Them Coulee Boys released a new video Tuesday for the song "Knuckleballer," the third track from their 2021 album, Namesake.

The idea for "Knuckleballer" came about when Them Coulee Boys' guitarist Soren Staff was out for a walk near his home in Eau Claire, Wis., thinking about the birth of the first child of bandmate Beau Janke and his wife (Janke is the banjo player in Them Coulee Boys). The lyrics of "Knuckleballer," ostensibly about celebrating baseball, actually weave a bittersweet tale about parents, their dreams, and the sacrifices they make for the sake of their children.

“This is, 100 percent, 'my best friend's a dad now' song," Staff says. "I got to thinking about legacy, and went for a walk out past the ballfields into the woods near Eau Claire. It tells a story of a family that was both helped and hindered by a hard work ethic. It's a song about those who love us for our wins and not our losses.”

Videographer Nate Nelson of Treedome in Rochester, Minn., whose previous work includes a series of videos for Minneapolis collective The Art of the Revolution, produced the video. Nelson drew upon footage of 1950s baseball games and family gatherings from the San Francisco-based Prelinger Archives. The song’s lyrics are superimposed in titles designed by Maggie Panetta that reflect the song's baseball undercurrent.

The video's release marks another milestone in what has been a hallmark year for Them Coulee Boys. In August, the readers of Twangville — a national music blog featuring alt-country, Americana, indie rock, folk and blues — picked Namesake as their favorite new release of the week, and in a ceremony held Sunday, Oct. 17, at Milwaukee’s Turner Hall, the Wisconsin Area Music Industry named Them Coulee Boys winners in the category of Bluegrass/Americana artist.

External Link

Them Coulee Boys - official site