Keith Gattis made a quick impression at Low Gap. Now, the Ohio band wants to remind the world of the impact Gattis had on country music, more than a year after the songwriter's death.
On Friday, Low Gap, fronted by brothers Gus and Phin Johnson, released new single “Waves,” which was co-written with Gattis shortly before his death in April 2023.
Lyrically, “Waves” is a song in which the singer laments being in love with a person less sure of what they want. The chorus – which gives the tune its title – ends with a vintage-Gattis turn of the phrase: “This girl comes in waves.”
“For an hour and a half, Phin and I saw what could only be described as brilliance that followed on the table,” Gus Johnson says of the song's writing. “To be honest, Keith wrote most of this song and we watched him work.
“About a month after we met Keith, we were given the devastating news of his death. We realized it was our responsibility to make sure this song was nothing less than the perfection we saw in that little publishing house in Nashville. We set out to find a team to help us release this song that knew Keith personally. We wanted to capture Keith Gattis' sound that helped define an entire corner of country music.”
The brothers asked Adam Odor to produce the song. Odor is a longtime friend of Gattis and the two co-produced several major Texas music albums, including Cory Morrow's 2005 record There is nothing left to hide. “Waves” was recorded at Odor's Yellow Dog Studios in San Marcos, Texas.
The smell brought Kevin Szymanski — who also worked There is nothing left to hide with Odor and Gattis — to oversee the mix. Szymanski designed Gattis' 2002 album Big City Blueswhich has proven to be the late songwriter's main recording legacy.
“I wanted to keep it all in the Gattis family,” says Odor of bringing Szymanski on board.
Gattis recorded his songs from Kenny Chesney and George Strait. He produced Randy Hauser's album Magnolia as well as high-profile records by Wade Bowen and Micky and the Motorcars. He had a fan in Charlie Robison, who covered many of Gattis' songs — including five of his own Big City Blues — throughout his career. (Just five months after Gattis' death, Robison died in September.)
“Waves” marks Gattis' second high-profile song release this week. Koe Wetzel included a cover of Gattis' “Reconsider” on his 9 Lives album, also out on Friday.
Low Gap members know the market for Gattis tributes is hot right now, but they hope sharing an unreleased piece of writing sheds more light on his work.
“I hope those who knew Keith better than I did will be proud of it,” says Gus Johnson. “I especially hope his wonderful family is proud of this song. And I hope this song inspires new people to discover the music of the man who was quietly one of the most important men in Texas country music history.”
Josh Kratsmer is a journalist and author whose third book, Red Dirt Unpluggedis due out on December 13, 2024, via Back Lounge Publishing and is available for pre-order.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/keith-gattis-songs-low-gap-waves-1235063918/
