Wanderlust (featuring Michael Cleveland)
WanderlustStandard Single
Release Date:8/19/2022 ISRC:QZHYE2283701
Publisher:Saining Music (BMI / ASCAP) [code][/code]Songwriter:Alexander R. MacLeod IV (BMI)
Label: The 615Hideaway Records
Producer: NedLubereckiSound Engineer/Studio:Stephen Mougin / Dark Shadow Studio
Length: 3:08 Arrangement performed by Rock Hearts: Alex MacLeod (Guitar/Vocals)Joe Deetz (Banjo)Billy Thibodeau (Mandolin)Austin Scelzo (Fiddle/Harmony vocals)Rick Brodsky (Bass)Special Guest: Micheal Cleveland (Fiddle)
Alex grew up as a military kid and for the better part of his early childhood and teenage years, his family was constantly moving every three years. He lived in 4 states (MA, CT, MD, Hawaii) and one foreign country (Guantanamo Bay, Cuba) by the time he was 13 and attended five different schools. Like many adult children ofmilitary members, otherwise known as Military Brats, this constant moving cultivates a certain yearning to always move, to explore, to not remain static. This yearning often transcends into their adult lives and impacts many facets of their lives. Alex is no different. Wanderlust explores the fall out of that
constant desire to move.
Thankfully, he was able to find the love of his life and settle down with her and their four beautiful daughters.
Originally written in a slower, "darker" bluesy country style, Alex reimagined this song at a faster clip with more of a bluegrass drive. Thankfully so, because he and others feel it was tailor-made for special guest, Michael Cleveland, to
"carve it up" in his prodigious style, as only Michael can do. Michael and Rock Hearts fiddler, Austin Scelzo, twin on the first fiddle break and Michael has his way with the second fiddle break. Billy Thibodeau does a great job with his
mando break, while Joey maintains the heavy handed forward drive of the five-string, while Ricky and Alex keep the rhythm in sync.
This epiphany of changing up the song occurred on the drive to the final band practice before our Nashville recording sessions in April, 2022. On the way to the practice, Alex pulled up the old file in his voice memos, then cued up his metronome app and
sang the song to 140bpm... acapella.
Liking what he heard, he recorded himself singing the song acapella with the metronome in the background, and sent it to Joey and Billy who were making the drive together to practice. They instantly agreed it was a song worthy of recording.
Voila - 2 weeks later Wanderlust was in the can.