Carley Arrowood Highlights Some of the Joys in the Making of "Goin' Home Comin' On"

Young fiddler, singer and songwriter Carley Arrowood will be releasing her much anticipated new album Goin' Home Comin' On on April 8. Though she's young, Carley Arrowood is already something of a musical veteran. Singing since she was old enough to talk, she's been playing fiddle for over thirteen years and has spent the past five years as a featured band member with the award-winning duo of Darin & Brooke Aldridge. 

We are honored to be able to catch up with Carley for this exclusive interview. 

Q: Carley, thanks for doing this interview with us. When did you start playing the fiddle? Why the fiddle? 

Thank you for this opportunity! This is going to be fun. I began playing classical violin at age 10, learning the Suzuki Method. I was inspired by a 4-H acquaintance who played the  "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" in a 4-H contest. He performed by himself with no backup, storyteller-style, and I was hooked.

I leaned over to my mom and said, "That's what I want to do!" She got in touch with his teacher, who happened to be a classical violinist/violist, so as the years progressed, youth symphony and chamber music became a big part of my life. Bluegrass was still in the mix, because Mrs. Jan would show me a tune every once in a while, and my parents would take my sister and I to jams where I learned a lot about playing backup and creating my own solos. Eventually I went full bluegrass as a teen, but still utilized the things that classical violin taught me. 

Q: When did you start writing your own songs? Do you still remember the first song you had written? 

Creative writing was always my favorite subject in school, and I remember writing tons of poetry and short stories as a kid. I think once my sister Autumn and I started playing together more when I was 10 or 11, we started writing some together. I remember the very first one we wrote and goodness it was just funny! My little brother Ethan who was around age 3 at the time, had gotten mad at us for some reason (we were honestly probably picking on him) and hid himself under our bunk bed. We wrote a silly song about him being stuck under the bed using the few mandolin chords we knew!  

Q: How did you then get to work with Mountain Home Music? 

In 2018 I started working on a solo project at Traffic Sound Studio in Dallas, NC with David Rhyne. I met him through Darin and Brooke Aldridge (who I used to tour with) and he was gracious enough to help me get the ball rolling with that. We recorded about 7 songs, and then a friend suggested I try to talk to Mickey Gamble at Mountain Home. It turns out we were all on the same page! The inside cover of my new album has that whole story. It has been quite the ride for sure! 

Q: Why did you call the new album "Goin' Home Comin' On"? 

We decided to make "Goin' Home Comin' On" the title track of the album because of the different themes of home throughout the tracks. The songs either make you feel at home, make you miss home, or bring some memory of home to mind, and I just loved that about them. The album kicks off with the strong intro of the title track and it makes me think about the music video we shot for it a couple years ago, in the foothills of North Carolina where I grew up. Just home.  

Q: What were a couple highlights for you in the making of this record?

Like I mentioned in the last answer, we did a music video for the single "Goin' Home Comin' On," and that was super fun. I'd never been a part of anything like that before, and my whole family got to be a part of it with me in some way, so it was just a huge blessing for all of us.

Another thing that was fun was just being able to experience the whole process with the people I love, and to witness the immense talent that went into it. Also, my producer Jon Weisberger and I both love to bake, so sometimes we'd go into the studio to record and there'd be goodies from either of our kitchens! That was always fun. It felt like coming to a family get-together. 

Q: There are also a few faith-based songs. Talk to us about your own faith.  

Yes, I'm thankful for the Lord's sanctification. I don't remember an exact day when I was saved, but I grew up in a Christian home and know that somewhere along the way I started paying more attention whenever we were in church. I was reading in Exodus the other day about the 10th plague on Egypt, how the firstborn of every living thing in Egypt died at the hand of Yahweh. But He told the Israelites to kill a perfect lamb and put its blood on their doorposts. Exodus 12:13 says, "The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt."

1 Peter 1:18-19 says I am to know that I was "ransomed from the futile ways...with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." Christ took my place on the cross of Calvary, so that when God the Father looks at me, He doesn't see that sinful mess; He only sees the blood of His Son that had to be shed on my behalf. And because of my faith, which is a gift of God, God's wrath has passed completely over me, and I have an eternal home in Heaven. I've been poring over this for years, just letting all of that penetrate my spirit, and it just brings me to tears every time. Oh how He loves you, and oh how He loves me. I'm just so thankful. 

Q: How do you hope these new songs will speak to the lives of your listeners? 

I just hope the listeners enjoy all these new songs we've put together; I hope there are some words somewhere that mean something to each one individually, and I hope they can know that they're loved, they're able to smile and they'll have a sense of home, and hope. I really had a good time watching this project come to life and it's crazy that it's all finally coming to fruition! The Lord is good! 

Pre-order, add or save Goin' Home Comin' On HERE.    

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