If you like it, please leave a comment below! I’d love to know what you think. And feel free to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

Gotta give some Richmond love to Songwire Studios where the album was recorded, Bygones where I got that stylin’ suit, and World of Mirth where my lady convinced me that a horsey mask was just what the album cover needed.  She was right.  That’s her in the chair.  In the mask.  Next to the suit…that I’m stylin.

Please also go HERE and check out all of these great Richmond folks who are also featured in the issue.  Bryce McCormick will be joining us for our show in Richmond June 29th.  You’ll love it! Mark your calendars:

Friday, JUNE 29th: Capital Ale Music Hall, Richmond VA

They’ve put out 4 albums, most recently Burning The Day which include songs co-written with Bruce Robison and Dean Dillon.  My favorite is Just a Matter of Time produced and co-written by Radney Foster.  This one includes one of their biggest hits ‘Kiss Me in the Dark’ which I’m sure you saw on CMT or GAC.   That album has some really great lyrics.  But, I just really dig Radney Foster.

You probably already tap your feet to the Randy Rogers song Somebody Take Me Home which he wrote for Kenny Chesney’s album, The Road And The Radio.

This is gonna be a fun one!  We’ve got lots of new songs to play for yall.  So grab a friend or 20 and come see us!

Thurs. March 1st
The State Theatre
220 North Washington Street
Falls Church VA
Get Tickets!

A few months ago, some folks I was working with asked me to send them my train song for a PBS special about trains.  ”Of course,” I replied before realizing that I had never written a song about trains.  Apparently everyone else has one??

I wrote this song literally while driving from my home on the west end of Richmond to the studio downtown.  And I love it.  I wish more songs came along that way. Sometimes the stories just tell themselves.

I had never written a song about my childhood.  My uncle Timmy worked for the railroad.  He taught me how to play guitar.  He loved John Prine, Neil Young, and laughing.  And I wish he could hear this song. Hope yall like it.

I’d love to know what you think of the song.  Just leave a comment below and Ill get back to you.

Mary Gauthier Mercy Now is a superb album.  You HAVE to hear it.  Its one of those album that was popping up all over the place with ads and reviews in the magazines I was reading years ago.  Back when opinions and reviews in magazines were popping up all over the place too.  But, when a buddy of mine from Boston told me I had to hear “I Drink” I finally gave it a listen.  And, my goodness did I regret waiting so long.

She crafts great songs.  Thats the only way to describer her music, seriously.  Mary Gauthier lyrics are honest, poignant, raw, wry, and real.  And last year’s album Mary Gauthier The Foundling was definitely on my top albums of 2011 list.  (If I were less lazy and actually made such a list.)

She is touring with Tania Elizabeth (from the Duhks) on violin.  And I….am OPENING for them!!  Come see us:

Friday Jan 20th
Burlap & Bean
Newtown Square, PA
Get Tickets HERE
I hope you’ll come see me and Mary Gauthier!!

-Dean

The nice folks at Sun209 had some sweet things to say about  Under A Searchlight Moon:

This has no filler; just five smart songs that ring true. “You get pretty; you just keep going, that’s why we’re late for everything we ever do,” Fields sings in “Forever Never Knowing,” one of a number of songs that suggest real relationships set to music.

Check out the rest of the reviews including Chris Isaak and Verlon Thompson here:
http://sun209.com/reviews-dirt-drifters-chris-isaakverlon-thompson-and-more/

“Dean Fields has an incredible voice backed up with some fine guitar playing. His latest release offers a more polished feel and a more mature sound than he’s done before.”  Also on the list are Trey Pollard’s baby ‘Vampire Octopus.’ See more.

And…Sounds of RVA picked my video for ‘Forever Never Knowing‘ for their top 10 videos of the year!

(#5 to be exact). Check out the other videos.

I love my city.  See yall in 2012.

“A tongue like a hammer and a mouth full of nails.” That’s the opening line of Dean Fields’ new CD. The first time I put it on, I had aimed to get some other things done in my apartment while listening. But that line grabbed me, and I set aside everything else to just listen. And then listened again. And again.
Though Dean Fields has been performing for ten years, this EP was my introduction to this singer/songwriter. And if these five songs are a true indication of his talent, then Dean Fields is definitely someone to pay attention to. Under A Searchlight Moon isn’t a solo effort. There is a band, and unlike some folk albums with bands, the other instruments sound inherent to the songs, rather than forced or simply added in the studio. But it is the album’s lyrics that really impressed me. All of the songs are originals, written by Dean Fields.
“Tongue Like A Hammer”

“Tongue Like A Hammer” opens with a short acoustic guitar intro before that line that grabbed me. With a line like that, I wasn’t expecting the song to be sweet. But this song has an undeniable beauty, and some wonderful lyrics. Here is a taste: “So let me prove you wrong/All your ever-present doubt and your endless questions/Honey, let me love you like no one’s ever done.” (I also have to mention another phrase that made me smile: “A watchdog’s bark and a cat o’nine tails.”) This song also features some nice work by Trey Pollard. I really liked this song from the first listen, and each time I play this EP I like it more.

“Forever Never Knowing”

“Forever Never Knowing” immediately wins you over with its catchy folk rhythm. Its lyrics actually made me laugh out loud, catching me off guard, with its line about the hat (“I held onto you holding onto your hat/How about that?/I’ve never seen you wear one before“) and these lines: “You get pretty/You just keep going/That’s why we’re late for everything we ever do/Still I’ll spend forever never knowing/How I live life living without you.” This song also has the EP’s title in its lyrics: “So I’m holding onto you under a big wide searchlight moon.” I love this song’s mixture of beauty and humor – I think it’s exactly that combination that makes this song feel true.

“Something’s Gotta Give”

Sometimes a song will directly address exactly what you’re feeling or experiencing in your life at the time you first hear it, and so it immediately feels important. That’s how it was for me with “Something’s Gotta Give.” This is the song from this EP that really got to me. In this one, Dean sings, “Something’s gotta give/If I ain’t giving up/’Cause this ain’t no way to live/Something’s gotta give/If I ain’t giving up/I ain’t giving up.” I love songs that are sad and positive at the same time, songs that are full of hope because hope is all there is left. “Something’s Gotta Give” is one of my favorite songs of the year.

“Nowhere Fast”

“Nowhere Fast” is a more upbeat song, opening with a burst of energy that’s a bit jarring after the previous song. But it doesn’t take long for you to catch up and switch moods. This song even has a cool lead guitar section. And this warning: “If you’re taking me, you’d better be taking heed.” It ends with the phrase, “making the best of disaster,” which is great.

“Could’ve Been”

Dean’s vocals really come to the fore on the EP’s final track, “Could’ve Been.” This is a slower song, and once again features some good lyrics. It begins and ends with the line, “I’ll be here tomorrow.” The last lines are, “Show me all your reasons/Disappointments/Show me/Show me what could’ve been/I’ll be here tomorrow.”

CD Track List

1. Tongue Like A Hammer
2. Forever Never Knowing
3. Something’s Gotta Give
4. Nowhere Fast
5. Could’ve Been

Musicians

Musicians appearing on this CD include Dean Fields on guitar and vocals, Curtis Fye on bass and vocals, Wells Hanley on drums and piano, Trey Pollard on guitar and pedal steel, and Erika Sato on violin.

Under A Searchlight Moon was released on March 15, 2011. For those in the Boston area, Dean Fields will be doing a series of concerts with Lori McKenna at Club Passim in Cambridge in December. Those should be some seriously good shows.

Read the entire article here: http://michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com/2011/11/dean-fields-under-searchlight-moon-2011.html

Sat. Dec 17th @5pm:  Club Passim, Cambridge MA

Sat. Dec 17th @8pm:  Club Passim, Cambridge MA

Sun. Dec 18th @5pm:  Club Passim, Cambridge MA

Sat. Dec 18th @8pm:  Club Passim, Cambridge MA

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!

Sun. Nov 13th @ 7pm
Capital Ale Music Hall (downtown)
Richmond VA