Original Music Videos for Emerging Local & Regional Musicians
Presented by Eli Gardiner of Gardiner Productions, in partnership with Adventures in Americana
The North Country Song Sessions merge Eli’s two passions: visual storytelling and songwriting. Live music is fleeting, a moment in time. These sessions capture that magic in a unique location of the artists' choosing. Call them field recordings, call them stripped-down performances—it’s all about the song.
Faith Boblett
Faith Boblett is a Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter with roots in northern Minnesota, and she was named one of 2018’s Best New Bands by First Avenue. She began writing her own music at age thirteen, shortly after teaching herself to play the guitar. Though Faith was raised in a musical household, she has developed a distinctive voice of her own, blending pop, Americana, rock, and alt-country. Recently, I met with Faith at (soon to be open) The Green Room in Uptown Minneapolis to record a field video for her song “Never Right” where she shared with me the impetus for the song. Check out the video now!
Jim Walsh
Jim Walsh is a songwriter, author, and recording artist from Minneapolis. His band, Jim Walsh & the Dog Day Cicadas, released their second recording this fall, the “Shout It Out To You” EP. A veteran Minnesota journalist and columnist, Walsh is the former leader of bands Laughing Stock and the Mad Ripple, and founder of the songwriter round-robin collective The Mad Ripple Hootenanny. For this holiday season installment of North Country Song Sessions, Jim performs his first-ever Christmas song, inspired by the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis’s super warm and perfectly proper Prodigal Pub. See Jim and Eli live January 5, 2023 at the 318 Cafe in Minnetonka!
Nick Hensley
For the third video in the North Country Song Sessions, I got to hang out with Nick Hensley on the sidewalk outside his St. Paul home, where he played me a new song near a tiny, roadside library. Watch the music video for his single “Second Hand Love”.
Sarah Morris
In this second edition of Season 1, North Country Song Sessions, local Sarah Morris shares a new song under a willow tree in her backyard from her upcoming album, to be released in early 2023. Her next show in the Twin Cities is Friday, October 14 at kj’s hideaway, supporting Amanda B. Perry’s album release. Join me for what will definitely be an excellent show by one of the Twin Cities’ own!
Clare Doyle
Local singer-songwriter, videographer, and new content contributor for Adventures in Americana, Eli Gardiner met up with Clare Doyle on the back porch of her house in Saint Paul Minnesota on a breezy summer day. The storm clouds were coming in fast as we set up, having to take shelter on her porch as a brief summer rain storm passed over. We hope you enjoy this first edition of the North Country Song Sessions music video series!