Ashley McBryde Shares Lighthearted New ‘Styrofoam’, Gorgeous Guy Clark Cover in Quarantine-Time Facebook Live Set [WATCH]
On Thursday (March 19), Ashley McBryde went live over Facebook to play songs, tell jokes and hang out with her fans virtually. Over the course of her 25-minute set, the singer sat on her couch with an acoustic guitar, a glass of wine and her dog.
She also had a vinyl copy of her new album, Never Will, on hand. Never Will is due out on April 3, and the singer reported that she does not expect shipping delays of the record due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Of course, when you get it, wash your hands," she added.
She then read the through the album track list, turning the record over in her hands and showing the liner notes to the camera. During her live acoustic set, McBryde treated fans to the unreleased last track on the album, "Styrofoam."
"I know it's not very good for the environment, I know it decomposes really slowly, but I was raised eating gas station chicken and drinking sweet tea out of styrofoam containers," McBryde said. "And I truly believe that nothing tastes as good as it can taste until it's been served in something styrofoam."
She then went on to play through the bouncy track, which celebrates the role of styrofoam in everyday life and its nostalgic power.
In between songs, McBryde chatted with the audience about everyday life in quarantine, including a (cautious) trip she made to Rite Aid where she bought a bouncy ball. Bringing home the simple toy was an expected joy, she commented -- something she might never have rediscovered if the shutdown hadn't forced her to spend some time inside.
The singer then launched into an apropos cover of Guy Clark's "Stuff That Works," another appreciation for the simple, reliable joys in life. That track is included on Clark's 1995 album, Dublin Blues, and it fit McBryde's stripped-down acoustic performance like a glove.
"God bless Guy Clark!" McBryde said at the end of the song. "I want somebody to write a song about me that says, 'I think she's crazy and paints like God. I can't paint. I can't draw, either.'"
During her session, McBryde also addressed the ways in which the COVID-19 coronavirus shutdown has put strain on the community of musicians in Nashville and beyond.
"I've been asked about musicians, and if they get paid when we're not working. No, we don't. If we don't play the show, we don't get the check," McBryde explained, going on to talk about MusicCares, an organization that provides relief for musicians in all kinds of dire circumstances -- not just over the course of the shutdown.