Video Premiere: Alison Brown and Steve Martin (feat. Tim O’Brien): “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back”

Gentle banjo fingerpicking swirls into a loping instrumental tempo, inviting us to step onto the front porch, sit down, and tap our toes to the lilting rhythms of “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back,” the latest collaboration between banjoists Alison Brown and Steve Martin. Tim O’Brien adds some ringing mandolin licks and his silver-throated vocals to this familiar tale of musicians struggling to balance life on the road with the pull of being back home. Martin’s lyrics feature a surprising twist on the usual road song. On the third instrumental bridge, each musician stretches out, chasing down the melody established by Brown. An all-star cast of musicians join Brown, Martin, and O’Brien, including Bryan Sutton on guitar and harmony vocals, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Todd Phillips on bass, and Vickie Vaughn on harmony vocals.

Martin expresses his delight in the song and the collaboration: “I’m so happy to be back playing with Alison, Tim O’Brien and all the great musicians I’m so fortunate to work with. ‘5 Days Out, 2 Days Back’ is Alison’s and my tribute to all us road musicians.” Brown praises O’Brien’s vocals and his mandolin stylings: “Tim is one of the all-time greatest singers in bluegrass. From the first demo we recorded together, he brought the perfect energy and spin to it, drawing on his many years of touring to bring the story to life.” For his part, O’Brien confirms his pleasure in making this song: “Alison Brown and Steve Martin compress a year of a touring musician’s life into a few minutes on their new single. Our protagonist finds a path between the conflicting pulls of family and the road, plus I sing it really good!”

“5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” will appear on a collection of songs by Brown and Martin that Compass Records will release later this year.

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More ways to listen to “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” HERE