The first Lost River Sessions Live show of the year kicked off in January at the Capitol Arts Center in Bowling Green, with performances from the multi-talented Bowling Green artist Jamie Resch, and experienced singer/songwriter/producer Will Kimbrough.
Jamie Resch has been playing music in Bowling Green for years. Many staples of the local music scene, including Josh London, Grant Curry and Cody Beck, joined Resch during her set as she performed several original songs from her E.P., Riding the Pine. She explained music can be almost therapeutic for her.
"Anytime you're going through any kind of emotional wave, it's helpful to write it out, and get it out that way," Resch said.
Kimbrough, currently based in Nashville, has spent decades in the music industry. He's worked with legends like John Prine, Emmylou Harris, and Jimmy Buffett. He said he tries to get inside the head of the artist he's working with during the songwriting and production process.
"I try to work with people whose music I also love, because it's a lot of work, and a lot of attention to someone else's baby," Kimbrough said.
During his set, Kimbrough shared several of his stories and observations from a prolific career.
One of the most important lessons he's learned over the years was also one of his first, when he said he was signed to a record deal in his early 20s and flown to Woodstock, N.Y., to record an album.
"I think the direction of the producer and the record label, they wanted to make us into something else," Kimbrough said, "Hopefully when you're young, and then you get this experience, and you get it out of your system that when you have a producer or a record company try to sort of make you into something that you're not, and it makes you uncomfortable, you might want to walk from it."
Years later, he was able to leave his contract. Decades later, he's built up quite a resume. Part of that comes from his ability to learn what elements make a song stand out.
"A recording is just audio. It's not a video. So if the band was jumping up and down in the studio and having a good time recording it, nobody can ever hear that. Unless they can. And if they can hear that, then that's a good record," Kimbrough said.
Like Resch, Kimbrough uses his daily experiences as inspiration for songwriting, something that comes through during his show.
