{"title":"The Montvales","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0229\/4117\/files\/The_Montvales.jpg?v=1769010688\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA total eclipse is a rare phenomenon when dark and light converge. Strangers lift their faces toward the perfect circle in the sky, and, for a moment, the world around us quiets and all divides erase. It’s a reckoning similar to the one Americans now face: a reminder that, however different we are, we share the same shadows and the same fragile earth. No one understands this better than the traveling musician. They absorb the people, experiences, struggles and success they meet along the way like devoted historians. Such is the case on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePath of Totality\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the third full-length album from Cincinnati-based folk duo The Montvales (coming March 20, 2026 on Free Dirt Records).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLike so many traveling musicians before them and so many still to come, Sally Buice and Molly Rochelson make their way from city to city diligently fulfilling the role of a cultural observer committed to understanding the world and documenting its tribulations. Conceived under eclipsed skies during a tour from Pittsburgh to Texas in April of 2024, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePath of Totality\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e unites the vast American diaspora by weaving us all into one collective and cosmic tapestry. Inspired by a long tradition of radical country and folk artists (Woody Guthrie, Indigo Girls, John Prine, The Chicks), The Montvales use their passion for literature and storytelling to craft an album that reckons with the current global fever pitch. The album’s twelve introspective, thematically and sonically layered tracks chart a transformative pilgrimage through an inextricably connected world at odds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen The Montvales embarked on their tour from Pittsburgh to Texas in the spring of 2024, their route inadvertently matched part of the path of totality for a total solar eclipse across North America. They met people from all over the world in each rural gas station. As surreal as the phenomenon may be, Rochelson, who applies astrological symbolism in her daily life, explains an eclipse is often a bad omen that brings dark, shadowy material to the surface. The tour proved to be challenging: even the cheapest hotel room cost hundreds of dollars, traffic was hectic. But the omen echoed far greater than the path of totality. Student uprisings across the country called attention to the unfolding genocide in Gaza, just like the protests that eclipsed college campuses decades ago during the Vietnam War (coincidentally, Rochelson explains, under the same series of Aries and Libra eclipses that had been hovering above North America in April 2024). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs the band was undergoing a rather dramatic streak of bad luck and responding to a political sphere on fire, Rochelson, in a moment of punchdrunk desperation, wrote the album’s striking opening track “World of Trouble.” “We were about to play the Old Quarter in Galveston, and I thought about Townes and Guy Clark and what it meant to be in this role of traveling stranger and cultural witness during such catastrophic times,” Rochelson says.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJust like Rochelson’s inspiration came while retreating to a walk along the water, Buice also relied on time in wild places to fuel her creative clarity. In an impulsive fit of blind optimism in late 2020, Buice hopped in her old Toyota Camry and traveled from Tennessee to Colorado to work as a wrangler on a ranch. Buice lived and worked on 100,000 acres along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, borrowing the privilege of caring for horses, cattle, bison, and land. While reflecting on her decision to become a wrangler Buice wrote the retrospective track “Hellbent on Colorado.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Retreating to nature and farm work tends to make space in my brain to unearth themes and start turning them into songs,” Buice explains. “The cycles of life and death on the ranch reminded me how pretty much everything is only borrowed for a time.” Even her time in Colorado was borrowed; She later moved to Cincinnati, sold the Camry for parts, and hung a picture of her favorite ranch horse on her apartment wall.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlace and fate resonate throughout \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePath of Totality\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Raised in the staunchly conservative state of Tennessee, Buice and Rochelson were outliers, destined to meet before they were even born. Their parents were family friends and former co-workers who nurtured their creative children and taught them the importance of empathy and community. Home to the Highlander Center, a historic social justice organizing space, and a diverse and busy Market Square in Knoxville, their East Tennessee community was a hotbed for political movements and for the arts. The duo took to Market Square in middle school to kick off their busking career, performing alongside all sorts of entertainers for an audience intent on basking in the robust chaos of the commons.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“It was a really inclusive scene. It felt like there was a little bit of everything; it wasn’t super competitive or polished or anything,” Rochelson remembers, laughing about the saw player who has become a regular fixture in Market Square. “It didn’t really feel like there was any barrier to entry.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe community embraced the pair’s musical pursuits throughout their youth. They jumped around from genre to genre, playing roots music with punk and old-time influences to craft their sound and message. “We are on the feral outskirts of country music,” Rochelson says.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheir politically-driven songwriting stems from what the pair witnessed growing up in a liberal southern community. The Highlander Center was frequently set on fire and faced several bomb threats, there was a politically-motivated shooting at their Unitarian Church, and the Planned Parenthood where Rochelson worked burned down. The Highlander Center sometimes hosted socially-driven musicians who made special visits to their church to play for the congregation. Reminiscing on the lyrics to John Prine’s “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore,” Buice explains that she’s always wanted to be part of that political musical lineage. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“I’ve always thought that would be the best possible way to do music,” Buice says. “I don’t always set out to convey a particular message. I think it works better to see how politics obviously informs everything about our lives, and braid that into the songs.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Path of Totality\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e does not shy away from the weight of political strife and catastrophe, opting instead to boldly confront it. From Gaza solidarity protests to hurricanes battering the south, to the rising cost of living, The Montvales ask us not only how will we endure despite our differences, but how will we find each other again. Their songs are descriptive and textured. The characters are vivid. Their stories are crucial. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor The Montvales, songwriting unlocks a higher calling. “It’s a therapeutic exercise when there are too many feelings to put anywhere else,” Buice explains. “I also read all the time and that definitely gets my wheels turning about how to construct a story and what language can do.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSongwriting’s therapeutic approach informs Rochelson’s understanding of the perplexing world around her, allowing her a path toward empathy. “I’m trying to understand how people work because I’m often flummoxed by that,” she says. “Being able to zoom out and be like, ‘What must it have been like to be these people over here?’ feels like a survival skill.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSurvival is another common theme throughout \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Path of Totality. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn “Runaway Horse” and “Overtime,” Buice laments the energy and investments necessary to survive as a working musician, woman, and family member in a state stacked against her. Due to the gentrification of Knoxville, they both felt pushed out of their hometown in search of a more affordable city. The duo migrated north to Cincinnati, inspired by punk-folk crusaders The Tillers who had built meaningful careers there. It wasn’t long before the Tillers, who maintain a reputation for lifting up new artists in the area, invited them play at Southgate House Revival, where they became regular performers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhile their own struggles lend emergent political and social commentary throughout the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePath of Totality\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, they also introduce other ambitious characters, both real and fictional. A woman desperate to save her community from a gas pipeline in “Plains of Ohio,” a devout grandmother traveling across the world to Yugoslavia in search of the Virgin Mary in “Our Lady,” and a trouble-making Bible College misfit in “Loud and Clear” are just a few of the archetypes listeners meet. The Montvales depend on storytelling and narration to foster solidarity in a polarized world. The album skillfully and emotionally bounces from love song to lamentation, a testament to their growing musical dynamic.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Montvales recorded \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHeartbreak Summer Camp\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, their first album, in a living room. “That’s how we knew how to play them and we didn’t have any money and so that’s how we did it,” Rochelson says. The stripped-down, DIY folksongs span their young adulthood, beginning in their teens and taking them through their mid 20s. “I’m really glad that we did that as a document of that time.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeeking a more polished sound, the duo recorded their next album \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBorn Strangers\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e at Sean Sullivan’s Tractor Shed Studio in Goodlettsville, TN, and sought out Mike Eli LoPinto to produce it. LoPinto brought in a band of players to help translate the duo’s songs into a much broader, collaborative sound. The Montvales brought LoPinto back for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePath of Totality, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethis time\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003erecorded at Jesse Noah Wilson’s Rancho Deluxe, a cozy home studio complete with dogs and horses galloping just outside the windows. The flexibility allowed them to stray from their traditional folk duo set up, while also listening to Hurray for the Riff Raff and James McMurtry for inspiration.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“There are definitely more electric guitars on this record,” Rochelson laughs. They flirt with pop country and indie sounds, combining dark tones with emotional vocals throughout the album. LoPinto leant guitar and banjo, Mary Meyers accompanied on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, and vocal harmonies, Aaron Goodrich sat in on drums, Eddy Dunlap brought a cool direction with pedal steel, and Jesse, who mixed and engineered the album, played keys and bass. The result is a bonafide, left-of-center indie pop country record: “Our wildest, most expansive work yet.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJust as the band brought a new wildness to their sound, the fever-pitched state of the world also informed the record. Rochelson explains, “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePath of Totality\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e feels wilder than \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBorn Strangers\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e just because the world has somehow managed to get wilder.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt’s helpful to navigate this tumultuous time with a friend by your side. Fate keeps reuniting the pair, who now live two blocks from each other. Sometimes their connection feels telepathic, where things Buice has only thought about end up in Rochelson’s dreams. Writing songs together requires a vulnerability and forgiveness that only true collaborators can endure. Bringing an idea for a song to the other person demands total surrender, even the shadowy, angry and desperate parts of oneself. “It’s a document of us just entirely giving ourselves up to the process,” Buice says, “literally and metaphorically putting ourselves in the path of totality in pursuit of wholeness.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThere’s no halfway in, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethey write in the track “The Wicked.” Together, The Montvales are devoted to redefining success and survival outside the paradigm of linear time and capitalist construct by relying on their cosmic, intuitive energy. “So what if we’re doomed here, now, this time? We’ll just find each other in the next round and pick up where we left off.” Just as rare and as juxtaposing as a total solar eclipse, with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePath of Totality, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Montvales unleash a phenomenal and cosmic American tableau for modern times with the power to unite us all. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eFor more information on The Montvales, please visit their\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener\" title=\"The Montvales\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themontvales.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eofficial site\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecordings by The Montvales from Free Dirt Records:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-montvales-path-of-totality","title":"The Montvales - Path of Totality","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-1e0cc78e-7fff-583e-fcc7-14b8ca5cb2b0\"\u003eConceived under eclipsed skies, Path of Totality (out March 20th), the new album from The Montvales, unites the vast American diaspora into one collective and cosmic tapestry. Inspired by the long tradition of radical country and folk artists, longtime friends Sally Buice and Molly Rochelson use their passion for literature and storytelling to craft an album that reckons with the current global fever pitch. The album’s 12 introspective, thematically and sonically layered tracks chart a transformative pilgrimage through an inextricably connected world. A woman desperate to save her community from a gas pipeline in “Plains of Ohio,” a devout grandmother traveling across the world to Yugoslavia in search of the Virgin Mary in “Our Lady,” and a trouble-making Bible College misfit in “Loud and Clear” are just a few of the archetypes listeners meet. The Cincinnati-based duo cut their teeth as teens busking on Market Square in Knoxville, TN. Produced by Eli LoPinto (Chris Stapleton), the duo opted for a bigger sound and the result is a bonafide, left-of-center indie country record. Path of Totality does not shy away from the weight of political strife and catastrophe, opting instead to boldly confront it, bringing to bear the power to unite us all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTrack Listing:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-c78e2240-7fff-d4f7-3e5e-d5ed3645c9ec\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e1. World of Trouble\u003cbr\u003e2. Hellbent on Colorado\u003cbr\u003e3. Loud and Clear\u003cbr\u003e4. Carolina\u003cbr\u003e5. The Wicked\u003cbr\u003e6. Plains of Ohio\u003cbr\u003e7. Cincinnati \u003cbr\u003e8. Runaway Horse\u003cbr\u003e9. Overtime\u003cbr\u003e10. Funeral Singer\u003cbr\u003e11. Our Lady\u003cbr\u003e12. Eastern Bluebird\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog Number: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDIRT-CD-0129, DIRT-LP-0129\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" color=\"#000000\"\u003eUPC: CD (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e877746012921), LP (877746012914\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan data-sheets-userformat='{\"2\":8403459,\"3\":[null,0],\"4\":[null,2,16777215],\"12\":0,\"14\":[null,2,0],\"15\":\"Arial\",\"16\":12,\"26\":400}' data-sheets-value='{\"1\":3,\"3\":877746008917}'\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\u003c\/ol\u003e","brand":"Free Dirt Records \u0026 Service Co.","offers":[{"title":"150g Vinyl LP","offer_id":53192386085024,"sku":"DIRT-LP-0129","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Compact Disc","offer_id":53192386052256,"sku":"DIRT-CD-0129","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0229\/4117\/files\/TheMontvales-PathofTotality-AlbumArt.jpg?v=1768929493"}],"url":"https:\/\/freedirt.net\/collections\/the-montvales.oembed","provider":"Free Dirt Records \u0026 Service Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}