Dave Matthews has contributed a new, original tune, “Papertown,” for an upcoming documentary of the same name. The song, which was released in the teaser trailer for the Jeremy Seifert-directed film, features vocals by Sierra Ferrell and fiddler from Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek. Papertown centers on the the community of Canton, NC after the sudden closure of a 115-year-old paper mill, which “shatters the economy of an Appalachian town, forcing its people to confront the loss, and rediscovery, of their shared identity.”

“The movie is stunning. It’s heartbreaking, but still so hopeful. It’s full of hope, in spite of this class system where the power sits in the hands of far away people, which is so wrong,” Matthews said in a statement

The documentary will have its world premiere at MountainFilm Festival in Colorado on Friday, May 22.

Ferrell sat in with Dave Matthews Band at George, WA’s Gorge in 2023 while Watkins, along with the rest of her I’m with Her group, performed with Matthews and Tim Reynolds at Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort in early 2020.

DMB will kick off their summer tour at Memphis, TN’s Riverbeat Music Festival this Sunday, May 3.