Country-folk duo Swearingen & Kelli (AJ Swearingen and Jayne Kelli) start over on "Build Myself Up From the Ground," a song from their forthcoming EP of the same name (out Oct. 27).
Jayne Kelli says the song was inspired by the desire to be more honest with herself and gain freedom from the parts of her life that were no longer serving her.
"In a former life, I didn't make the best decisions in my love life," Kelli tells Wide Open Country. "I was bartending part-time to fill in the financial gaps of being a singer-songwriter — imagine that — which further made me a bit of a spectacle in that scene. People got front row tickets. Not fun for someone who's extremely private."
"I think most people have a moment where they have to start over and rebuild some semblance of their life," Kelli continues. "It's a natural feeling in the midst of things to feel like it will never happen. When you're honest with yourself, it can sometimes cost you relationships, but you gain a freedom with yourself that's crucial. You can start over, be a better person, learn from your mistakes, and hopefully make beauty out of the chaos."
Swearingen says his favorite line from the song is "Tip one back with the people who stare / They'll lock you out once those cupboards run bare / There's the jury all seated above / Well yes I've been a fool in love."
"In the progression of this verse, it paints a picture of that feeling you get of, 'Hey, are these our real friends or not?' When you are down and out, you find out who your real friends are," Swearingen says.
Watch the video for "Build Myself Up From the Ground" below.
Below, the duo shares more details on their new EP, the musical influences, the haunted origins of the music video and more.
What made you want to record and release this song? What made you name the EP after this song? Is it the centerpiece song of the EP?
AJ Swearingen: The chorus of the song took on a whole other meaning with our journey finding housing. Like a lot of other people, we were on the wrong side of the housing shortage in 2021. It got really complicated with Kelli's diagnosis of MCAS (Mast-Cell Activation Syndrome) from a previous mold exposure. It makes her extremely reactive to not only mold, but chemical off-gassing from new paint and carpet. Two of the houses we moved into proved to have high levels of mold, which sent us packing.
Jayne Kelli: We were forced into a nomadic lifestyle for almost a year while playing shows around the country. We were thankful for the touring; it made us feel human. Unearthing Build Myself Up From the Ground felt like the right thing to do when we finally landed and set up our recording studio. It was apropos. We were literally rebuilding our life.
How would you describe your music to people who haven't heard it before?
AJ Swearingen: Our music is very song-driven and vocal-forward. It's an acoustic blend of both folk and country. We have literally had people say we were "too folk" for country music and "too country" for certain folk venues we play. I guess that puts us under the umbrella of the very wide Americana genre.
Who are your biggest musical influences and what do you love the most about their music?
Jayne Kelli: We were both heavily inspired by the '60s and '70s songwriters. My influences go along with different chapters in my life. I grew up listening to my parents sing Kris Kristofferson, Jim Croce, John Denver and many more around the campfire, while also having an affinity for Radiohead, Tori Amos and Fiona Apple.
AJ Swearingen: It's hard to narrow them all down, but I started out as a lead player in a rock band listening to Jimi Hendrix and other rock bands, but my mom spun records that turned me on to Gordon Lightfoot, George Jones, Johnny Cash, James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel.. I ditched my rock band and picked up the acoustic guitar. That started my songwriting journey.
Let's talk about the video. Whose idea was the video treatment, and who directed and filmed it for you? How was the process, and where did you film the video? Any fun behind-the-scenes stories you can share about the shoot?
Jayne Kelli: There was a certain synergy happening surrounding the filming of "Build Myself Up From the Ground." Our friend, Carlos Sanchez, the sound engineer at one of Dallas's iconic venues, Poor David's Pub, recently moved into a lovingly restored historic apartment building that overlooks the city. A devastating fire consumed his previous apartment building, along with all of his belongings. It was Carlos who suggested filming on the rooftop, where he spends his morning contemplating his journey, profoundly overwhelmed and grateful to the community of people that helped him land the new housing and get his life back after the fire. We filmed the pivotal scene up there starting at the bridge of the song, representing seeing life from a renewed perspective and a spirit of hope from past destruction.
The rest of the video, we filmed in the most haunted city in Texas, Jefferson, right outside one of our favorite venues, 1852 on Austin — which is haunted itself, but that's another story. The old-world feel of the downtown offered a wealth of scenery and inspired me to filter the video with a Western treatment. This was my first crack at directing and editing a video for us, with the two of us taking turns filming each other. It was very spontaneous how it all happened.
