Cascade Cody has this to share about his song “Cherries Grow.”

What is a summer time song? I love writing for groups like Whipsmart because it is people like them that understand the power behind the prompt. “Summertime vibes,” the idea had been written, and as an artist I found myself stretching and bending this concept into a waxen image that had melted into its current state by taking licks on the chin by the fire of creativity.  

My ideal moments in summer derive from front porch sittin’ at dusk: The faint wind rustling o’re the sagebrush on the prairie, the untimely opinions of my father as he relays them to me about local politics. Some may not deem this ideal, but assuredly, as a son of Eastern Washington, I reflect on these moments in a positive light, yet recognize that the small town I grew up in isn’t the safe haven of paradise that I remember it to be in my nostalgic mind. 

This song is a critical look at what summer looks like from a small agriculture town perspective, but also attempts to see the holistic balance between class, politics, and traditional American imagery. Current events are shaped in large part today in places like LA or Washington DC. But the wars they spark are being fought in the streets of small towns with demographics who have a yard sign for every agenda a person can fathom! “Cherries Grow” is derivative of “The Saturday Evening Post”covers. The Norman Rockwell we know and love, becoming the Norman Rockwell we rarely talk about during the civil rights movement. This coming of age song, a bite size in every line, and every line sang is by the main character, (the town itself.)