North Georgia musician, and former Athenian, Scott Low shares the music video for his single “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” ahead of his album Grateful Blues, a compilation of Grateful Dead blues covers, to be released Oct. 10.
Well-versed in Appalachian tradition and blues across the region, the inspiration behind Low’s upcoming album hones in on a specific era of the legendary jam band.
“After the moderate success of last year’s The Appalachian Blues, and the outpouring of support from the blues and roots community, I had the concept to bring another obsessively supportive fanbase of the Deadheads. About a year ago I began compiling a list of old blues songs and original Grateful Dead songs that fit into my sound. The Dead after all were a blues band that took (enough) acid and created a whole counter culture movement. Blues is the foundation of all American music, and maybe the core of our greatest cultural exports,” says Low.
The single “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” was covered by the Grateful Dead in 1970, but it’s a traditional American song that was first recorded in 1923 under the name “Lonesome Road Blues” by Henry Whitter. Low says its origin goes even farther back in time.
“It is a blues song where you can hear both the Black and white cultural influence, from $2 shoes to water into wine,” says Low, who goes on to explain why this track became one of the lead singles for his album. “Short, sweet and not too psychedelic. Also this year I was reading about the Atlanta/Georgia blues scene of the 1920–30s and realized many of them played slide guitar on 12-string guitars, so I tried that a lot on this album. Besides Leadbelly you don’t see many 12-strings in blues, so I am proud to continue this tradition and make it new and modern.”
The newly released music video matches the atmosphere of Low’s take on these songs, familiar and comfortable with a dash of fresh air. When asked how he describes the “Scott Low” stamp on this set of covers, he says, “just a little weird.”
“Since I got a resonator guitar in August of 2023, I have been deep diving slide and blues guitar from the Delta to New England to California. I feel like I have found a whole new voice with the slide and open tuning. In fact, I recently saw my jazz professor and told him sorry about all that you taught me. I don’t even really need notes or frets with this slide, I just find and feel ’em,” says Low. “I recently won the Atlanta Blues Challenge and will be representing Georgia at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January of 2026, so I feel like all my research and practice could just maybe possibly pay off. I just want to make you feel something. I know I have had these blues a lot in my life, and I know everybody gets down, but this music is to shake it up and make ya feel something, anything, different! Just feel something outside your normal day.”
For upcoming show dates, merch and to dive into Low’s discography, visit scottlowsongs.com.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
