Chris Pierce Plugs Into the Electric Blues on “45 Jukebox” (premiere)

PopMatters’ Best Folk Album of 2021 went to Chris Pierce’s American Silence. The soulful record got to the heart of what Pierce does best—telling the truth and using music as a vehicle for change. As much is true of the driving Americana of “45 Jukebox”, his latest single. It’s a musical change from American Silence, switching on the electricity for a blues-drenched tune that wouldn’t feel out of place on stage beside the likes of Taj Mahal.

Delivered with a frontman’s unwavering tenacity, this danceable track rocks and rolls to the rhythm of Chris Pierce’s mission to keep his heart on his sleeve. He explains, “a traditional 45 Jukebox is a coin-operated phonograph with an illuminated cabinet, having a variety of records that can be selected by the drop of a dime and the push of a button. This song examines the journey as a songwriter and the internal process of the spirit for the songs to come to the surface. It’s about the rigorous and demanding road of putting the truth on the line and wearing your heart on your sleeve day by day, night after night. There is a road to freedom in songwriting, recording, and performing. It’s about being vulnerable and standing on the edge with your finger on the pulse, awaiting that drop of a dime and dedicating the soul and spirit to that moment when your song makes its way through the speaker and into the heart.”

Regarding its groovy lyric video, he says, “Why should folks with hearing loss like me have to watch music videos with boring subtitles. We hope that my friends in the hard-of-hearing community, as well as the Americana/roots/blues community around the world, can really feel the song, cadence, and message through this video offering.”

“45 Jukebox” releases on 22 July.