See Girls Guns & Glory’s Rambunctious Video for ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’
Girls Guns & Glory, the Boston-area band that deftly mixes an admiration for Hank Williams with rootsy Americana rock to create a timeless yet urgent sound, will release their new album Love and Protest on November 4th. Recorded live and with analog equipment, the record is preceded by the single “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a yearning anthem that boasts one of the most self-aware lines of the year: “I’m a hunter and collector of things / I keep holding on to bad memories.”
For the song’s video, the band, led by singer Ward Hayden, convened in their rehearsal space – Hayden’s basement, where a poster of Elvis Presley keeps watch – to deliver a simple yet engaging clip directed by John Gannon.
“The concept for this video is that there is no concept,” Hayden tells Rolling Stone Country. “We met John while we were in the studio making the new album. I grew up an MTV kid, so when I found out he was one of the people behind videos like Nirvana’s ‘Come as You Are,’ I messaged him my idea for this video. I wanted something real, nothing that had us pretending.”
Girls Guns & Glory, one of Rolling Stone Country‘s Artists You Need to Know, pride themselves on authenticity, following in the footsteps of heroes like Williams. Their live tribute album to the country-music pioneer, released last year, showcased the wild energy of the band onstage. The video for “Rock ‘n’ Roll” does likewise.
“I wanted the video to be honest and genuine, to capture something real about the band,” Hayden says of the basement setting. “You might see us on a bigger stage or under a lot of lights, but this is where the music we make gets its start. It’s just us and the song, rocking out in a basement.”
Girls Guns & Glory will support Love and Protest with an East Coast tour, kicking off next month:
November 4 – Scituate, MA @ River Club
November 11 – Fall River, MA @ Narrow Center for the Arts
November 12 – Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square
November 16 – Fairfield, CT @ The Warehouse (with Los Lobos)
November 17 – Albany, NY @ Low Beat
November 18 – Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
November 19 – Rehoboth Beach, DE @ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats
November 29 – Washington, D.C. @ Gypsy Sally’s*
November 30 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint *
December 1 – Pawling, NY @ Daryl’s Place*
December 2 – Wilkes-Barre, PA @ Kirby Center*
December 3 – Ithaca, NY @ The Dock*
December 4 – New Haven, CT @ Café Nine*
December 8 – Londonberry, NH @ Tupelo
December 10 – Easton, MD @ Avalon Theater
December 17 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
December 31 – Brownfield, ME @ Barn @ Stone Mountain Arts Center
January 14 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
* With Kelsey Waldon