Capturing the sweet and somber of a warm night in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Jason Lenyer Buchanan’s Under a Thumbnail Moon is an honest and vulnerable singer-songwriter collection that juxtaposes heart and depth.
Through the lens of a father, preacher, and poet raised in a small Texas town, themes of human emotion, spirituality, and community are posed before exquisite Americana-infused instrumentation. With a bit of something for everyone, the EP is sure to resonate when it releases May 31st, 2025.
Setting a Western sunset drive soundscape, “If the Creek Don’t Rise” speaks to necessary realism and resilience as life brings its inevitable trials. As Buchanan sings, “There’s a whole lotta ways you can be baptized / If the creek don’t rise,” dancing fiddles, keys, and acoustic guitar take the listener right to the mesmerizing and winding landscape of a scenic Wyoming ranch.
“Under a Thumbnail Moon,” a melancholic yet optimistic title track, wrestles the dark with the light through the narration of a man’s grapple with the crushing weight of purpose. As permanence becomes transience, Buchanan brings the listener’s attention to the sliver of light that still seeps through, a reminder of trials’ worth.
Paired with a studio-set music video that captures Buchanan’s authenticity in performance, his lead single, “Better Parts of Texas.” winds through Buchanan’s once neighboring cities as he searches vicariously for new parts of himself. Accompanied by get-up-and-go melodies, Buchanan’s mix of Americana grit and Southern soul paint a wonderful picture of the messy miracle that is being alive.
Recorded at The Owl Studio in Nashville and engineered by Joel Rousseau, Under a Thumbnail Moon sees Buchanan joined by Scott Mulvahill (bass), Nate Leath (fiddle), Don Eanes (keys), Rousseau (electric guitar), and Jacob Schrodt (drums). The upcoming EP follows his remastered version of Crooked Rivers, which dropped earlier this month.
Buchanan and The Short Timers can often be found in the Front Range area, frequenting both Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming bars, bistros, and breweries.
