Now/It's: A Video Premiere - "Winter Light" by Parker Hodges
There's always been a glut of talent in town, but when it comes to Americana and Country music, Nashville's cup sure as hell runneth over. I mean, just look at Parker Hodges' newest video, "Winter Light." Originally slated as part of WMOT 89.5 Roots Radio's Young Americana series, "Winter Light" managed to fall into Now/It's: Nashville's lap, and you can bet we're glad to get to premiere it; something about one person's trash....
Anyway, Parker Hodges is the stage pseudonym of Jonathan Williams, blending characteristic country lean with a new age cynicism and blissfully banal gleam. With regard to the video, Parker Hodges manages to snag some big time gets for "Winter Light."
He secures the fine tuned fingers of one of the premier pedal steel players in town - Luke Schneider - alongside drummer Cody Carpenter, bassist Joel Parks, not to mention the backing assist from Nightingail and October Tooth. Lo and behold, he's got himself a nice little who's who of a backing band for "Winter Light."
As for the song itself, it's soft and sweet, but never crosses into saccharine territory. Instead, it flirts with disaster and ultimate disdain for cities left high and dry, along with surreal concert epiphanies. Speaking of surrealism, Jacqueline Justice's direction ain't too shabby either. Hodges croons his quirky country musings as mesmerizing white light pours in from behind, leaving the sense of a winter that would invite something cozy, but much like "Winter Light" itself, never quite lets itself relax (in the best way).
