Fresh Cuts Friday: Loss and Greed and Dogs and Great Music
Fresh Cuts Friday! Here we are. Cindy’s picks. Cindy hosts. But we’ve got the new ED of FA, Sarah LaDuke, writing about some of the songs for the Fresh Cuts blog post. Where is that? You’re reading it right now.
Fresh Cuts, Cindy’s weekly radio hour airs every Friday at 2pm ET / 11am PT on Folk Alley’s 24/7 stream — available on our website, mobile app, or your smart speaker too. Prefer to listen on your own time? Just click on the Fresh Cuts stream whenever it works for you.
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Billy Strings – “Burn the Other End”
This single is from Billy Strings’ upcoming ‘So Much for Goodbyes’ (8/28/26 – Reprise), produced by Billy Strings and T Bone Burnett.
“I made this record to honor my mother,” he shares. “To notice and embrace this very significant period of grief in my life and make art from it.” Strings has emphasized that he’s discussed her passing publicly to raise awareness about addiction and help others going through similar family tragedies.
Since my own mom died in January 2022, I have often found myself saying “Once your mom dies, everything is about a mom dying.” Songs, movies, definitely books, every other story on The Moth Radio Hour – losing a parent is enormous and even with all of these examples that you start to notice once it happens to or near you – people need to talk about it more.
But/and, my stars! The playing on this track!
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Margo Price – “Oval Room”
On to another legitimate source of grief.
Margo Price sings “He’s a businessman, He got business ties, He got dollar signs, In both his eyes” on this cover of a 1989 song by the late Blaze Foley. Why do we keep electing these dollar-sign-eye guys? For the sake of brevity and levity: it’s a huge bummer.
“Oval Room” is track 4 of a 9 tune collection of protest songs that Price surprise-released on July 3 (Loma Vista Recordings). There is a lyric video on Margo Price’s YouTube page that lines up the lyrics with current administration actions and images. A portion of the D2C proceeds from ‘Day of Unrest’ vinyl sales will be donated to the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project.
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Alex Dupree – “You’re a Dog, Don’t Talk to Me”
If there is a sentiment I’ve never felt, it’s the title of this song.
Alex Dupree covers Michael Hurley in this new single that’s less about a chatty canine and more about holding onto reality even — – or especially — – when what’s on offer is too good to be true.You can hear the wandering and the wanting in this tune. The dust and the determination.
Dupree’s album ‘Talking to the Dog’ will be out on Scissor Tail Records on 8/14/26.
And in case I wasn’t clear: If you’re a dog, DO TALK TO ME.
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This week’s Fresh Cuts also features Maura Shawn Scanlin’s “The Good Ship” — which we premiered last week — and “Piper’s Lagoon” from Ken and Brad Kolodner (ever heard of him?). Ken and Brad’s album “Hand’s Cove” is out this week and Devon Léger reviewed it for FA.
I tried to write about Sophie Wellington’s “In Seaport Town” but I kept crying. Which is fine. Crying is allowed. I’ll leave you with this: Harper Lee’s pen lives in Sophie Wellington’s lyrics.
Other excellent selections below. Cindy doesn’t miss and these artists are all cooking with gas. Or charcoal. Or wood. Or maintaining a raw diet in a badass way. They are good, is what I’m saying.
Enjoy! – SLD
More this week on Fresh Cuts!
Allison Russell – “No Springtime” (feat. Joy Oladokun and Julia Williams)
AJ Lee & Blue Summit – “Fishin’ in the Dark”
case/lang/veirs – “Accidental Tattoo”
Charley Crockett – “The Hallelujah Trail”
Damien Dempsey – “Go Move Shift”
Rhiannon Giddens – “Carolina Rain”
The Family – “The End” (feat. Dylan LeBlanc)
