Widely traveled songsmith and longtime Nashvillian Tim Easton is no stranger to co-writing songs. On May 17, he’ll release his latest full-length Find Your Way, and the tune that starts the second side of the vinyl version is a little unusual in that he had many co-writers. In the fall, Easton led a songwriting workshop with a group of U.S. Marine Corps veterans at the nonprofit Mil-Tree, based in Joshua Tree, Calif., and they collaborated on “Bangin’ Drum (Inside My Mind).”
The group of Marines and civilians he wrote with — including Sabra Purdy, Bobby Furst, Cheryl Montelle, Richard Finn, Joshua Kjerstad, Terrance Miller, Renee Gurley, Michael Brewer and Tim Chinnock — served in conflicts as varied as Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam. The song is composed of four blues verses that examine struggles service members face long after their service is through, as Easton sings gently: “Help me leave these worries, all these useless worries behind / Help me quiet down the banging drum inside my mind.”
Today, we’re very pleased to premiere the video for the song, which is made up entirely of footage of trains (some of it shot in Shelby Bottoms). In an email, Easton mentions that it’s a kind of homage to the music video for R.E.M.’s 1985 song “Driver 8,” which focuses on trains and the people who keep them running. Fittingly, Easton’s footage showcases constant motion — no matter what you’re facing, the world keeps moving, adding a layer of complexity to figuring out how to cope with the challenges you face.
Find Your Way is out Friday, May 17, via Black Mesa, and you preorder it via Bandcamp. You can also catch Easton in person at the album release show, May 14 at The Bowery Vault; The Minks’ Nikki Barber opens the show, which kicks off at 7 p.m., and tickets are $10. Meanwhile, keep up with Easton via his website and Instagram.
