Seattle, WA, USA – BWGiBWGAN release “I’ll Be Around / The Slender Rowan,” the new double A-side single from Serafima and the Shakedowns, on March 17. It’s the second single to be taken from the band’s debut album Ride Easy, on May 1.
Clocking in at under two minutes, “I’ll Be Around” is a life-affirming burst of pure joy — a heart-skipping showdown of warmth, colour, and bright-eyed promise that leaves you beaming. Serafima delivers it with a splash of old-time golden charm, kicking up a little dust and letting the good times lead the way. It’s the thrill of catching a face across the room your heart can’t quite forget, and that playful little thought drifting through your mind — “maybe I’ll let you take me out!!”. Cowboy boots filled with swagger, a melody that grins from ear to ear, and the Shakedowns riding an easy, buoyant groove make the whole thing feel like a two-step you didn’t know you needed.
On the flip side, “The Slender Rowan” reveals another shade of the band’s world. An arrangement of the traditional Russian folk song, it finds Serafima singing in fluent Russian while the Shakedowns lean into the melody’s old-world sway. The result feels both playful and timeless — a reminder that the band’s roots run wide, and that tradition can still feel alive on a dance floor.
Serafima’s songwriting sits somewhere between classic storytelling and left-field pop instinct. You can hear echoes of Johnny and June Carter Cash, Joni Mitchell, and Cake — not as pastiche, but as shared DNA. Her lyrics hit you in the heart and stick in your head — wry, time-twisting verses as deceptively complex as the lives they describe.
If Serafima’s words carry the spark, the Shakedowns fan the flame. The band — Serafima on vocals and rhythm guitar, Sam Burrows on guitar, Joe McPhee on bass, Jules Tennyson on drums, and Finn O’Hea on trumpet — electrify classic elements from the golden age of radio, honky tonk swing, and flashes of Russian folk. Onstage and on record, they play like a group of friends letting the good times roll.
“I’ll Be Around / The Slender Rowan” arrives March 17, offering another bright glimpse into the warm, mischievous, and big-hearted world of Serafima and the Shakedowns. The album follows May 1.
Track Credits
“I’ll Be Around” is Written and performed by Serafima and The Shakedowns. “The Slender Rowan” is a traditional Russian folk song arranged and performed by Serafima and The Shakedowns
The Shakedowns are:
Serafima Healy (she/her) – Vocals / Guitar
Sam Burrows (he/him) – Guitar
Joe McPhee (he/him) – Bass
Jules Tennyson (they/them) – Drums
Finn O’Hea (he/him) – Trumpet
Aaron Khawaja (he/him) – Piano
Jay Kardong (he/him) – Pedal steel
Produced, recorded, and mixed by Dan Horne (he/him)
Additional recording by Ian Davidson (he/him)
Mastered by Julian Martlew (he/him)
Art by Mickey Miles (he/him)
Press Quotes
“Yeeeee-haw! … a burst of bluegrass joy. Could have come strait from the soundtrack to Sesame Street which obviously is a HUGE compliment”
— Adam Walton, BBC Introducing
“Serafima And The Shakedowns are undoubtedly playing at a spot near you; get yourself to the rock show.”
— Wash Magazine
Upcoming Shows
- 3/25/2026 – 3/29/2026: Treefort Music Fest – Boise, ID
- 4/15: The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA (Serafima solo)
- 5/7 – 5/8: The Clock Out Lounge – Seattle, WA
- 5/9: The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA
To know more about them, don’t forget to follow them on website www.serafimaandtheshakedowns.com, Instagram @the.shakedowns, Spotify, and YouTube
