“I wasn’t writing a new record -- at least, I didn’t think I was at the time,” she admits. Looking to step back and clear her head after a long bout of touring, the rock & roll-influenced Americana artist nestled herself in the Rocky Mountains in a remote cabin. The cabin’s name? Evergreen. She spent time wandering through acres and acres of untouched forest around the cabin, up and down craggy rocks that felt nothing like her native Michigan nor her adopted home of St. Louis. Almost by accident, songs for her sixth album began to take root.
“I’m starting to realize, that’s just what I do. I write songs. You know how trees exhale oxygen? They don’t think too hard about oxygen...it’s just a byproduct of their existence. Well, songs are a byproduct of my existence. I’ve already exhaled these songs, but maybe they’re a needed breath for someone else. And the idea that even one other person needs them is what fulfills me.”
Although based in Missouri, Bombara has spent much of her adulthood on the road, carving out her own award-winning mix of vintage folk and electric roots-rock. She’s been a solo artist, a bandleader, and an occasional side musician for other artists. With Evergreen, Bombara resumes her role as the leader of an amplified Americana band. These songs were largely written on the run -- in friend’s basements, during soundchecks, and on the road -- while Bombara and company toured the country in support of her 2017 release, Map and No Direction.
Beth Bombara has a folk singer’s head and a rocker’s heart. Drawing inspiration from the melodies and lyrics of Neko Case and Aimee Mann, along with the hooks and harmonies George Harrison and Tom Petty, she has toured nationally as a headliner and supported shows for Pokey LaFarge, Waxahatchee, and Madisen Ward & the Mama Bear. Her most recent album spent 7 weeks in the top 40 AMA radio charts.