Premiere: Scott Clay Shares New Video “Utah”

New LP Let It All Lay Naked Out Now

Aug 02, 2023

By Caleb Campbell

Images by Britt Warner

Nashville-based people singer/songwriter Scott Clay returned together with his new fifth full-length LP, Let It All Lay Naked. Befitting its title, the file traces portraits with the hand of a gifted storyteller, starting from Clay’s eager for a relationship with a stoic father to the story of the Nez Pierce’s resistance in opposition to the U.S. Military. Amongst these tales, he weaves songs stuffed with grand, naturalistic magnificence and plush instrumental preparations, impressed equally by his journeys by means of the nation’s nationwide parks and by musical touchstones like The Struggle on Medicine and Tom Petty.

The complete album is out all over the place now, however accompanying the album’s launch Clay is sharing a sequence of music movies he recorded throughout his journey by means of the nationwide parks. Immediately, he’s again with a video for his observe “Utah,” premiering with Beneath the Radar.

“Utah” is at turns each expansive and melancholic, with regular drumming and winding guitar strains setting the stage for Clay’s longing vocal efficiency. Clay attracts grandeur from sparse and honest melodies as a substitute of hovering preparations, letting his vocals and lyricism convey the track’s deep nostalgia and bittersweet magnificence. The observe sees Clay reflecting on a love misplaced, with Utah serving because the place the place the embers final burned vivid. He confesses, “Deep contained in the canyon / Our love can nonetheless be discovered / Buried by the river / Buried within the floor / It takes a bit of time to say / Every thing you’ll want to say / I hope these phrases discover a strategy to you.”

The accompanying video was filmed in Arches Nationwide Park in Utah, mirroring the observe’s poignant tone with an equally beautiful locale. The expansive vistas provide an ideal distinction with the uncooked intimacy that runs inside the observe, letting Clay lay all of it naked amongst the wondrous desert arches. Try the track and video beneath, together with our accompanying Q&A with Clay. Let It All Lay Naked is out all over the place now.

What was the inspiration behind this track? What’s it about? What was the writing course of like for this track, each musically and lyrically?

The track “Utah” from my 2022 album “Let It All Lay Naked” is of specific private significance to me. Within the spring of 2015, my former spouse and I took a visit to Canyonlands Nationwide Park in Utah and spent the week exploring the desert in a jeep. Quickly after that journey, we obtained a divorce, and I take into consideration that journey as one of many final particular journeys that we had collectively. I wrote the track over the course of a couple of yr after which launched it on my 2017 acoustic album, “Idiot’s Journey.” It was a really cathartic course of for me to put in writing this track, and I wrote a good quantity of it outside, a few of it whereas on mountaineering trails.

I keep in mind, particularly, I had deliberate a mountaineering journey with my brother within the Goat Rocks Wilderness close to Mount Rainier in Washington State. We had set a meetup level just a few miles from the trailhead at a fork within the path, and there was no cell reception within the space. I obtained to our meetup spot, and he was not there, so I as a substitute did a solo hike and camped the night time additional up the path with a surprising view of Mount Rainier. I wrote a lot of the track that day and night time, after which ended up assembly up with my brother and his pals later the subsequent day. It was such a particular journey to actually give attention to my loss and unhappiness and spend time alone that night time within the mountains. A very therapeutic second!

The areas within the video are actually gorgeous. The place did you movie it? How did you select the placement? Who filmed this for you and who directed and edited the video?

This video was filmed in Arches Nationwide Park, close to Moab, Utah. I used to be wrapping up video taking pictures for the “Let It All Lay Naked” music video, filmed in close by Canyonlands Nationwide Park, and the videographer for that video, Britt Warner (who additionally directed and edited this video), and I made a decision to spend our final day taking pictures this footage, as we had some further time and exquisite climate in Arches.

What do you assume the video’s message is? Do you might have a favourite second from the video?

For this video, I attempted to stay with the theme of the track, which is simplistic, stripped-down, and uncooked. I wished to convey the story and message of the track, and permit focus to be on the lyrics, moderately than overcomplicating the video with advanced pictures and fast cuts between edits. My favourite second on this video is strolling in entrance of Panorama Arch, which is a completely gorgeous panorama to witness in actual life. It was lovely to get into the park early sufficient to movie earlier than different guests had been at this location, and it gave us some nice alternatives for pictures.

You’ve filmed quite a lot of movies in nationwide parks, which actually makes them stand out. Do you propose to proceed this custom for future movies?

Thanks! I do have one final Nationwide Parks video set to launch later this yr, after which we will likely be shifting on to taking pictures in a distinct type for a brand new album that’s releasing in 2024.

You journey and tour quite a bit. What’s your favourite place you’ve been up to now?

I do journey fairly a bit with my music, and I actually get pleasure from acting at a venue named The Boatel alongside the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska. Later this month, I’ll be opening for an Alaskan band named Black Water Railroad at that venue, and I actually benefit from the outside stage there. Once I’ve carried out there within the summertime, there are two-to-three-hour-long “sunsets” that occur, because of the summer season solstice. And once I’ve carried out there within the winter, I’ve been capable of witness some completely unimaginable aurora mild reveals within the night time sky.