Lauren Calve
“Better Angels”
Directed by Lauren Calve
Artisana Records
Add date – 4/16/2020
About Lauren Calve
Lauren Calve has made quite a name for herself. And no wonder: she’s carved out a place that begins in blues and Americana, guitar, and lap steel, but their strength lies in how they go beyond tradition into innovative melodies, structures and arrangements that define their originality. You’ll hear some of Patty Griffin’s dynamic voice, Bonnie Raitt’s smoky aura, and Ben Harper’s unique slide style, but innovative and out-of-nowhere melodies, structures, and arrangements define this wholly original artist. Her latest single, “Better Angels,” off her Wildfire EP (out June 23), is a Bluesy ear-grabber that’s found an overwhelming new meaning amidst our global crisis. She released her debut EP, Between the Creek and the Tracks, in 2014, for which she earned a Washington Area Music Association nomination for Best Roots Rock Vocalist, followed by Light Dark in 2018. Already a mainstay at prominent local and regional venues, Calve has easily held her own onstage with established names like Justin Townes Earle, Rhett Miller, Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek, Cruz Contreras of The Black Lillies, Charlie Worsham, and Wade Bowen.
About “Better Angels”
Calve wrote “Better Angels” after listening to a radio interview with Jon Meacham who cited Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address as inspiration for his book, The Soul of America: The Battle For Our Better Angels. “Meacham applied Lincoln’s message of ‘the better angels of our nature’ to the courage of the American people who dealt with the unprecedented crises of their era,’” says Calve. “As I listened to this, immigrants were being contained, families were being separated, children were held in cages without beds, blankets, or food. Talk about a defining moment in American history and the ‘battle for our better angels.’ Lincoln’s words still held a powerful resonance, and they gave me a deep hope that I hadn’t felt in years. ‘Better Angels’ came from that surge of hope and optimism. It was a reminder that we would always rise to the occasion, no matter what.” Once Covid-19 started spreading Calve began thinking about Lincoln’s message and the everyday people on the front lines in the battle against the pandemic. “For me, they symbolize the angels that Lincoln talked about,” says Calve. “The qualities of our better nature – courage, leadership, resolve, resilience, empathy, compassion, and altruism are all exemplified in the nurses, doctors, janitors, grocery store clerks, mail carriers, delivery truck drivers, pharmacists, and other essential workers. They are the ‘better angels’ in the lyrics while embodying the true spirit of the song and of Lincoln’s famous words: ‘The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.’”
About the video
The timing for this track and its lyric video couldn’t have been more prescient. Here, the “Better Angels” among us are those on the front line, from first responders to shelf stockers. The video honors the heroes in Calve’s life, like her mailman, police chief, store clerks, and the four generations of her family currently coping with this crisis. Calve sits alone sketching, but stares out the window distractedly, thinking of all the people unable to isolate. She decides to snap photos of them, documenting their sacrifice, letting them know they are not forgotten. Their expressions say all that is needed to be said. She reconnects with family and friends online, and, feeling a part of her community once more, finishes her sketch with the “help” of her cat. The clip profoundly yet delicately captures the sense of separation we all feel right now, focusing on the uplifting solutions to our reluctant solitude- and it’s dropping right when we all need it most.
Want more from Lauren Calve and HIP Video Promo?
We’re honored to be working with Mike Marucci and the talented Lauren Calve to spread a wonderful message with the “Better Angels” video! Please let us know what we can do to secure a spot for this video in your regular programming and online presentations, or if you’d like us to send some Lauren Calve merch for on-air contests and online giveaways. For more info, reach out to Andy Gesner and the HIP Video Promo team at 732-613-1779 or email info@HIPVideoProno.com, or check out LaurenCalve.com.