Rothman Closes Americana Trilogy, Talks Bowie 'Meaning' Lesson — SkimNews
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- Lawrence Rothman released 'Here Lives Love/Sawdust to Stardust,' which they consider the completion of a trilogy of Americana-rooted albums begun after shifting from L.A. rock outfits to Nashville roughly five years ago.
- Rothman has built a parallel producing career working on Amanda Shires' 2025 album 'Nobody's Girl' (and 'Take It Like a Man' before it), Maggie Rose's 'Half Moon,' and Tift Merritt's comeback 'Sugar,' producing roughly one project a month.
- Rothman described their producing style as 'Method,' preferring to stand in the recording room beside musicians rather than behind the studio glass, sometimes taking their shirt off and dancing to shape the session's energy.
- Rothman opened the new album with a track called 'The Meaning' posing the question 'Why am I breathing?' — a question they trace back to a pivotal conversation with David Bowie, who asked whether Rothman had actually hit the meaning of a chorus in 'Montauk Fling,' prompting a rewrite to the blunt 'Why do you want to fuck like strangers?'
- Rothman framed Americana as the most forward-thinking genre right now because it welcomes R&B, rock, folk, singer-songwriter, and even jazz, and tied that openness to a stated insistence on human-made music over AI-generated work.
- Rothman said they are already formulating a next album with more of a jazz flavor, signaling they expect to keep bending the label regardless of genre tag.
- Rothman featured Amanda Shires, Jillian Jacqueline, and Katie Pruitt on the new record and recorded a duet with Sarah Klang on 'A Fire Test,' continuing a stated preference for female voices because their low voice is complemented by higher female textures.
Why it matters: Rothman's 'Method' in-the-room approach and willingness to jump between producing Shires, Rose, and Merritt in quick rotation gives the Nashville Americana scene one of its more genre-fluid behind-the-glass figures, and the Bowie 'what's the meaning?' anecdote shows that ethos is rooted in advice received three albums ago — meaning each record on the trilogy was shaped by a demand for directness.
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