Calling Cadence Releases 'California Bartender (Acoustic)' Single

Los Angeles band Calling Cadence has released "California Bartender (Acoustic)," the second single from their upcoming Acoustic Session Vol. 1 EP, out October 18th via hi-res records.

Reinterpreting songs from their acclaimed self-titled debut album released earlier this year, Calling Cadence's Oscar Bugarin and Rae Cole pay tribute to the age-old Americana tradition of the stripped-down acoustic version while breathing new life and direction into their fan-favorite material.

The effect is as stunning as it is expansive and showcases the band's knack for crafting songs that live in multiple styles and arrangements. Whether its Southern soul, country rock, Americana or folk, Calling Cadence's songwriting traverses the valleys of classic American traditions while blazing a dirt path forward into their own peaks and mountain ranges.

"California Bartender (Acoustic)" presents a series of vignettes about bar patrons chasing their sorrows at the bottom of the glass. As a former bartender with years of experience working in the industry, Rae Cole has seen firsthand Los Angeles's unforgiving nature, and how the dreamers who travel to the city can ultimately struggle to find a footing on the path to making their dreams come true.

"You would not believe how many people I met with massive dreams, who just gave up after a while," says Cole. "And of course I would meet people going through divorces, fighting with their parents, moving away from the city, even giving me unsolicited life advice.

Cole's evocative vocals capture the humanity behind heartbreak and disappointment, while Oscar Bugarin's steady acoustic strumming strengthens the emotional center of the song. The depth of their cascading harmonies recall the best of the 1960s and 70s Laurel Canyon movement. There's comfort in the warmth of Bugarin and Cole's playing even despite the realities explored throughout the song, a testament to the duo's inspired writing and nuanced storytelling. "Woah, this life, this life ain't easy / Might be your turn this time / Or next life," sings Cole.

"The song is a testament to California, Los Angeles specifically, as a land of many dreamers," says Cole. "Not many of them make it to where they'd hoped. And speaking from personal experience, the bartenders in the city are usually the ones to hear about it."

Calling Cadence has received support from legendary Los Angeles rock station KLOS. They were featured on the popular KLOS Friday morning Heidi & Frank show. Additional radio support has come in from Nashville's WMOT, NPR, WCNR in Charlotte, WPYA in Birmingham, WCLX in Burlington, KSYM in San Antonio and just this week the music video for their song "Good Day" was #1 on CMT's 12 Pack Countdown, a program voted on by fans.

Acoustic Session Vol. 1, already receiving support from the syndicated radio show Acoustic Cafe, features all-new acoustic versions of songs that appear on the group's debut album Calling Cadence, released on May 3rd on hi-res records.

Featuring additional fan-favorite songs including "Just The Way It Goes," "Good Day," "Burn These Blues," and "Throw My Body," Acoustic Session Vol. 1 reimagines the lightning in a bottle that Calling Cadence has throughout their recordings, while injecting the energy that defines their live performances as well.

Calling Cadence, the band's self-titled debut album, showcases a group whose songs nod to the past while resolutely pushing forward. It's a classic-sounding record (recorded, mixed and mastered straight to analog tape) for the contemporary world. Computers were only employed for streaming prep and CD replication.

Produced by David Swartz and Matt Linesch, the album is being released on their own hi-res records label. The producers and the band thought long and hard about diving into the all-analog domain but came to the conclusion that the final product would benefit in a way that digital would not allow.

The 15 songs shine a light on Calling Cadence's strength as a live act, blending Oscar and Rae's entwined voices with vintage keyboards, guitar heroics and plenty of percussive and low-end stomp. Josh Adams (Norah Jones, Beck, Fruit Bats) on drums, Elijah Thomson (Father John Misty, Nathaniel Rateliff) on bass, and Mitchell Yoshida (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) on keyboards round out the core band.

For Calling Cadence (whose name pays tribute to Oscar's time in the Army), recording to analog tape wasn't just a production choice; it was a way of maintaining honesty with themselves and their audience. Like the classic albums that inspired Calling Cadence's layered vocal arrangements and warm, guitar-driven sound, the record is a genuine snapshot of a band on the rise. And, once again, it all comes back to harmony.

Calling Cadence will be playing at the Mint in Los Angeles on September 24th. Watch the new music video here:

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