Stuart McLamb (The Love Language) today announced his new project Fancy Gap, a collaboration with songwriter and producer Charles Crossingham. The Raleigh, NC-based duo has also shared debut single “How To Dance”–out now alongside an animated visualizer that premiered via Under The Radar–which features Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers) on Hammond B3 organ and Wurlitzer electric piano, and Will McFarlane (Bonnie Raitt, The Mountain Goats, Etta James) on guitar. Anchored by McLamb’s singular voice, the song is an evergreen mix of alt-country, rootsy rock, and classic pop–as much Tom Petty as it is Patsy Cline.
“‘How To Dance’ was one of the first songs Charles and I wrote together. We sat down and mapped out about 90% of it in about 30 minutes—lyrics, arrangement, and all. The vocal, guitars, and bass were all pretty much first takes. Charles helped finesse the arrangement and had the great idea to get Rami and Will for the track, who really made the whole thing feel alive,” explains McLamb. “A lot of people ask, ‘how did you get a Foo Fighter on your track??’ Legend has it that Charles worked at a guitar shop many years ago and Rami came in while on tour with the Wallflowers. Charles ended up jamming with him, and told him ‘there will be a day where I have a record worthy of you playing on it and I’m gonna hit you up.’ Sure enough, Rami kept his word. We like to joke that he’s in the band and he graciously plays along. We connected with Will while down in Muscle Shoals finishing the song with Craig Alvin. No exaggeration, his outro is one of our favorite guitar solos of all time.”
Fancy Gap was born in sessions for what initially was to be a new Love Language album under Crossingham’s production but soon evolved into an independent venture, highlighting an undeniable synergy between the duo. Nestled in the secluded cabin of their namesake town, Fancy Gap, Virginia, McLamb and Crossingham unveiled a sound that surpassed all expectations. “How To Dance”–mixed at Noble Steed Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, by GRAMMY Award-winning mixing engineer Craig Alvin (Kacey Musgraves, Real Estate, Vanessa Carlton)–is one of those rare, timeless tracks that feels instantly familiar: from the big bang of the opening riff, you’re hooked.