Eleanor Buckland | Acoustic Guitar Sessions in Place

Eleanor Buckland, of the boundary-pushing folk-rock trio Lula Wiles, goes solo with a righteous musical intensity. For this Acoustic Guitar Sessions in Place Buckland performs two new songs from her debut album, You Don’t Have To Know.

First, Buckland plays “Static” on her beloved 1954 Martin 00-17, and she explains the genesis of the song, starting with a two-chord riff that inspired feelings of anxiety and chaos. Buckland says she wanted the music to feel out of control, so she experimented with song form, using nonstandard phrasing and avoiding expected chord progressions.

Buckland’s next tune, “Don’t Look Down,” is an introspective, driving, indie-pop exploration of self. It’s only fitting that the singer-songwriter performs it on her grandmother’s 1961 Gibson Southern Jumbo, “I have such a strong [familial] connection to this guitar,” Buckland says, “But it’s also so warm and has this beautiful, woody sound, without being dull.”

While You Don’t Have to Know is Buckland’s solo album, it features a full band (drums! strings! piano! electric guitar!). Buckland positions herself among the big Nashville country pop stars. Don’t be surprised when you hear the differences between the album and her stark, solo AG Session.