Premiere: Jesse Terry, Sunset Avenue and jellyfish

Dance In Our Old Shoes born at Falcon Ridge

Sunset Avenue Sessions, releasing November 30, combines the award-winning talents of Jesse Terry, Michael Logen and Lizanne Knott, who collaborate on five covers from the new American songbook (by the likes of Tom Petty, Johnny Cash and Buffalo Springfield), and six originals which might very well be candidates for the next new American Songbook.

Jesse Terry has the chops. While attending Berklee College of Music, he won grand prize in the national songwriting contest sponsored by the Nashville Songwriter’s Association and Country Music Television. He went on to win grand prizes in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and at the We Are Listening Singer/Songwriter Awards with songs noteworthy for their stories, emotional depth and intimacy. “Dance In Our Old Shoes” is a case in point. Terry told Elmore the backstory behind this song.

“‘Dance In Our Old Shoes’ was inspired by The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, a totally unique, wild and magical festival that takes place in the Hudson Valley every August. One night I was there, hanging out with friends swapping songs, when a giant bunch of people passed by dressed as glowing jellyfish and holding umbrellas (under totally clear skies). I later learned that this is a Falcon Ridge tradition; these “jellyfish” were headed down to the dance tent to listen to a band play psychedelic songs from the ’60s. I followed them down there and, lucky for me, one of my photographer friends (Jacki Dickert) was there and captured the most epic image. Jacki specializes in photographing the cosmos and she sent me this photo of a bunch of jellyfish headed for the dance tent, with the Milky Way burning in the background. I immediately put it up on my fridge and when my co-writer (Ed Woltil) arrived the next day he was instantly drawn to the photo. From there, the song pretty much wrote itself. I love it when you can write about a unique and cosmic happening, that is actually a true story. It makes everything feel so real. Cheers to the fine folks and modern hippies that make the annual pilgrimage to Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY. I couldn’t have written this song without their inspiration.”