Dayton singer-songwriter David Payne joined WYSO Music Director Juliet Fromholt on Kaleidoscope to discuss his new album, Last Call at the Yellow Horse Saloon, released June 22 on Magnaphone Records. Payne performed songs from the album live in-studio with vocal accompaniment from Heather Redman.
Unlike his acoustic, folk-influenced 2019 record, Orange Glow, Payne's new album leans heavily into a classic country sound. He told Juliet that this stylistic shift was born out of the isolation of the COVID-19 lockdown. "I wasn't getting inspiration for songs in the same way that I always had, being out in the world and talking to people and observing things," Payne said. "So I decided to give myself sort of a prompt to write from, and doing more traditional country songs was always something that I'd been interested in."
Last Call at the Yellow Horse Saloon was shaped by country records of the 1960s and 1970s. "Leading up to that, for a couple of years, I had been listening to a lot of classic country," Payne said. "I went on a thrift store binge for like a year... At the time you could walk into any thrift store and walk out with a stack of great classic country stuff for a dollar apiece. Definitely Willie Nelson and Buck Owens were the two biggest things I was listening to leading up to writing these songs."
The album features an impressive lineup of musicians, including New Carlisle steel guitar legend Wayne Hobbs, who died shortly before Payne’s visit to WYSO’s studios. Payne spoke warmly of Hobbs' contribution to the album: "We were very fortunate to have him on the record. He played with some really heavy hitters like Marty Robbins, Connie Smith, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Paycheck. He played with people that were influences on this album, and it was really special to have him."
During the interview, Payne performed several songs from the album live on air, including "Finish Your Drink, Honey," with harmony vocals from Heather Redman, leader of soul/R&B group Heather Redman and the Reputation. Payne explained that he originally wrote the song for Redman, and discussed the historical interconnection of soul and country music.
Last Call at the Yellow Horse Saloon is available on Bandcamp and on all major streaming platforms. For more information about David Payne’s music, including upcoming performances and releases, follow him on Facebook.
Text by Peter Day, based on a live studio session hosted by Juliet Fromholt on June 21, 2024.