Feature: Colin Woltmann Decodes “The In-Betweens”
What was the creative process like for this particular "The In-Betweens?"
I leaned into my folkier influences for the writing and recording of this song. My dad played me so many good songwriters like John Prine, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen as a kid. They can all do a lot with a little, and are reminders that a truly good song is still good, or maybe even better, when it’s really stripped and has nowhere to hide.
I use an app on my phone that works like a digital 8 track to record. So I’m pretty limited only having 8 tracks, but that also felt like the right fit for this project. Embracing those limitations has also helped me to be more creative and free.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for "The In-Betweens?"
Often times I use music to work through things I’m struggling to understand or process in my own life, or in observation of another’s life. “The In-Betweens” was a cathartic process of working through parts of a complicated relationship and the early effects of the pandemic. My wife and I had to close our business and were dealing with some health problems.
How does "The In-Betweens" fit into your overall artistic vision and what can listeners expect from you in the future?
For quite a while after writing this song, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it. I didn’t feel like it fit-in with my other projects at the time. So I put it away and continued to write. As more songs came together, it became clear that “The In-Betweens” would be the sort-of pace setter for what would become my new EP, “A Case of the Times”. In the process of recording “The In-Betweens” I feel like I rediscovered some parts of myself and a renewed appreciation for those early influences from my childhood.
Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you decided to follow your path as a musician?
I lost a friend to suicide during my freshman year in high school. Music is what got me through that time and is when I started writing my own songs.
Unfortunately, I kind of fell off music for many years in my adult life, and wasn’t writing or playing anymore. It wasn’t until my wife suffered a scary spider bite that I started writing again, to to deal with a difficult time. My first solo LP (Brown Recluse, released 2021) is dedicated to her and that experience.
Is there a specific song that holds a particularly special meaning to you? Can you share the story behind it?
I feel like music has always been a special way for me to connect with my Dad. He’s introduced me to nearly all my favorite artists, and I think is a big part of why I wanted to write songs myself.
I have a very early memory of him playing me Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” as a kid. The melody and lyrics hit me right in the chest and I fell in love with it. That’s maybe my earliest memory of beginning to appreciate music and a song as a powerful form of communication and healing.
