Rusty Creek Release New Single “Hello Old Friend” In Memory Of An Old Friend
Rusty Creek’s latest single, “Hello Old Friend,” is an unforgettable dedication to an old friend who influenced the band as a percussionist and songwriter. The roots four-piece combined their original style of country blues, western swing, and Cajun with some traditional South African instruments to commemorate their friend who grew up in Cape Town.
“He was my great friend who I miss so much,” says Rusty Creek lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Deeth. “When we recorded this song, we used different instruments on it some from South Africa and we captured the kind of rhythm that we knew Erich would have played. We think he would dig the Groove.”
This isn’t a sad ballad but more of a celebration of life. The fusion of the South African instruments makes it a more upbeat song than it seems on the outside. And when it is mixed with the slide instruments and guitar Rusty Creek is known for, it makes for an original piece of music their old friend would likely be proud of.
“Hello Old Friend” is the latest single from Rusty Creek’s album The Road of Life, released in June 2022. With influences from all over the music world, the band’s most recent release is described as Roots Re-Mastered, while the songs range from a stomping party to reflective storytelling.
Watch the video for “Hello Old Friend” below and learn more about Rusty Creek via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello Music lovers, my name is Alex Deeth. I am the lead singer/songwriter with Rusty Creek, and I play the guitar, mandolin, and Irish bouzouki.
You’ve been featured before. Tell us what’s been going on since the spring?
Since the spring, we have released a new album, The Road Of Life. To date, we’ve had a fair amount of airplay from stations in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, BC, and recently in Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas. We had a very successful album release at a well-known venue in Vancouver. We have also launched two new music videos, one for “Kitchen Party” and just last week for “Hello Old Friend.” Currently writing new tunes and working on another video. I hope to be in the studio in November to start work on our third album.
How hard was it to write about a real person in “Hello Old Friend”?
It wasn’t hard to do, as I knew Erich for years. However, the lyrics took quite a while to get right. The song had to capture his vibrant spirit and cherish his memory without being too somber. It’s really a celebration of life. I gave his eulogy, and I knew he would rather have a cool rhythm over a sad dirge. His wife was the first to hear it, and she approved. And now we have a wonderful video for the song too.
Who was the first artist to knock you out?
This is a hard question, as there have been a few, so I guess it was John Sebastian of the Loving Spoonful, but Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and of course, John Prine all are equal.
What’s the one album by a Canadian artist that everyone should have in their collection?
I think all Canadian Music lovers should have “The Last Waltz” by the band.
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