After releasing a full-length in September, St. Petersburg songwriter Kristopher James had plans to spend 2020 releasing some songs individually. But helping friends after the Nashville tornadoes and navigating COVID-19 proved to be a creative gut punch. Some of James’ friends—including Nashville songwriter Kyshona Armstrong who James met during her gig at the Straz—lifted him up for this new song, which he called a catharsis.
“Being able to sculpt the song and parts, working with people that I absolutely adore and respect, allowed me to not be overwhelmed by all the tumult,” James told CL.
Armstrong, who sings backup vocals on James’ new song, said she’s been doing a lot of session work from her home studio during quarantine, and told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that, “It was a lot of fun to venture down the musical worm hole to lay down a full choir of vocals.”
“The beautiful part of being a musician with a message during a time when the music industry is taking a hit is watching how musicians are still finding ways to connect with one another and their fans to reflect the feelings of a nation,” Armstrong said. “We continue to write about what we are seeing on the streets and in the news. And, amazingly, we are still able to reach many different audiences because of social media. Even though the industry of music is taking a hit right now, the true purpose and intention of musicians and artists is stronger than ever. We are still trying to unify through song.”
Listen to “Never Had To Find Our Way”—which also features Aaron Buckingham from Oxford Noland on drums—below.
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This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2020.