Dirk Schwenk - Bring That Back (2025) Hi-Res

Dirk Schwenk hails from Annapolis, Maryland where he pens thoughtful, expressive folk style songs, some of which are freshly available on his new album Bring That Back. Dirk’s songs are old timey in style, with that familiar feel that you can’t quite place them, even though they also tend to modern aspects – there are hippies in a sweet fling, a relationship that’s steady and secure, and folks trying to get to a better life all trading off in the mix. His choice of rich traditional instruments results in a delightful, warm listening experience for the times we’d love to have again on Bring That Back.

“Sweet As Honey” is lush acoustic guitar with rich violin in an adept confessional love song – the kind about a lasting love: “I’ll be with you til the end, you’re my love and my best friend, and they can’t take that away.” There’s a catchy two step dance rhythm, swells of fiddle, and the arrangement is timeless.

On “Annie Standing There” the guitar melody swings in a timeless tale about splitting town “she flagged me down on a Monday in a church parking lot, said I’m in a hurry, don’t wanna get caught…” And just like that, the adventure begins.

“Dead Man’s Desk” addresses aspects of realizing that living in the moment is vitally necessary. “Nothing is better than right now / And never before have I felt like I understood less.” Someone has passed away and the question of the meaning of life hangs in the air, and “maybe nothing is better than right now.” The harmonica carries this song through to the end. The title track takes a turn back to old timey harmonies “this man needs love, and honey, won’t you bring it on back for me.” It’s time to rekindle a love in this sassy, classic song. The added banjo steers this one gratifyingly into bluegrass territory.

In “Hippie Chicks” the summertime deadhead festival vibe makes a subtle appearance in the music and the memory of that time “we shared a tarp when the rain fell, you in your tie-dyed braids / I miss you when the sun does shine, miss hippie chick from Maine…” It’s nostalgic for the freedom of bygone days and that age where it was simple to be free. We feel it when this song is filling the air.