cinematic theme dominating the box offices these days? Perhaps something to do with multiverse theory? We think there is, and we think of our song “A Better You” as we pass (yet another) billboard of three Spider Men in downtown L.A.

We wrote “A Better You” back in early 2020 just as COVID-19 lockdowns really started to dig in their heals. Surfers were getting fined for breaking county regulations to stay off the beach; mental health resources rose in number as the demand for mental health support hit a new ceiling; and (at least for us) we got a chance to just sit in our living spaces differently and self-reflect. We had been running head-first into the L.A. music scene while also juggling day jobs that could support the expense of southern California living. Kate had been alerted that a deployment was on the horizon for her Army Unit, and we found ourselves struck by the muse. “Now is the time,” it seemed to say. Amid all the working, moving, building, running, writing, and playing, were we any better than where we stated? *Cue the after-school-special music*

We’re not here to preach to anyone about being good or bad people. The point of our art isn’t to step up an bat with the great philosophers of our time. However, we will say that our music comes from a place of meaning for us. “A Better You” is a lyrical mix of both confessions and observations that paint a snap-shot in time. What doors do we choose to talk behind these days? Are we standing up to the harder truth rather than settle for the softer lie? Are we repeating the circles of toxic kindness in lieu of pursuing paths to forgiveness? These, among others, are question we often ask in our marriage and relationships with others. If we found common ground with you, we are certainly grateful for your support.

"Fists" Up First

The first glimpse of the new Hollywood & Hard EP was released January 21, 2021, Inauguration Day: “Fists.” At the time, Secily was fresh out of the hospital from her neck surgery, Kate was frantically preparing for her military deployment about to start in February, Elliot was in lockdown, and Lurssen Mastering had worked wonders to master the tracks in time for “Fists” to release when we wanted it to. There was no big radio promotion or campaign… no highly publicized strategy to this one. We just KNEW it needed to be out. There was just too much going on to ignore the timeliness of the song! The January 6th insurrection event had happened, Kate was running out of time before she left, and the message of the song felt too pressing to leave sitting in our laps.

“Fists” was much anticipated by the band. We had been eager to release new music and even more eager to share what we had worked so hard for with Bear Creek. We made it through the pandemic, two massive surgeries, long-distance coordination with everyone, and deployment prep to lead up to that moment. Then BOOM! “Fists” burst forth like our long awaited child! The more we heard it, the more we wanted to open the flood gates. “Quick! We need a music video” we said! Lucky for us, we have one of the most talented animators in LA as a neighbor and friend, Ms. Stacy Parker of Parker Animation! In a matter of weeks, Parker built a concept, reel, and final lyric video complete with cartoon character, “Sparky!” She pulled the story and character development out of her imagination and brought it to life in ways we couldn’t have done on our own in a million years. We are forever grateful for her expressive creativity and generosity in helping bring the music to life!

Fun side fact: the hand in the beginning of the video (striking the match) was drawn from Secily’s brother, Shaun Saunders. Shaun usually does our make-up and hair for photo shoots/music videos, but he lent some modeling skills here to help Stacy generated a realistic hand motion!

The lyrics of “Fists” came from a lot of places: some from Kate’s experience in the Army… some from the tension around US elections… some from Secily’s experiences from protests. In the end, we were happy to have finally put the pieces together to capture the feeling we had been writing to for years. Here are the lyrics in case you can’t recall:

“I used to know it was good/ It used to feel right/ There used to be a satisfaction to the action/ To the thrill of a fight/ We can see you out there/ Locked and loaded/ With your fists in the air/ Until the fire came down/ Burning higher now/ Yeah the fire came down/ And there’s no way to put it out/ And it breaks our hearts/ It breaks our hearts.”

“We put it to bed/ Threw dirt on the grave/ There’s no cure for absurdity/ Too many to save/ We can see you out there/ Locked and loaded/ With your fists in the air/ Until the fire came down/ Burning higher now/ Yeah the fire came down/ And there’s no way to put it out.”

“Don’t just be a fire/ Be at torch/ Be a pyre/ Be a beacon on a cliff/ Be a prayer upon a wick/ Burn higher/ Higher/ Don’t just be a fire”

“We can see you out there/ Locked and loaded/ With your fists in the air/ Until the fire came down/ Burning higher now/ Yeah the fire came down/ And there’s no way/ We can see you out there/ Locked and loaded/ With your fists in the air/ Until the fire came down/ Burning higher now/ Yeah the fire came down/ And there’s no way to put it out/ And it breaks our hearts/ It breaks our hearts”

Since the release of “Fists” over a year ago, we’ve been pleased to hear how it resonates with our listeners. One of our favorite reviews came from BuzzMusic LA who we will quote and then leave you with. We send all of our love to our friends and family out there, fighting the good fight still and letting our music inspire you to burn higher and higher!

From BuzzMusic LA,

“With the help of Grammy Award-winning Ryan Hadlock masterfully handling the production of their recently released "Fists," it's without a second thought to righteously throw your hands in the air to this anthemic, bold and striking tune.”

“A true testament to creative minds alike, the unfettered artistic erudition of this song screams deliverance from the restraints society is subjugated to face in our lives. The immersive duality alone brings a sense of liberation, elevation, and grace while touching on the importance of unification and rising above and beyond. Blissfully written to provide a simplistic connection of emotion, the audience can interpret the sentiment involved throughout this piece with incredible ease and satisfaction.”

“The melodic instrumentals, in conjunction with the vibrant, pitch-perfect vocals, create a true sense of belonging, enthusiasm, and insightful atmosphere. Winter Grain's revelatory sound echoes greatness through the many prominent venues they've played in combination with festivals, private events, and on the radio.”

“With overflowing gratitude, we can look forward to hearing more of their tremendous talent with the upcoming release of their EP that's dropping this summer. With the blistering integrity Kate and Secily have portrayed. Audiences everywhere can count on Winter Grain to continue to climb to new heights, remain the beacon on a cliff, and invigorate our fists to stay forever in the air.”

Read the full interview and review from BuzzMusic LA here.

Something Out of Nothing

What a difference a year makes! When we last blogged, we had started to adjust to quarantined life and the associated abundance of time. We were inspired by The Never Ending Story, daring to dream a castle into existence built by the single grain of sand in our metaphorical palm. What you may or may not know is just how big that castle is now! We have much to report!

We have been radio-silent for a year to work our tails off! As we stand, we have a new album releasing on December 3rd! If you’ve been paying attention, you have already heard our first release,“Fists” and follow-up release, “A Better You.” We crafted those tracks and other new originals for you in our down-time last summer, ventured back to Bear Creek Studio to record with Ryan Hadlock. As you can imagine, it was an ambitious adventure amid the land of COVID-19, but we took all the necessary precautions to make it a safe session. Life goes on even in pandemics and we had too much at stake to stop the creative juices from flowing!

What can we say about Bear Creek Studio and out time there? Simply that is was as magical the second time as the first time we visited. Ryan and the family did an amazing job of adapting to COVID-19 safety protocols, and we rose to the challenge of collaborating with our fellow musicians via long distance since not all could leave their quarantined homes. We had the honor and pleasure of working with Ryan (both as producer and musician on the album) , Taylor Carroll on drums, Adam Neely on bass, Elliott Klein on guitar, and Dune Butler on bass. It was a solid 5 days of work in early October of 2020, but it felt like 5 minutes in hindsight. We worked through hail storms and power outages, listened to playbacks from outside the barn, and stayed warm with family-sized batches of Chili paired with Woodinville Whiskey. We nearly snuck in a visit to the local waterway to go fishing with Taylor, but alas, duty called! We tried to capture as much of the fun as we could via our social media (so sneak over to Instagram if you want to scope out the videos and pictures) but it always feels pale in comparison to the serenity of the barn. They brew a special brand of magic there that is difficult to describe. All we can do is hope you get a taste from the music, the photos, and this list of random facts from the trip:

1) Secily recorded her guitar parts without the feeling of her fingers on her left hand! We found out two months after recording these new tracks that she had two bone spurs in her neck, cutting off spinal fluid! She had the corrective surgery over Christmas following the studio session.

2) We have a track on the new EP called “Passenger Seat.” When Secily was recording her guitar part, lightning struck the barn and blew all the power out! She said the little jolt from the strings was the only thing she had felt in those fingers for days! As we walked around with candles and waited in darkness for the power to come back on, Ryan told Secily that the guitar she had been using was the same guitar Dave Grohl used to write “My Hero.” Funny enough, it’s a Gibson: the brand of guitar that sponsors Salem Meade who is the guitar-star of our “Passenger Seat” music video!

3) It was Kate’s 36th Birthday celebration on day four of recording! We celebrated with a bon-fire, a batch of chili, cake, and endless fetch with the resident (and band mascot) dog, Lexi. Secily also capped it off with a surprise video from our U.K. friends, The Distance (go youtube their music videos RIGHT NOW)! They did an epic cover of “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” by Lois Armstrong that will knock your block off! It was a perfect gift. Ryan and the studio polished off the gifts with some sweet studio merch <3.

4) The hail storm didn’t leave bruises and made the blackberries taste THAT much sweeter!

All in all, we’ll go back if we have the chance in the future. The memories made there will live forever for us and we hope you feel that when you hear the new EP. With love, always, Kate and Sess

The Nothing

There we were: sitting on the couch and enduring another month of isolation with the next movie in our queue, The NeverEnding Story. Secily was raised in a Mormon home and didn’t get to see many pop-culture movies growing up. Thus, she had never seen it. She talks a little bit about it in a recent interview with Anthony Pedilla (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYFbdpqnno4 ) for all who didn’t know about that side of Mormon culture. After the final credits rolled, the creative juices started to flow and all things that once had meaning started to resurface. Oh how easy it is to feel like Atreyu in the Swamp of Sorrow, or like the Knight in the Southern Oracle who doubts his worth. More than anyone, we felt like the Child-like Empress. Slowly, she had watched the world around her stripped away until all she had was a single grain of sand. It feels as small to look at in her hand as it would feel to hold in your own grasp. We went to bed that night remembering how easy it is to feel that small and stripped down. Then we reflected on what turned the movie around…not doing nothing. Sure, you can say it was a wish or hope, but The Nothing is the real villain in the film.

A few years back, we had been taken down to a single grain of sand. We stood in awe as darkness swallowed everything musical around us until we looked at one another and saw only our original music in the palm of our hand. Now, we feel a new “nothing” arising. Do we create more content? Will it just be another small blip on an over-engaged radar right now, with every musician in the world pushing virtual concerts and broadcast videos? Well, we decided that we can’t do nothing.

In truth, we had already been pretty busy before our little movie night. We’ve written two new songs in one month and we’ve revived some of our oldest gems. We awoke the next day and gave ourselves permission to start sharing the smaller bits of our creation. They are not nothing, and we think that letting them be cast into the light a little will help us build more and more creative momentum. What say you? Ready to hear more songs? Ready to share in life’s little inspirations? Us too.

FareWell Salt Lake; Hello L.A.!

It’s been a busy few months for us in Winter Grain, but the dust has finally settled around our new California home and we’re pressing forward!

First and foremost, we have to give a shout out to all of our amazing friends in Salt Lake City. Before our big move to L.A., we had an ambitious list of things to do: yard sale everything we wouldn’t be taking with us, transfer over old jobs into new, transfer Kate into the CA National Guard, plan a fare-well show, sell the truck, buy an environmentally friendly car, have a going-away-party, and (of course) play our final show in town the night before we pull away in a moving truck. Did we mention it was ambitious? It kinda’ felt like that time when you were 8 years old, thinking you could juggle a triple-scoop cone of ice cream, a boom-box, and glow sticks on strings while dancing on roller skates at Roller Kingdom… all epic memories start with ambition! We couldn’t have done it all without the help of our friends, so thank you all for your loving support! Some of our cherished memories include:

1) All the dinners we had with friends and family before we left. We adore our one-on-one time with people, so when we can all sit together and take in a meal away from the demands of life, we treasure it.

2) All the nature walks. Whether it was to walk off the food from out meal or to frolic with our favorite pups in the waters of Mill Creek Canyon, we loved all of our extra time spent in the Wasatch Mountains before we left. Not a moment was wasted.

3) The backyard BBQs. We had at least six of these that were all special in their own way and remain priceless in our memories. No matter the miles, we’ll always be Grill-friends!

4) The recordings. It turned into a labor of both love and preservation as we scrambled to record some quick music from an old project. Secily managed to work in some sweet time with long-time friend Steph Grundy to record songs before we left. If you’re a fan of 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, stay tuned for the fruits of that labor ;)

5) Jams and garden concerts. There are memories we’ve made and players we’ve come to love that were honored in our hearts during the last few months in Salt Lake City. We managed to still have a few fire place sessions… a few low-lit backyards that needed to be serenaded… and a few flowers that lingered in the Autumn air that we wanted to sing into Winter with us. Each new experience left us more and more content that we love all of our musical friends, but that it was time for the next chapter.

We arrived in L.A. with our “love tanks” full! It had been a mad-dash at the end to get out of town, but we had a pair of loyal friends willing to make the drive with us and we simply overflowed with gratitude and joy! We look forward to sharing some of our stories from here in L.A., but before we let our excitement run away with us, we wanted to tip our hat to the kind souls in Salt Lake who helped us get this far. Moving is always a leap of faith (it seams). You can plan all you want, but it will always keep a surprise or two in store for you. We are so very grateful for the send-off we had that has made it an easy transition to L.A. life and has gifted a sweet perspective of appreciation for all the adventures we’ve had thus far. Thank you for spending your time with us.

The Fare: Behind the Lyrics

In case Single Ladies by Beyoncè isn't your favorite anthem for that time you almost proposed to the wrong person, here's an alternative for you. After a breakup from a long term relationship, the lyrics to this one came pretty easy. How nice would it be if love where simple? How nice if it was always a joy to make life flex around what your heart desired at the time? Without a doubt, it takes breakups... those wrecking balls... those compromises and sacrifices to make us see the depth and power of true love. It will feel at times that the fare for the ticket down this love-searching path, wasn't fair at all. And some times, it legitimately isn't fair that people get away with hate-crimes in the name of their broken heart, but we mean it when we say it: just know where you stand. Be kind. Don't lie. Don't steal. Be an adult and move on with your life with grace and respect.

THE FARE

I take it all back.
I don't want to live like that
With a diamond on your hand.

'Cause promises
And all those burning bridges
Are more-than riddled with chance.

No, the sigh of the gravel never pity'd that fall.
And the fare for the ticket isn't fair at all.
They're just tokens of the ruin that
That wrecking ball left you.

I envy how you smoke
The way that you can let it go
Once it was a part of you.

I think of the words, but choke
Too terrified to hope
When I know I've got no reason to.

No, the sigh of the gravel never pity'd that fall.
And the fare for the ticket isn't fair at all
They're just tokens of the ruin that
That wrecking ball left you.

No don't forget: it's all been done before.
Don't all those excuses suddenly feel so poor?
Take it lite on your pride
That the light in the dark
Never was the shore
Sent to guide you

I take it all back.
No, I don't want to love like that.
Go out and get it if you can.

But heed this advice:
There's compromise and there's sacrifice,
Just know where you stand.

'Cause, the sigh of the gravel never pity'd that fall.
And the fare for the ticket isn't fair at all.
They're just tokens of the ruin that
That wrecking ball left you.

Don't Force It: Behind the Lyrics

When this song was first released on a little EP to help us make our way on a West Coast tour, it was picked up and reviewed by the local rag as one of Salt Lake City's sexiest songs. It's a blunt song about just listening to your feeling and not overthinking a situation. Don't get wrapped up in how you look all the time. Don't try to force being cool. Don't let the voices of those bullies in Middle School creep back into your head when you hit the dance floor. Just be yourself. Relax. Be honest. Be kind. Don't deny how you feel, and when you feel inspired to take action, don't force it. As they say with a good hand at Poker: let it ride!

DON'T FORCE IT

Don't force it.

Just let it ride.

And when you take it baby,

Mmmm hmmm, take your time.

No need to space it.

Accentuate the positive, let it live.

No, no, don't fake it baby.

You know I like it. Yeah I like it!

Can I double-dip and taste you twice?

No, don't force it.

License my hands.

Won't you let 'em go, let 'em roam?

Let 'em discover you inch by inch

Yeah they want you bad.

No, don't pace it.

We've got nothin' but time.

No, don't divide, don't hide what you want.

What's mine is yours; what's your is mine.

Oh honey, this could take all night.

Don't hide, don't divide what you want.

What's mine is yours; what's yours is mine.

Don't divide, don't hide what you want.

What's mine is yours; what's yours is mine.

Yours is mine. What's yours is mine.

Breaking Glass: Behind the Lyrics

We in Winter Grain are believers in the power of art and its ability to speak for itself. However, we also (as music fans) find value in knowing a little bit about the making of the art. Therefore, with a cautious stroke of the pen, we wanted to write down a little background behind our songs and fulfill a request that many of you have asked of us this past year: to post our lyrics. So without further ado, we give you Breaking Glass as the first in a series of blogs describing a little of the art behind our songs.

Breaking Glass came from an emotional place, rooted in Kate's time as a soldier. In the span of a decade, she had moved back and forth across the country from Michigan, to Alabama, to Nevada, and finally to Utah. Thus, the opening lyric was the first drop to seep through the dam when she wrote the lyrics to this song. She felt that strange yet familiar dichotomy of being the weak stranger in a new city, yet the strong soldier underneath; the accomplished scholar, with no street cred; the extrovert, surrounded by "Quiet" signs.

The ink met paper when she felt she might have to use her soldier strength to repel some un-wanted attention from an admirer. He couldn't understand her kindness for what it was: a simple desire for a friendly face and engaging conversation. She had to cut-off the friendship for fear that he couldn't get over his feelings, and she couldn't get past the anxiety of knowing she could really defend herself if she needed. She always felt like she was playing with fire. Then one day, upon reflecting on how fire extinguishers are often behind a pane of glass that says, "Break in case of emergency," she sat down and started writing.

BREAKING GLASS

The Highway ain't a home. Everybody comes. Everybody goes.

But I'm an old seed; I follow where that wind blows and float the river as she flows.

I'm a bon fire. I'm a live grenade. Only break this glass in case of emergency.

This is the final straw. This is the line in the sand. 

This is the click of a trigger. You better get out while you can.

Werewolves and Vampires: monsters are popular to hire.

Ooo! Lucky you! Let your wary eyes retire.

'Cause if I'm an angel I'm a liar.

No. You're martyrdom ain't welcome here.

Caught you in your lust when it should be fear.

No the faint of heart don't earn these tears.

No heart is born a stone; the walls around them we build they are our own.

Let me be clear. Leave me alone. No you don't want to make me change my tone.

'Cause I'm the blue wire in the atomic age.

And I told you only to break this glass in case it was an emergency.

And I'm a bon fire. I'm a live grenade.

And I told you only to break this glass in case it was an emergency.

This is the final straw. This is the line in the sand.

This is the click of a trigger. You better get out while you can.