Heartache Meets Americana

On May 2, 2025, “Just A Girl” – the first collaboration between country-rock singer-songwriter Marc Miner and Americana artist Chuck Prato – will be released on Between Music. A song about heartbreak that offers comfort with a wink and a catchy sound.

The idea for “Just A Girl” came from a personal story: Chuck Prato wrote the first draft of the song for his son, who was going through a painful breakup. “It’s a story about what’s going on in the heart of a young man whose love has left him. A storm, torment – a tempest! It takes the presence of a close person to guide him back to safe shores and assure him all will be fine. In the chorus, we captured exactly that kind of reassurance: ‘Come on boy, she’s just a girl.’ Of course, she wasn’t just a girl. She left her mark. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Prato explains, emphasizing the song’s universal and comforting message.

Miner adds: “It’s one of those typical phrases fathers say to their almost-grown sons, trying to pass on a bit of wisdom. You don’t want to dismiss the heartbreak or talk badly about the girl, but you also know the boy will be okay soon.”

The collaboration between the two musicians began about a year ago when Marc and Chuck met at a gig in a Vienna bar. Prato was playing, Miner was listening – and was immediately hooked. Shortly after, the idea to release a song together was born.

Prato recalls: “It quickly turned into a collaboration on a piece of a song that still needed some work. We both have an easy- going yet dedicated and professional approach. It’s also important that egos don’t fill the space when it’s creativity that needs

the room.” Both musicians put their unmistakable mark on the song, and you can hear those two strong musical personalities came together here.

Musically, “Just A Girl” surprises with a sea shanty-like melody, a driving banjo riff, and the distinctive voices of the two artists. A special highlight: the unexpected wah-wah guitar solo – a rare but perfectly fitting sound for an Americana song. With “Just A Girl,” Chuck Prato and Marc Miner deliver a duet that takes the fear out of heartbreak, signals new beginnings, and gives Americana a fresh twist – which is exactly why it lingers so long after listening.

About Chuck Prato

Chuck Prato is an American-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who has lived more of his life in Austria than anywhere else. Originally from New York, he has been the frontman of the cover band OldSkool for the past twelve years and is presently working on his own solo material.

About Marc Miner

When people think of alternative outlaw country rock and Americana music, they typically picture the U.S. or Canada. Marc Miner, however, holds down the fort as a European outpost. While Nashville is considered the "Music City" in the U.S., Miner has settled in its European counterpart: Vienna, Austria! Adding to his international background, he has roots in the U.S., Germany, and Poland.

Miner has released two studio albums, “Smile When You’re Wasted” (2020) and “Last Heroes” (2023), as well as the soundtrack for the short film “The Path Of His Spirits (OST)” (2022). For all three releases, he has won numerous awards, including “Album of the Year 2020” from the internationally renowned "Americana Highways" blog for his debut album, as well as the "ACMF – Austrian Country Music Federation" award for “Album of the Year 2023” for “Last Heroes” and “Song of the Year 2023” for “Bible & Rifle”. In 2020, he won the "ACMF – Audience Award," and at the "Pullman City Bayern Country Music Award 2023," he took 1st place in the "Country Rock" category. In addition to his own musical career, Miner is also active as a music producer, publisher, and label operator at Between Music.