Article Contributed by IVPR
Published on 2026-05-24
Robert Earl Keen links back up with Lost Highway Records for the 25th anniversary reissue of Gravitational Forces.
Some records arrive loudly and demand attention, and others settle in slowly, revealing themselves over time. Robert Earl Keen’s Gravitational Forces, released in 2001, belongs firmly in the latter category. Amidst a rapidly changing world at the turn of the millennium, Keen offered an album that neither chased trends nor shouted over the noise. Instead, Gravitational Forces has proven to hold its own with something far more enduring. The songs of Gravitational Forces have settled into the fabric of Keen’s vibrant catalog, sticking with listeners not because they demand attention, but because they resonate steadily, with a sense of continuity, from the album-opening “My Home Ain’t In The Hall Of Fame,” to the reflective “Goin’ Nowhere Blues,” to the understated tribute of “Walkin’ Cane,” to the infamous long version of “The Road Goes On Forever.”
This year, the 25th anniversary of the release of Gravitational Forces on Lost Highway Records, finds Keen and the recently revived Nashville-based label joining hands once more—he released three notable studio albums (Gravitational Forces, The Rose Hotel, and Ready for Confetti) on Lost Highway between the early 2000s and 2010s—to share a special re-release of the seminal LP. Out on July 10th, this new pressing will feature a special-edition forest green colored vinyl, along with new album notes courtesy of Keen’s daughter, Clara Rose. Pre-order Gravitational Forces today from Lost Highway Records at this link, and note that a limited number of signed vinyl will be available at the merch table and at robertearlkeen.com.
In addition to today’s announcement, Keen has recently added a slew of new dates for his Then and Now Tour celebrating these twenty five years of Gravitational Forces and fifteen years of his Ready for Confetti album. All tour dates and ticket information can be found at robertearlkeen.com/tour.
Gravitational Forces Tracklist:
My Home Ain’t In The Hall Of Fame
Hello New Orleans
Wild Wind
Not A Drop Of Rain
I Still Miss Someone
Fallin’ Out
High Plains Jamboree
Walkin’ Cane
Goin’ Nowhere Blues
Snowin’ On Raton
Gravitational Forces
The Road Goes On Forever - Long Version
Robert Earl Keen’s Then and Now Tour Dates:
May 24, 2026
Charles Town, WV
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
May 26, 2026
Rutland, VT
Paramount Theatre
May 27, 2026
Groton, MA
Groton Hill Music Center
May 28, 2026
New York, NY
Irving Plaza
May 30, 2026
Hartford, CT
Infinity Music Hall - Hartford
May 31, 2026
Glenside, PA
Keswick Theatre
Jun 2, 2026
Elkton, MD
Elkton Music Hall
Jun 3, 2026
Munhall, PA
Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
Jun 4, 2026
Kent, OH
The Kent Stage
Jun 6, 2026
Lexington, KY
Railbird Music Festival
Aug 14, 2026
Lexington, VA
Lime Kim Theater
Aug 15, 2026
Lexington, VA
Lime Kim Theater
Aug 16, 2026
Wilmington, NC
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
Aug 18, 2026
Winston-Salem, NC
The Ramkat
Aug 20, 2026
Richmond, VA
The National
Aug 21, 2026
Alexandria, VA
The Birchmere^
Aug 22, 2026
Alexandria, VA
The Birchmere^
Aug 23, 2026
Alexandria, VA
The Birchmere^
^ solo acoustic show
For more information, please visit robertearlkeen.com/tour.
About Robert Earl Keen: After 21 albums full of songs like “Gringo Honeymoon,” “Feelin’ Good Again,” and “Corpus Christi Bay,” thousands of shows, songs cut by artists including George Strait and The Highwaymen, and many well-deserved accolades like the BMI Troubadour Award, the Texas Heritage Songwriter Hall of Fame, and the Texas A&M Distinguished Alumni Award—of which only 300 or so have been awarded from more than half-a-million graduates—it would be hard to find anybody in the same shoes who would willingly give it all up for a quiet life at home. As Keen projects from the stage every night, along with the help of every set of lungs in the room, “The road goes on forever, and the party never ends!”
Those words have never seemed more true for the Americana pioneer, and in Keen’s late-career renaissance, his party doesn’t just “never end,” it keeps growing. Just this year, Keen made an iconic, late-career debut on the Grand Ole Opry, was invited to join Tyler Childers for a sold out show at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl, and helped his old friends Turnpike Troubadours rattle Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, all while continuing to headline his own shows in iconic venues, host his Americana Podcast: The 51st State, putting together a new book, and recording yet another new album.
