Inspiration for a new song can strike Nickalus Linza at any time.
Linza, a Hornell Alstom employee and Rushford native, came across a tribute his cousin posted for her friend Jayden Dillenbeck, a Rochester-area resident and aspiring model who died of fentanyl poisoning at the age of 22. The post was captioned “Backwoods for days, baby girl.”
With his cousin’s blessing, Linza went to work crafting his own tribute to their friendship via song.
“I intended it to be less of a mourning, sad song about grieving and more of a vision of hope and moving in the right direction,” Linza explained. “I’m going to keep living my life how we enjoyed living life together and I’m going to hold you in those memories, but also I hope one day we’re going to meet again and we’re going to do these things together. My intention was for a full circle moment with the song.”
The finished product, “Backwoods for Days,” will be released Aug. 21 on National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. Linza has been invited to perform the new single in Times Square Aug. 20 as part of a two-day series of events organized by Facing Fentanyl Now, a national non-profit.
Other happenings are planned around New York City for Facing Fentanyl’s flagship event. Linza said the organization jumped at the opportunity to highlight the new single.
“They’re like I love this song, it’s amazing. It doesn’t just portray grief, it gives hope,” Linza said. “As a songwriter I was like okay, they get what I’m trying to do here. It’s not just a sad song. They reached out and said they have this marquee event we do in New York City every year right in Times Square. We’d very much like you to be there to play the song live. I said I’ve got to do it. This was meant to be.”
Linza has since gotten in touch with Dillenbeck’s mother. The Dillenbeck family has used Jayden’s story to help others through fundraisers and a “Faces of Fentanyl” ad campaign featuring her picture on buses and billboards.
“We’re meeting up and going together. They’re trying to get her message out there. We’re sharing the story and the moment together,” Linza said. “I’m glad to be able to be there for her, too.”
Linza recorded the song at Soul Train Studios in Nashville over a year ago, but some challenges prevented it from coming together sooner. Finally, signs piled up and Linza realized he had to release the song on National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.
“It took on a life of its own at this point. I’m hoping I can get out there and give people hope and comfort, and spread a good message,” he said.
Linza worked on the song with some of the same team behind his debut 2022 EP, “Dirt & Stone,” including mixing engineer Justin Cortelyou, a Grammy nominee who has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry. Art Ward of Century Music Group produced “Backwoods for Days.”
“They went out of their way to make sure this song got finished to where I could put it out,” Linza said. “I’m very appreciative of what they did and the whole music team I had down there. It’s good to know it’s not just you and you have these people you can rely on.”
“Backwoods for Days” will be featured on Linza’s upcoming EP, titled “Black Crow Flies.” In the meantime, “Backwoods for Days” will be available on all major streaming platforms Aug. 21.
While his day job at Alstom keeps him busy, Linza continues to expand his profile in the music industry.
“I’ve been writing a lot. I went back down to Nashville to record another set of songs,” he said. “I’m not necessarily one that wants the fame or attention or anything like that but I’m at a point in my career where I’m starting to understand if you want to be established as a songwriter these are the things you need to do. I’ve been trying to go out of my way to take different moments and opportunities that I normally wouldn’t have in the past.”
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Hornell area musician’s new single is shining light on fentanyl crisis
Reporting by Chris Potter, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chris Potter, Hornell Evening Tribune | USA TODAY Network
