New Single: Doubt Riding Shotgun
Doubt Riding Shotgun
Doubt Riding Shotgun began the way many meaningful songs do: through shared experience, honest conversation, and a familiar inner voice most creatives know all too well.
I met songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Harris while co-writing a song called St. Catastrophe with Chris Sahlin at one of Andrea Stolpe’s songwriting retreats in Southern California. That collaboration—keys, melody, harmony, guitar, Dobro, shared lyrics—turned into a released track and, more importantly, a genuine creative connection built on trust and ease.
Not long after, I shared my book Doubt Riding Shotgun with Jeff. The idea landed immediately. As musicians, we both recognized the truth at the center of it: doubt doesn’t disappear—you learn how to drive with it in the car. Jeff suggested writing a “theme song” inspired by the book, and that’s where things got interesting.
We agreed on the concept, but not entirely on the sound. Jeff comes from a rockabilly and roots-rock background; I lean more toward JJ Cale and Bill Withers. Instead of forcing a single version, we let both instincts exist. The result: two songs with the same title, shaped by different styles, perspectives, and lyrical angles. Same idea. Different roads.
As Jeff put it: “I guess doubt comes in many forms.”
My version of Doubt Riding Shotgun sits somewhere between swampy Americana and rolling roots rock—loose, human, and a little defiant. Think cruising music for moments when your confidence wavers but your hands stay on the wheel. It’s a song about showing up anyway, stepping into the spotlight with a knot in your stomach, and choosing to play the song even when the voice in the passenger seat says not to.
That’s true. And this song is about learning how to live—and create—with it riding along.
Doubt Riding Shotgun by Dave Hill Jr. comes out on January 22, 2026
You can hear it now at Dave’s Bandcamp site.
I will post a link to Jeff’s song here once it is available.
Doubt Riding Shotgun
by Dave Hill Jr. and Jeff Harris
Rolling in my ragtop, lightning in my chest
The hum of my own wheels, they won’t let me rest
There’s a voice beside me I don’t want to hear
Squirming in my seat, got static on the box
Feeling beat and bullied, but I just wanna rock
There’s a forgotten lyric ringing in my ear
She’s got my ex’s voice and my father’s eyes
She likes to criticize
Doubt riding shotgun
Keeping me on the run
Says I’m not the one tonight
Well, maybe she’s right
But I keep driving on
Parking in the backlot, no one knows I’m here
If I punch the gas, I could drive right out of here
But the rumble of the crowd says it’s time to play
So I step into the spotlight, my stomach in a knot
Fakin’ to believe with the courage I forgot
The whisper in the backseat says I’m dead either way
She’s got my ex’s voice and my father’s eyes
She likes to criticize
Doubt riding shotgun
Taking away my fun
She says, “Shut up and strum tonight”
She keeps my voice tight, keeps me wound up tight
I think it’s time I put you in your place
I don’t need saving from my own mistakes
If I don’t leap, I’ll never fall
Then I never try at all
You’re the smoke before the fear
I feel you burning in my ear
You’re the shadow in my broken mirror
I think I’ll take it from here
Doubt riding shotgun
I’ve got her on the run
I’m driving my own fun tonight
Everything’s all right
Everything’s in my sight
Song Credits:
Released January 22, 2026
Written by Dave Hill Jr. and Jeff Harris
Drums, Piano, and Lead Vocals by Dave Hill Jr.
Guitars and Bass by Chris Collins
Percussion and Background vocals by Jimmy Sage
Background vocals by Jasmine Sage
Produced by Jeff Harris, Dave Hill Jr., and Jimmy Sage
Recorded and Engineered by Jimmy Sage at Sage Studios
Mastered by Jimmy Sage at Sage Studios
Drums recorded by Dave Hill Jr.
