Paste Studio “On The Road” headed south to the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since its formation in 2009, the Big Ears Festival has been known for its diverse lineup and boundary-crossing art. Tombras Headquarters in downtown Knoxville created the perfect urban loft vibe.
Cleo Reed, the Brooklyn-based singer, is known for genre-blending and labor-focused music. Their most recent album, Cuntry, has more of a blues/folk influence, nodding to Reed’s blues musician grandfather. Rooted in Black music history, Reed creates a space for conversation to happen within their music, exploring identity, labor, and emotional survival through diverse and deeply textured compositions. Opening with “Sleep Song,” Reed creates ethereal vocal layers to softly begin the performance, quickly blending in more guitar and as heavier lyrics emerge.
Transitioning into “Salt n’ Lime,” Reed delivers a track about getting drinks after a long workday. Reed explains that they wrote this while living in Boston, and described it as their take on a bar song, similar to “Sweet Caroline.” Through the language of bar culture, this track blends folk and soul to express labor and survival in the modern world. Reed closes on a darker note with “Always The Horse, Never The Jockey.” As the title suggests, this song dives into the metaphor of feeling overworked and under-appreciated. The politically charged performance feels raw and intimate, ending with the question, “Who’s keeping score?”
Huge thanks from the Paste team to everyone at Big Ears and Tombras who helped make this great video possible. Keep your eyes peeled for more Paste Sessions.
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