Doug Schmude keeps hope alive with his uplifting new roots-rocker It Takes A Little Faith — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“I am not really sure if it is just what I needed to believe in the middle of the pandemic or what,” the SoCal troubadour muses. “Some songs follow the 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration rule and some pretty much fall straight from the ether and out of your guitar; It Takes A Little Faith is the latter. This one came out pretty quick and seems to be resonating with folks so far as I play it live.
No wonder. Keeping one foot in front of the other can be easier said than done, especially lately. But It Takes A Little Faith — which comes from his new EP One Shy Of A Six Pack — is an everyman anthem that delivers its inspirational message in the catchiest way possible. Set to a guitar-and-drum punch akin to a classic Tom Petty rocker, the cut has no trouble driving home its infectious sentiment, while Schmude’s bluesy slide guitar adds just the right amount of swampy spice to the mix.
The multi-award nominee is happy to receive and shape what the muse channels his way with his own unique stamp. “I always try to tame these songs and ideas as they come out, but they always seem to take on a life of their own,” he says. ”I just keep writing and selecting what I think are the best and then release them into the wild.”
It Takes A Little Faith is the lead single from One Shy of A Six Pack, Schmude’s sixth release. The four other tracks cover an intriguing range of subjects, including an ultimate road trip , an unforgettable birthday party, a note to self to slow down and a very personal tribute to self-discovery. Schmude’s previously released albums are his Orange County Music Award-nominated debut A New Century (2003), All These Avenues (2014), Ghosts of the Main Drag (2017), Burn These Pages (2018) and Mileposts (2020). His singles have been played on over 200 radio stations internationally.
The new EP’s title is, of course, a nod to the amount of songs in the collection, as well as to our modern tendencies in music consumption. “I’ve found that the EP is the happy medium between the single format prevalent in music today and the once great medium of the album,” notes Schmude (it rhymes with moody). “This allows me to promote multiple songs over the course of a year while it is still relatively fresh, yet I still get the benefit of a collection of songs in a single package.”
Check out It Takes A Little Faith above, hear more from Doug Schmude below, and find him at his website, Facebook and Instagram.
