Image by Robert Bohn

Billy Strings has shared an animated music video for his new song “Catch & Release.” The video was animated by Robert Bohn and tells the true story of a fishing trip Strings shared with Leftover Salmon’s Vince Hermon back on Oct. 6, 2020.

The slow-paced spoken word song has a levity akin to Shel Silverstein’s lyricisms which pays tribute to the storytelling roots of folk and bluegrass music. In the song, Strings details waking up in the morning, hitching his boat to his truck, meeting with Hermon, smoking a bowl, getting pulled over, being let go and ultimately enjoying his trip with his pal.

The animated video humorously follows Strings until he croons the final lyrics: “So that there’s my story and I want you to know/ If you’re gonna go fishin’ ya better take her slow/ Better look both ways and keep her in line/ Let this be a lesson to your partners in crime: always watch your six and nine/ Don’t roll through the stop sign/ you don’t always need to make the verses rhyme/ Don’t be mixin’ liquor with your wine/ If you feel so inclined, keep me in mind and by the way only break one law at a time.”

Watch the video for “Catch & Release” below.