Stephen and Jana Mougin are stepping to the microphone together on “There’s No Reason To,” a new bluegrass duet about choosing love even when loss remains possible.
The husband-and-wife duo released the single Friday, Sept. 25, through Dark Shadow Recording. Rick Lang and Lincoln Meyers wrote the song nearly 20 years ago.
A 20-Year-Old Song Finds Its Singers
Stephen and Jana discovered “There’s No Reason To” while searching for the song that became “Frozen In Time.” Both songs came from Lang and Meyers.
The Mougins recorded the two tracks during the same studio session with the same musicians. However, “There’s No Reason To” took longer to complete.
Its central idea draws from the familiar declaration that loving and losing is better than refusing to love at all. Rather than treating emotional caution as wisdom, the song makes a case for commitment despite the risk.
“I hope it inspires a strong commitment to love without fear or apprehension,” Jana said.
Stephen accompanies the duet on guitar. Kyle Triplett plays banjo, Scott Napier adds mandolin, Byron House plays bass, Christian Sedelmyer contributes fiddle and Stephen produced, engineered and mixed the recording. David Glasser handled mastering.
The Mougins Step Out From Behind Dark Shadow
Stephen and Jana founded Dark Shadow Recording in 2009. Much of their work happens behind other artists, including production, recording, promotion and artist development. The label recently signed songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Patrick.
Stephen is also a guitarist with the Sam Bush Band, as well as a producer, engineer and music instructor. Jana previously spent 12 years with the European bluegrass band Fragment before moving to the United States. She now oversees radio promotion, publicity and social media for Dark Shadow.
“There’s No Reason To” puts that shared musical life at the center. The song was written by longtime friends, recorded by a married couple and released through the label they built together.