Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett was planning to drop a new single. He has released a new solo single titled “Long, Long Year.” The brooding tune has been noted to have got the musician step away from his punk and hard rock roots and dab his toe into alt-country grounds.
He was able to build a bridge between his native California and Nashville, Tennessee, where he recorded this new tune with legendary producer Vance Powell and a small roster of Americana all-stars: bassist Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, Jack White, Wanda Jackson),drummer Julian Doro (Eagles of Death Metal, The Whigs), keyboardist Mike Webb, steel guitarist Luke Schneider, and mandolinist/harmony vocalist Sierra Hull.
Chris Shiflett opens up on his new single
Shiflett had the following to say about the track:
“I spent a lot of time alone at my studio in L.A. during the first part of the lockdown just woodshedding tunes. The line ‘It’s been a long, long year’ was rattling around my head for obvious reasons, but I framed it as a love song.”
“My trip out to Nashville in March of 2021 was my first time recording any solo material since I made ‘Hard Lessons’ [2019’s solo album]. I hadn’t done much traveling post-COVID lockdown so I was a little nervous heading out there to work with a producer and a roomful of musicians I didn’t really know.”
“In true Nashville style, we made our introductions and got right down to work, hammering out the basic tracks in a few hours. Vance [Powell, producer] was great and made me feel right at home, and the group of players he put together was on point. The next day we did some overdubs and Sierra [Hull] came in and added mandolin and harmony vocals on ‘Long, Long Year’ and the tracks started coming together.”
