Singled Out: Surrender Hill's Witness

Georgia-based Americana singer-songwriter duo Surrender Hill just released their new album, "Wild Country", and to celebrate we asked Robin Dean Salmon to tell us about the song "Witness". Here is the story:

I love singing this song. Every time we do, it loosens up my heart and calms me. It sets my soul free. There is something in the combination of the melody, lyric, rhythm, and the key of the song that is soothing. It's like sitting in a hot spring after a long hike. I say this because we are currently in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. What a wonderful place this is.

"Witness" was a beautiful surprise. Afton and I were going through old recordings on our phones and suddenly this song appeared. Complete with lyric and melody. It was untitled and dated about a month after our son, Wren, was born. On the phone recording, you can hear Wren in the background trying to sing along or something. It's pretty special. Once we heard it, we remembered writing it. I wasn't too keen on the original melody, but the words wrapped around me immediately. The distance from the song helped in rewriting the melody, which is something we rarely ever do. "Witness" is a song for Wren. It's a lesson and promise all in one.

Everything you do in life is known: "Everybody has a witness from the first beat of your heart." At the very least, that witness is yourself. God knows I've been my own witness throughout my life, and I've turned a blind eye at times. LOL. Well, when Wren was born, I knew I had another witness. The most powerful one of all. When recording "Witness," Matt Crouse got the drums down, and the next morning I went in early and put down a reference vocal. We fleshed out the song with Dennis Parker on mandolin, Jim Van Cleve on fiddle, Mike Waldron on electric guitar, Afton Seekins Salmon on background vocal, and me on bass, acoustic guitar, and B3 organ. When I went back to cut my final vocal track, it just never felt right, and I kept going back to the "scratch" vocal I had recorded on that early morning. That's the vocal we kept. It's a one cup of coffee, one eye open, get lost in the song kind of lead vocal. On some strange plane, when I listen to it now, it sounds like someone else singing the song. Maybe that's why I love it so much. Mmmm, time for therapy?

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

Singled Out: Surrender Hill's Last Goodbye

Singled Out: Surrender Hill's Will You Pass Me By

Singled Out: Surrender Hill's Will You Pass Me By

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