Article Contributed by Cameron Shepherd
Published on January 23, 2026
“Keep Your Eyes Open”
Some songs don’t wait for hindsight. They arrive with their sleeves already rolled up—built for the moment you’re standing in, not the one you’ll remember later. That’s exactly the feeling behind Railroad Earth’s new single, “Keep Your Eyes Open,” a release that lands with uncommon clarity during the band’s 25th anniversary year.
“Keep Your Eyes Open” is the first single from Railroad Earth’s forthcoming studio album, due out on Ineffable Records in 2026. It also features Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter Daniel Donato, a former tourmate from last summer whose electric guitar brings a sharper edge to the band’s rooted bluegrass-folk foundation—more spark in the wires, more bite in the air.
Todd Sheaffer leads on vocals and acoustic guitar, with Tim Carbone adding motion and intensity on fiddle, electric guitar, and vocals. John Skehan colors the arrangement with mandolin, bouzouki, piano, and vocals, while the rhythm pushes forward under Carey Harmon’s drums and hand percussion. Matt Slocum anchors the harmonic flow on keys, George Guthrie contributes banjo and acoustic guitar, and Donato’s electric lines cut through the mix with a restless, forward-leaning urgency.
Lyrically, “Keep Your Eyes Open” feels less like commentary and more like a flare shot into a night sky. Written and composed by Sheaffer, the opening lines set the tone immediately:
Keep Your Eyes Open
Watch out, brother it’s happening fast
Losing the future, losing the past
Watch out for thieves rewriting the rules
After each verse, the band returns to the refrain—“Keep Your Eyes Open”—repeating the phrase like a mantra and a warning at the same time. The repetition adds urgency without overpowering the song’s musical flow, letting the message ride the groove rather than turn into a lecture.
Watch out your neighbor is hooded and masked
Watch out brother your window is smashed
Watch out brother now that he’s through
He’s roaming the halls and he’s looking for you
The weight of the lyrics is matched by tight, purposeful musicianship. The acoustic strings don’t soften the tension—they underline it—while Donato’s electric guitar heightens the stakes, pushing the arrangement toward the edge without tipping it into chaos. Harmon sums up the collaboration plainly and powerfully: “We had a great time on the road with Daniel last summer, and right away knew his playing would be the perfect collaboration for this song we were working on. The song carries more weight with each passing day, and we couldn’t wait to get it out.”
For fans following the band’s ongoing 25th Anniversary Tour, “Keep Your Eyes Open” feels like a natural next chapter—classic Railroad Earth storytelling with a new voltage running through it. The single is available now on all major streaming platforms, and it’s the kind of track that’s likely to hit even harder in the room, live, with the chorus echoing back from the crowd.
More info: railroad.earth
Listen here: https://ineffable.to/keepyoureyesopen
Railroad Earth 25th Anniversary Tour Dates
1/14 – Asbury Park, NJ
1/15 – New York, NY
1/16 – Hartford, CT
1/17 – Ardmore, PA
1/18 – Fairfield, CT
2/12 – Atlanta, GA
2/13 – Charleston, SC
2/14 – Jacksonville, FL
2/15 – Birmingham, AL
2/16 – Pensacola, FL
2/18 – Raleigh, NC
2/19 – Charlotte, NC
2/20 – Asheville, NC
2/21 – Pelham, TN
3/10 – Omaha, NE
3/11 – Des Moines, IA
3/12 – Stoughton, WI
3/13 – Chicago, IL
3/14 – Minneapolis, MN
3/16 – Little Rock, AR
3/19 – St. Louis, MO
3/20 – Indianapolis, IN
3/21 – Lexington, KY
3/22 – Cleveland, OH
4/18 – Driftwood, TX
4/22 – Wilkes-Barre, PA
4/23 – Harrisburg, PA
4/25 – Wilkesboro, NC
4/26 – Richmond, VA
5/7 – Keene, NH
5/8 – Portland, ME
5/9 – Great Barrington, MA
5/10 – Woodstock, NY
