Colter Wall Gets Boost from “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Film
Canadian country artist Colter Wall is once again receiving some worthy exposure via a critically-acclaimed film the promises to be an Oscar contender. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a dark comedy written and directed by Martin McDonagh, and starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage. Released on November 10th in the United States, it’s about a mother who takes on the local police department when they fail to solve her daughter’s murder.
Colter Wall’s “Sleeping on the Blacktop” plays prominently at the beginning of the film’s racy and explosive trailer (see below). The same song also appeared on the soundtrack for 2016’s Hell or High Water, which went on to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Three Billboards is also expected to do well come awards season, already having won the top prize at the Toronto Film Festival, and holding a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Saskatoon lawyer Kurt Dahl negotiated the deal for the song to be placed in the film.
“It’s pretty crazy, a huge breakthrough for him,” Dahl told the Star Phoenix. “Both of those movies are really smart and hip. It speaks to how the music is, too. It’s a good fit. I think he really is the real deal and people really see that. There’s a certain authenticity that people always want in their music.”
Apparently the deal almost fell through because the filmmakers wanted an instrumental version of the track. But since “Sleeping on the Blacktop” was recorded live with producer Dave Cobb, it wouldn’t be easy to separate the vocals out. But they liked the song so much, it was included anyway. The score for the film was handled by Carter Burwell who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, and the music editor was John Warhurst.
Other songs that appear on the soundtrack include Townes Van Zandt’s “Buckskin Stallion Blues,” Joan Baez’s version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” and “Walk Away Renee” from the Four Tops, which also is featured heavily in the trailer. The soundtrack for the film will be released on November 17th.
Due to the exposure via film, Colter Wall’s “Sleeping on the Blacktop” is by far his biggest song on streaming services, receiving nearly 3.4 million streams on Spotify so far.
WARNING: Language
November 12, 2017 @ 10:07 pm
Good for him and for good music in general. Colter Wall was great when I saw him opening for Cody Jinks. His style and writing is seriously needed in this time of “slide on over”, “fill up your cup”, “hey girl”, and “tailgate” bullshit.
November 13, 2017 @ 12:49 am
Colter and Childers are the future. Both phenomenal songwriters and both phenomenal voices.
November 13, 2017 @ 5:50 am
It’s a shame posts like this don’t get 570 comments.
November 13, 2017 @ 6:51 am
I certainly wanna see the movie!
November 13, 2017 @ 7:22 am
Only a matter of time before Colter becomes a household name. That distinctive style and unforgettable voice leaves a lasting impression. Having his songs as part of movies is only going to help his audience and following grow. But nice to see him pay his dues by hitting the clubs and building his audience at the grass roots level.
November 13, 2017 @ 7:34 am
I saw Colter open for Dale and Ray last February I think. Colter is not what i consider country music. I would say he’s a folksinger and songwriter mostly. He does dress in black with a hat and has the requisite beard. His songs do sound convincingly old. Honestly he came across as odd. His voice is deep but strange.Numerous folks I talk to say the same thing, voice is an acquired flavor. Nonetheless he is being fawned over by the Americana crowd as the messiah savior of country music. Can’t honestly see that. I think the songwriting is good, and he deserves to be heard but the hype around him is a bit much. I’m not a hater by any means but not totally sold either. As to the authenticity part, his Dad is a big time politician in Saskatchewan and he comes from money, so there’s that. Not that authenticity matters terribly much to me, Gram Parsons was a Harvard brat but still had enormous talent. But like Trigger has implied about Midland, if you are hyping the authenticity as your story, best to be honest about it.
November 13, 2017 @ 7:52 am
Has he hyped “authenticity as [his] story”? Have not seen that anywhere.
November 13, 2017 @ 8:26 am
I think the authenticity thing falls flat for this guy obviously, but good is good and he’s genuine but maybe not authentic, the two don’t go hand in hand. Tom Mooney at New Slang wrote an awesome article on the authentic vs genuine concept, google it it’s awesome. Trigger I think you’d appreciate it too.
November 13, 2017 @ 8:49 am
Thanks, I will look at that article…sounds interesting…I think certain media folks have attempted to paint Colter as ” authentic” , perhaps without doing their homework.
I will say though, when you see him close up and hear him talk he does come across as a real character. You could easily imagine he was some kind of Canadian hobo drifter type. Reality is a bit different.
November 13, 2017 @ 9:08 am
Everyone has a right to make country music. The argument against Midland was never an authenticity one. It’s that they were trying to use a fake “authentic” narrative to push their music, which made it a topic of discussion and exposed them as not being very authentic at all. Colter Wall has never done that. He doesn’t say anything about his past. He lets the music speak for itself. It’s the media which loves to talk about his authenticity, because the media is constantly searching for narratives. And by the way, you can be from a wealthy family, and still be authentic. Look up Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and tell me that’s not country.
As for him being more folk than country, I completely agree. But folk is a building block of country, so there is definitely some similarities there. I also think his live show is better in smaller doses. At least at this point. And it’s listening room stuff, not big concert/festival music. Like most folks artists.
November 13, 2017 @ 9:31 am
Hey Kevin. I’m the aforementioned politician you reference. I’ve read SCM for a while now and very much enjoy it. I have not posted, however I thought I might have some perspective to offer on this notion that he ‘comes from money’. I can tell you most assuredly ..he does not. He grew up middle class in a 40 year old 1100 sq ft bungalow in a small prairie city/town. Simply put, politics does not equal big money. Colter worked part time in high school to put gas in his car (a rusting out 78 Chrysler New Yorker he had to pay for – which only really ran in the summer but had alot of room for a guitar and amp) and saved for college. When he dropped out of college he worked on a farm/ranch to support part time touring he was doing to start out. Moreover he has never claimed anything but these things as part of his past. From what I have heard of his interviews he has only ever told his story- torque-free…relatively short as it is at this point. Thought I should offer that clarificaiton. Thanks to all who follow this site for their support of artists like Tyler Childers and Colter.
November 13, 2017 @ 10:50 am
Thanks for clarifying that Brad. I was relating what I had read. At the end of the day my comments don’t matter a rip. We have fun discussions here and there’s always differing opinions and we don’t always get the facts straight unfortunately. The media can sometimes run a story with minimal fact checking and put spin on an agenda. That’s happened a bit in Midlands case and also in Colters case I believe. And no, I haven’t heard Colter referring to himself as “authentic” or anything overhyped. And after hearing your side, I am changing my perception of him. I guess we tend to get excited when a “common man” , “one of us” so to speak actually makes it. It’s the underdog story that we all love.
But I consider myself corrected and will freely admit it. At the end of the day, he’s a songwriter currently finding success amongst a big crowd and he likely is making a living pursuing his art. Hard to criticize that. I wish him the best. I appreciate your weighing in and setting the record straight. My wife in high school was ” the principals daughter” and boy did she hate to admit that at the time. It definitely made her peers see her in a different light. I understand Colter is forging his own path and letting his music speak.
November 13, 2017 @ 11:00 am
Kevin – thanks very much for the reply. The ‘principal’s daughter’ reference nails it right on the head. All the very best.
December 14, 2017 @ 12:36 pm
You’re a Bilderberger?
November 13, 2017 @ 11:03 am
You’re son’s awesome mate, you should be very proud.
November 14, 2017 @ 4:05 pm
Colter opened for Amanda Shires in a little room in St. Louis last year. A guy I work with went to the show to see her and then practically tackled me when I walked in the door the next day with “YOU GOTTA LOOK UP THIS GUY COLTER WALL.”
November 13, 2017 @ 8:46 am
Longmire is returning to Netflix for the final season. Who’s excited?
me.
November 13, 2017 @ 10:25 am
Good on him, I like his stuff and he deserves the exposure. Seems to be a great songwriter for a young guy, and his voice is great – deep and a bit weird, but I like it.
I was looking forward to this film anyway – Harrelson, McDormand and Rockwell directed by the guy who did In Bruges? God yes. If it’s got a decent soundtrack, so much the better.
November 13, 2017 @ 10:58 am
Sorry mate, didn’t men to reply to you. I too would be looking forward to Longmire, the couple of episodes I’ve seen were class, but we don’t get it on Netflix over here so…anyway, hope you enjoy it.
November 13, 2017 @ 12:51 pm
I wish A&E had the good sense to keep it. It’s one of the few shows I enjoyed. Or I should say one of the 2 I enjoyed. The other was Hell On Wheels which had awesome music as well.
November 13, 2017 @ 11:38 am
Good for Colter! I’m glad he is getting exposure with what seems to be a good soundtrack. Hopefully the song is featured prominently in the film.
November 13, 2017 @ 12:51 pm
Slightly off topic but I watched a Canadian film last night called “Backcountry” and one of the main characters listens to and sings along to Corb Lund’s “Always Keep an Edge on Your Knife” toward the beginning of the film.
November 13, 2017 @ 1:00 pm
Ah. Great song.
November 14, 2017 @ 10:02 am
Good stuff.