January 26th, 2021 New ALBUM RELEASE
The Long Road
3 Pairs of Boots hits the high trail in their new album, ‘Long Rider’
By j. poet January 20, 2021….
Andrew Stern, the songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist behind 3 Pairs of Boots, says the band’s new album, Long Rider, was inspired by the adventures of Bernice Ende, a woman who has been exploring the United States alone, on horseback, for the last 15 years. Stern and singer Laura Arias, his songwriting partner in 3 Pairs of Boots, met Ende when their friend, filmmaker Wren Winfield, was working on Lady Long Rider, a documentary about Ende’s travels.
“When she was 50 or so, she came to a crossroads in her life and started riding her horse, all alone, for months and months at a time,” Stern said. “She had a home, but being free, alone and on the road appealed to her. The documentary describes her travels, the wonderful people she met and the experiences she had. Laura and I are long riders in a sense, because we’re on a long musical journey. Like traveling, it’s difficult, exciting, fun and full of unexpected experiences. There are always new challenges and discoveries. Wren introduced us to Ms. Ende after we wrote a few songs for the film’s soundtrack—’I Am the Map,’ ‘Angels of the Trail’ and ‘Everywhere I Go.'”
Those songs and seven more original tunes make Long Rider, the duo’s second album, a gratifying experience. With the exception of the rhythm tracks created by Nashville session drummer Christian Paschall, Stern created all the music on the album—bass, electric and acoustic guitars, and hand claps. Arias supplied the vocals and multi-layered harmonies that give the songs their cinematic feel. The album opener, “Quittin’ Time,” sounds like a classic country hit, with a strong chorus, twanging electric guitars and a tearful vocal from Arias that intensifies the song’s message of frustrated love. “Devil Road” is a solid country rock tune, with overlapping lead guitars and a spirited vocal. The singer owns up to her self-destructive life, with a combination of pride and regret as she sings: “I’d like to say you made me, but my sins are all mine.” The duo takes a trip back in time for “Summer of Love,” a tribute to the understanding and harmony that once was the hallmark of life in San Francisco. Stern’s chiming guitars and the lush layered harmonies Arias supplies give the song a nostalgic feel.
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