B-Side Guys

Five in the morning, New Orleans. Todd Adelman sits on a bench in Jackson Square as the sun rises over a city that would soon become ground zero for American pandemic chaos. The song that emerges from this moment—written with whatever illness was circulating through his system—captures something about pre-apocalyptic hangovers that feels both specific to February 2020 and eternal as the bourbon trade itself.

“You said ‘it’s either her or me’” opens negotiations that never had a chance. Adelman’s voice, recorded straight to tape at his Catskills studio The Woods, carries the weight of someone who knows he’s choosing destruction over love but can’t seem to course-correct. His collaboration with veteran players like Taras Prodaniuk and Jim Christie (both Dwight Yoakam alumni) creates foundation sturdy enough to support his confession without overwhelming its fragile honesty.

The production benefits from Danny Blume’s understanding of when to let silence do the work. John Medeski’s Hammond B3 and Larry Campbell’s slide guitar provide texture without decoration, allowing space for Adelman’s central recognition: “I should be loving you instead.” Repeated like a mantra throughout the song, this phrase becomes both regret and resolution—the thing he should be doing instead of whatever he’s actually doing.

Adelman’s nod to Willie Nelson’s “Bloody Mary Morning” acknowledges tradition while claiming his own territory within it. His version treats the hangover not as punishment but as clarity—the moment when the previous night’s choices reveal their true cost. Recording in the woods of Woodstock with tape machines and vintage gear, he creates sonic environment that honors both the song’s New Orleans origins and its broader Americana lineage.

The track works because Adelman understands that some truths only emerge at dawn, when alcohol wears off and consequences crystallize. His Jackson Square revelation feels less like drunken rambling and more like sober recognition—the uncomfortable moment when you realize exactly what you’ve sacrificed for the right to keep destroying yourself.