Portland, Oregon-based folk singer-songwriter Erisy Watt transforms fear into wonderment on the stunning "Redwoods," the latest release from her forthcoming album Paints in the Sky (out on July 26).
Videos by Wide Open Country
Watt says she began writing the song while on an awe-inspiring trip in California's Redwood forests.
"This song began on a solo backpacking trip in Big Sur, California in 2015. Spending the night in the backcountry on my own was something I'd always wanted to do even though I had a lot of fears going into it. And while I cannot fully say I wasn't afraid when I woke in the wee hours of the night in a dark forest, I can say that so much of that fear transformed into awe and appreciation of the mighty redwoods that rose up around me. And as I walked in silence throughout the day, I heard a whole symphony of sounds in the forest I'd never taken the time to discover. I realized that I was not alone at all, and I began singing to myself the words that would later become the lyrics of this song," Watt tells Wide Open Country. "A few months later, I was visiting guitarist Jeremy Ferrara in Thailand where he was teaching science at the time and he taught me a guitar piece he'd been writing. I instantly fell in love (as I always do with Jeremy's guitar playing), and at some point, during my travels, the lyrics from Big Sur found their way to Jeremy's guitar composition from Thailand."
Watt says the song is a reminder to live boldly.
"What I love the most is that something that began as an effort to confront my fears became a meaningful and creative expression I get to share with others," she says. "Every time I sing this song, I'm reminded to not let fears dictate my decisions or inhibit me from seeking new experiences. More often than not, when we ask that voice of doubt to subside, we create new space for the beautiful."
Today, Wide Open Country is premiering the video for "Redwoods," directed by Jon Meyer and filmed at the historic Hallowed Halls in Portland, Oregon.
For more information on Erisy Watt, visit her official website.
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