PREMIERE: Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs “Hold On”

Listen to “Hold On” off the upcoming new album from Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, “Coyote”

“Coyote” will be available on June 2, 2023.

Listen to Hold On

As we wrote when we covered the release of the previous album from Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, “Through the Smoke,” we first were introduced to this 5-person powerhouse from Montana when they were opening for the Jeff Austin Band in Denver.

Since that point in 2019, we’ve been lucky enough to have seen Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs several times, (including this great performance at Rhythms on the Rio in 2022), and the songs of “Through the Smoke” have become familiar friends in steady rotation.

Just in time  – as Montana’s best stompgrass ensemble is about to hit us all with another brand new album – their 5th studio effort.

“Coyote” will be available on all platforms on June 2.

“The making of this album felt fluid, start to finish,” says Lena (Laney) Schiffer. “From writing the songs to the recording and mixing process, our team had a cohesive goal in mind and a passion for this project as a unified whole. This album represents our band in our truest form yet. It’s honest to  who we are as people and musicians and has the energy that we bring to our live shows.”

From track to track, “Coyote” is a journey and a reflection on the path the band has taken, as well as the growth they have experienced, musically and personally.

And that can be seen on “Hold On,” the second single from “Coyote.”

“Hold On is a song about the search for the grounded parts of life when it turns upside down, whether that means finding it on your own or searching for a higher meaning,” says Bird Dogs guitarist/vocalist Josh Moore.  “In the end, there isn’t a guaranteed path to purpose, just hold on and enjoy the ride.”

We’re sure you’ll all enjoy the ride on “Coyote” on June 2!

For now, we are proud to present “Hold On”:

MONTANA’S PREMIER ALTERNATIVE BLUEGRASS BAND LANEY LOU AND THE BIRD DOGS STIR  EMOTIONS WITH THRILLING NEW STUDIO ALBUM, COYOTE 

BOZEMAN, MONTANA (April 25, 2023) – Bluegrass brims with purity. It haunts and thrills while  it cuts deeply and soothes swiftly. At its core, bluegrass should stir emotions that are launched  into the stratosphere propelled by super-charged banjos and fiddles. And those high-lonesome  vocals are meant to speak a soulful language all audiences understand.  

One listen to Coyote, the upcoming new album by Montana’s premier alternative bluegrass  ensemble Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, and you’ll witness firsthand the spirit uplift that lies at  the center of this exhilarating musical form. Coyote, the band’s fifth studio album and the  follow-up to 2021’s genre-expanding opus Through the Smoke, is scheduled for a June 2nd release.  

On Coyote, as on Through the Smoke, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs are Lena (Laney) Schiffer on  guitar and vocals; Josh Moore on guitar and vocals; Brian Kassay on fiddle and vocals; Matt Demarais on banjo and vocals; and Ethan Demarais on bass. But these aren’t the same  musicians they were two years ago. This time, these singers and players upped the ante to  deliver a statement that defines who they are on and off stage.  

“The making of this album felt fluid, start to finish,” says Schiffer. “From writing the songs to the  recording and mixing process, our team had a cohesive goal in mind and a passion for this  project as a unified whole. This album represents our band in our truest form yet. It’s honest to  who we are as people and musicians and has the energy that we bring to our live shows.” 

Recorded at Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, California, Coyote was produced by Brad Dollar,  engineered and mixed by Kevin Israel, and mastered by Justin Shturtz. The album takes its name  from a prophetic sighting as the band drove back home after wrapping up the recording  process. As they wound their van along Highway 1 on the California west coast, they spotted a  coyote sitting on rocks and staring at the ocean. The coyote peacefully gazed at the vehicle  without moving a muscle, as if bidding the band farewell on their completed journey.  

Three single releases are planned for Coyote – the foreboding, almost frenetic “Birds,” the  plaintive “Hold On” with its heartbreaking violin, and “Give It Up,” a lovely ode to matters of the  heart. One more track deserves special mention: Coyote ends with “Valley,” a life lesson in song  that leaves a four-part harmony refrain floating in the mountainous air, “There’s a reason that  the valley is where I stay.”  

The reasons why Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs are breaking new ground in a musical genre with  nearly a century of history come down to passion and fortitude. These singers, songwriters, and  players aren’t afraid to nudge bluegrass into the present even as they revere the past. For Laney  

Lou and the Bird Dogs, creativity is as expansive as Montana’s big sky. Make no mistake, it is  their creativity. A decade or so after its inception, the members of Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs 

still operate as a self-sufficient, self-managed ensemble. They even design/screen print their  merch in house. 

Then they tour nationally more than 150 dates a year, including a featured band spot in past  festivals such as Under the Big Sky, Red Ants Pants, Blue Ox, AmericanaFest, and Bourbon and  Beyond. Already there are more than 40 dates in the books taking them through early  September, which include slots in upcoming festivals Merlefest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina,  Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion in Tennessee-Virginia, and The American Music Fest in  Chicago. Concert bookings for Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs are coordinated by John Everhart at  New Frontier Touring.  

Touring is the bread and butter, but there is also plenty of gravy. Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs  earned a Top 10 position in the popular blog Saving Country Music’s list of 16 Country & Roots  Music’s Best Live Performers of 2021. They had lofty company as Dwight Yoakam, Sierra Ferrell,  Tyler Childers, and Billy Strings were also in the countdown. Their music has been recognized by  two respected PBS series. The band was featured on the Emmy Award winning 11th and Grant  with Eric Funk and one of their songs was highlighted in the soundtrack of the 2019 “My  Country No More” episode of PBS’ Independent Lens. 

“We have all approached the evolution of Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs with a very unified  purpose – we always want to stay real as people and musicians,” says Ethan Demarais. “Coyote is the creative manifestation of where that unified purpose is right now. But we will continue to  evolve and take chances because we are forging a new path for today’s bluegrass music lovers.” 

Connect with Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs on social media: Like the band’s Facebook page,  follow the band’s Instagram page, and subscribe to the band’s YouTube channel. Also, check out  Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs’ website for more insight on the group’s passionate, soulful brand  of alternative bluegrass.