John Goolsby: Shine On Premiere
Since his 2016 debut album, The Midwest, John Goolsby has taken the last few years putting together songs for his next full-length release. Today, we are happy to premiere the first single, “Shine On,” from that upcoming release. Written in July of 2020, during the bleakest of recent times, not the least of which were a world-wide pandemic, political division and race riots. But, John and his co-writer and producer, Dave Pahanish, saw past all of that and delivered a relatable message of optimism.
Hailing from the heart of the blue-collar Midwestern town of St. Joseph, Missouri, John Goolsby knows first-hand the struggles that folks can face: factory closures, the shuttering of main street store-fronts, stock market slumps and extreme weather events blighting the farming industry. Goolsby put those lessons into action last year during the entertainment industry shut-down and thrived with very little to make ends meet. He talked about how freeing it felt and how happy he was to fully appreciate the things that truly mattered – none of which are material. That is the Midwestern spirit which is still deeply rooted in this Nashville resident. For Goolsby and his team, the positive and upbeat love song, “Shine On,” felt like the best way to start fresh in 2021 while introducing the sophomore album.
With country music sensibilities and a contemporary rock ‘n roll sound, the single, “Shine On,” has a universal message of hopeful anticipation in discovering the light at the end of the tunnel. Loosely based on events from the night Pahanish first met his wife, he and Goolsby built the framework to deliver warmth and optimism to a shaken music industry and its fans.
“The sun’s peeking out from the clouds / It’s a brand new day / And hey, I know you’ve been through some hard times / The light in your heart still glows in the dark where it used to burn so bright / Close your eyes, everything’s alright / Somewhere in the deep dark night, you’re shining like a brand new dime / And I’m going to see you shine on.”
Take a first listen of “Shine On” HERE.
The album was recorded at Dave Pahanish’s home studio throughout the latter half of last year and into the beginning of this year; each layer was laid down, piece by piece, in a 3-4 track batched fashion. Even the cover art by Chris King relates back to the Mr. and Mrs. Pahanish love story, and is inspired by a photo Goolsby took outside of their home one night while finishing up some of the album tracks.
John Goolsby has already been playing socially distanced acoustic shows around Nashville and throughout the Midwest, so be sure to follow his social media and website for more show announcements, as well as more singles to drop leading up to the full length album release.
He will be performing for his fourth year in a row at Mile 0 Fest in Key West, FL which runs from April 27 – May 1.
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