Todd Snider, who Rolling Stone hails as “America's sharpest storyteller,” is headed back to the live music circuit following a year-long hiatus due to Covid-19. Beginning this month, Snider will embark on his "Return of the Storyteller” tour, an extensive cross-country trek that includes more than 50 live concert dates taking place throughout the remainder of 2021.

Snider plans to capture audio from the tour to create a special live album, The Comeback Special. The compilation will be recorded in over 50 music venues that are reopening across the country with select songs released in 2022. After a long break from the road, Snider will return to his storytelling roots filled with freshly inspired folklore and a new interactive concert experience.

“After Coronavirus, I knew I wanted to release a live album of this tour and call it The Comeback Special," explains Snider. "Being unable to tour for more than a year has given me the opportunity to work on new songs and covers and practice old material. I want the people to be part of my upcoming album and to release something special for those that missed live concerts as much as I have."

Snider has long been recognized as one of his generation’s most gifted and engaging touring musicians, so it’s no surprise he has returned from the pandemic with a new comeback tour. He will hit the road on July 24 with a sold-out performance at The Caverns in Pelham, TN. 

Fans are invited to come out and be part of the live record as Snider takes audience requests, shares stories and performs songs from his extensive catalog, including the brand new studio album, First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder.

Very Special Guests Darrin Bradbury, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Jamie Lin Wilson, Reed Foehl, Jack Ingram, Lilly Winwood, David Lindley, Chicago Farmer, Steve Poltz, Spanish Love Songs, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott will join Snider on select dates.

Purchase Tickets for:

"Return Of The Storyteller” Tour:

July 24 – Pelham, TN – The Caverns – SOLD OUT

Aug 19 – Macon, GA – Hargray Capitol Theatre

Aug 20 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse

Aug 22 – Hopewell, VA – The Beacon Theatre

Aug 23 – Cleveland, OH – Music Box Supper Club

Aug 25 – Cincinnati, OH – 20th Century Theater

Aug 26 – Nelsonville, OH – Stuart's Opera House

Aug 27 – State College, PA – The State Theatre

Aug 28 – McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre

Aug 30 – New York, NY – The Gramercy Theatre

Aug 31 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere

Sept 1 – Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat

Sept 3 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre

Sept 4 – Charlotte, NC – McGlohon Theater

Sept 5 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall

Sept 8 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center

Sept 9 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater

Sept 10 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Hall Norfolk

Sept 11 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Hall Hartford

Sept 15 – Albany, NY – The Egg - Swyer Theatre

Sept 16 – Natick, MA – The Center for Arts Natick

Sept 17 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne

Sept 18 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater

Sept 19 – Charleston, WV – Mountain Stage

Sept 24 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium

Sept 29 – Denver, CO – The Oriental Theater

Oct 1 – Bozeman, MT – The ELM

Oct 2 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma

Oct 3 - Egyptian Theatre - Boise, ID

Oct 4 - Tower Theatre - Bend, OR

Oct 7 – Seattle, WA – Washington Hall

Oct 8 – Eugene, OR – Soreng Theater at Hult Center

Oct 10 – Grants Pass, OR – The Rogue Theatre

Oct 13 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall

Oct 14 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall – SOLD OUT

Oct 16 – San Luis Obispo, CA – The Fremont Theater

Oct 17 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall

Oct 20 – Healdsburg, CA – Raven Theatre

Oct 22 – Paradise, CA – Paradise Performing Arts Center

Oct 23 – Stateline, NV – Montbleu Resort & Casino

Oct 25 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room – SOLD OUT

Oct 27 – Fort Collins, CO – Washington's

Oct 29 – Kansas City, MO – Folly Theater

Oct 30 – Omaha, NE – Scottish Rite Hall

Oct 31 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly's

Nov 1 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly's

Nov 3 – Iowa City, IA – The Englert Theatre

Nov 4 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre

Nov 5 – Chicago, IL – Park West

Nov 6 – Grand Rapids, MI – Wealthy Theatre

Nov 17 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre

Nov 18 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue

Nov 19 – St. Louis, MO – Sheldon Concert Hall

Nov 20 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre

Dec 3 – Greenville, TX – Texan Theater

Dec 4 – Temple, TX – Cultural Activities Center

Dec 6 – Tomball, TX – Main Street Crossing 

Dec 7 – Tomball, TX – Main Street Crossing 

Dec 8 – Tomball, TX – Main Street Crossing 

Critically-acclaimed rock ’n' roll group The Band of Heathens have teamed with legendary Americana artist Ray Wylie Hubbard for a special collab of The Temptations’ classic hit "Papa Was a Rolling Stone". The tune drops today and is available for download / streaming HERE.

"Ray had the idea to do this song,” explains Band of Heathens guitarist and vocalist Ed Jurdi. "I honestly wasn't sure how to approach it or wrap my head around it, but then I realized, we just need to do like RWH and make it cool. Ray is like the Yoda of Texas music; ever knowing, always present and wise. I had faith that if we followed the spirit of his vision, we would somehow find the right path.”

After recording, Hubbard, who has a tenured relationship with the Heathens, was thrilled of the outcome.

"If I couldn't do 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' with The Temptations the next best would be to do it with The Band of Heathens, so I did," adds Hubbard. "Was cool as riding a wall of death motorcycle.”

“Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” is the first single to be released from the band’s upcoming album, Remote Transmissions, Vol 1. More details on the forthcoming compilation will be released in the coming months.

About The Band of Heathens

The Band of Heathens are an American rock 'n' roll band from Austin, Texas. The band was originally formed by Ed Jurdi, Gordy Quist and Colin Brooks in 2005. The Band of Heathens has had some lineup changes through the years, but the core lineup of founding members Jurdi and Quist on guitars, Nealon on keys, and Richard Millsap on drums has been together since 2012 when Millsap joined the group. Bassist Jesse Wilson came on board in 2017. In 2008 the band released their first, self-titled, studio album. Produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard, and featuring notable guests Patty Griffin, Stephen Bruton, and Gurf Morlix, the record went to #1 on the Americana Music Association's radio charts. In November 2008 the album was ranked 8th place on the Americana Music Association's Top 100 Albums of the Americana Charts for 2008. The band's last release was 2020's critically acclaimed album Strangerproduced by GRAMMY® Award winning producer, Tucker Martine. 

In 2022, The Marshall Tucker Band (MTB) will celebrate five decades since its inception. To celebrate, the multi-platinum southern rock group will hit the road for its historic “50th Anniversary Tour.” The MTB today revealed over 30 live concert dates with stops in Clearwater, Fla., Atlanta, Ga., Nashville, Tenn., Detroit, Mich., Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y., Pittsburgh, Pa., Washington D.C., Phoenix, Ariz. and more.
 
"Five decades of The Marshall Tucker Band ... sometimes it’s still hard to understand,” says MTB lead singer Doug Gray. "We are just regular people. The fans have given us so many special moments over these 50 years. I’m so proud of our band."
 
In 1972, original members Toy Caldwell, Tommy Caldwell, Doug Gray, Jerry Eubanks, George McCorkle and Paul Riddle came together in Spartanburg, S.C. to form a southern rock band. They knew they had the magic for something that could reach people well beyond the South Carolina state line. They had the sound, the look, and the camaraderie. Problem was, they didn’t have a name. One day while rehearsing in a local warehouse, they came across a key ring with the inscription, ‘Marshall Tucker.’ It belonged to a blind piano tuner who resided in Spartanburg. It was this fated discovery that inspired the band's moniker, and in that moment, The Marshall Tucker Band was born.
 
Dave Mason will join the legendary group on select live concert dates.
 
"I'm really looking forward to joining the 50th anniversary celebration of this extraordinary band,” says Mason. "I’ve been waiting to get back on the road, and this is quite the opportunity to bring great music to everybody, everywhere."
 
"Our special songs, guided by the lyrics of Toy Caldwell, have given us a deep emotional connection with our fans and friends,” adds Gray. "We love you all and can’t wait to see you on the road in 2022.”
 
The tour officially kicks-off on Jan. 12 at the Dosey Doe in The Woodlands, TX.
 
In the coming weeks, the second leg of the tour will be announced via marshalltucker.com.
 
The Marshall Tucker Band "50th Anniversary Tour" Schedule:
 
Jan. 12 - The Woodlands, TX - Dosey Doe
Jan. 14 - Corpus Christi, TX - American Bank Center
Jan. 15 - Baton Rouge, LA - L'Auberge Casino
Jan. 21 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall ^^
Jan. 22 - Tallahassee, FL - Donald Tucker Auditorium ++
Jan. 26 - Okeechobee, FL - Seminole Hard Rock
Jan. 27 - Immokalee, FL - Seminole Hard Rock
Jan. 29 - Miami, FL - Magic City Casino +
Feb. 3 - Huntsville, AL - Mark C. Smith Concert Hall  
Feb. 4 - Atlanta, GA - Symphony Hall
Feb. 9 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium @
Feb. 10 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theater ~
Feb. 11 - St. Louis, MO - River City Casino
Feb. 12 - Chicago, IL - Copernicus Center ~
Feb. 17 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre ~
Feb. 18 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
Feb. 19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rivers Casino
Feb. 20 - Washington D.C. - Capital One Hall ~
Feb. 23 - Torrington, CT - Warner Theatre ~
Feb. 25 - Charleston, WV - Charleston Municipal Auditorium ~
Feb. 26 - Atlantic City, NJ - Harrah’s Casino
March 3 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre ~
March 4 - Cleveland, OH - MGM Northfield Park ~
March 5 - Anderson, IN - Hoosier Park ~
March 9 - Evansville, IN - Victory Theatre ~
March 10 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center Theater ~
March 11 - Shipshewana, IN - Blue Gate Theatre ^
March 12 - Cherokee, NC - Cherokee Casino ~
March 17 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre ~
March 19 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Music Hall ~
March 20 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre ~
March 25 - Eureka Springs, AR - The Auditorium #
March 26 - Roland, OK - Cherokee Casino Roland
March 27 - Lubbock, TX - Buddy Holly Hall ~
April 8 - Biloxi, MS - IP Casino
 
KEY:
~ with Dave Mason
@ with Dave Mason and Atlanta Rhythm Section
^ with The Kentucky Headhunters
# with The Outlaws
^^ with Firefall and Bertie Higgins
+ supporting Kansas
++ supporting ALABAMA

What do you do when your entire life as a musician is suddenly put on hold? For The Band of Heathens, the answer to the big existential question of 2020 was simple: put on a show. For fifty-two weeks, every Tuesday night, the five-piece group came together via Zoom from their respective homes – in California, Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina - to host the Good Time Supper Club, a ninety-minute variety program. The segment of the show, called Remote Transmissions, became a much-anticipated fan favorite each week. And it is now the title of a new album release (volume one of a planned series), featuring covers of ten classic songs by artists including Margo Price, Todd Snider, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Nicki Bluhm, Hayes Carll and Charlie Starr. The Band of Heathen’s Remote Transmissions Vol. 1 is set to release Feb. 25, 2022.
 
“I think our survival instinct just kicked in,” says guitarist-vocalist Ed Jurdi. “There was a calling for connection and return to some kind of normalcy, which meant getting together with the guys in the band and collaborating, finding a medium to be creative. The onset of the pandemic made us say, 'How do we create things and share them with our audience?' It was nice to be able to use music as a connective thread and something that's healing. We were doing it for ourselves, but the greatest benefit was how it created this community for us to hang out with our fans.”
 
Guitarist-vocalist and fellow founding member Gordy Quist agrees. “Everyone was scared and uncertain about what was happening, so the show was like a release, where we all connected and forgot about the stuff going on around us. We couldn't play music together in the same room, so it was like trading songs, having a drink segment, we were even reading Shakespeare - just doing totally ridiculous things. At some point, we decided to bring in guests for an interview, and that turned into 'Hey, let's pre-record a music video of a cover song with each of them.'”
 
The record kicks off with an irresistible one-two punch - White Denim's James Petralli bringing his joyous rasp to Little Feat's “Rock and Roll Doctor” while the band expertly navigate the tune's complexities, right into the greasy guitar shimmy up of Nicki Bluhm and Ed Jurdi's duet on “Tumbling Dice.” The highlights just keep coming - Butch Walker rendering “Night Moves” with the crackling, dynamic range of a radio preacher, Margo Price's take no prisoners roar through Lucinda Williams' “Joy,” Midland's Mark Wystrach channeling Marty Robbins' easygoing baritone charm on ”El Paso City” and Robert Ellis' Petty-like drawl on “Walls” (“Some things are over / some things go on” seems like as concise a summary of last year as you can ask for).
 
Quist says, “We didn't try to reinvent the wheel. Normally, with covers, we would've looked for that certain twist to make the songs radically different from the originals. But we couldn't really do that, because we weren't in the same room. So the versions are pretty close to the original arrangements. There was a time crunch with producing a show every week. We didn't even think about it becoming an album.  But all the guests stepped up and did a great job. So it was really hard picking ten songs for this record.”
 
“Making records is always about cataloging any point in time,” adds Jurdi. “We wanted to celebrate the unique collaborative aspect of the show. What better way to document the last year than with these songs?”  
 
The high quality audio and video of the Good Time Supper Club (episodes are archived on their YouTube channel) helped the band to forge a bond with their fans that went beyond their initial expectations. “It was amazing how our people joined us and literally created a financial safety net for us,” Quist says. “They took care of us. It kept everybody in the band paid during the pandemic, because of the show, because of donations from the fans. We were dumbfounded and grateful beyond belief.”
 
“At a show, someone comes up to the merch booth and you get to meet them for a minute or two,” says Jurdi. “But through doing Good Time Supper Club, and with Gordy and I doing personal Zoom concerts, we got to get in deeper with some people in a really personal, beautiful way. At first, I thought of it as them helping us, by financial support and with morale. But as we got deeper into it, they were more like, 'No, you don't understand, you guys are helping us. We look forward to this every week.' There was so much anxiety and existential dread going on in the world. For a couple hours on Tuesday night, we could leave that behind.”
 
In October, the band released the first single from the forthcoming album: “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” featuring Ray Wylie Hubbard. Today, with the announcement of Remote Transmissions, Vol. 1, the Heathens revealed the project’s second single, “Tumbling Dice,” featuring Nick Bluhm. The tune is available for streaming/download here.
 
Pre-orders for Remote Transmissions, Vol. 1 are available now here. Upon its release, the album will be available for purchase wherever music is sold.
 
Remote Transmissions, Vol. 1 Track Listing:
1. Rock and Roll Doctor (w/ James Petralli)
2. Tumbling Dice (w/ Nicki Bluhm)
3. Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone (w/ Ray Wylie Hubbard)
4. Joy (w/ Margo Price)
5. L.A. Freeway (w/ Todd Snider)
6. Night Moves (w/ Butch Walker)
7. Walls (w/ Robert Ellis)
8. The Man in Me (w/ Hayes Carll)
9. El Paso City (w/ Mark Wystrach)
10. You Got the Silver (w/ Charlie Starr)
 
2022 The Band of Heathens Tour Schedule:
1/5-8 - The Music Fest - Steamboat Springs, CO
1/25-29 - Mile 0 Festival - Key West, FL
2/15 - Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA*
2/16 - The Siren - Morro Bay, CA*
2/17 - Felton Music Hall - Felton, CA*
2/18 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA*
2/19 - Mystic Theatre - Petaluma, CA*
2/20 - Doug Fir - Portland, OR*
2/22 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA*
2/23 - The Olympic - Boise, ID*
2/24 - The Mint - Hailey, ID*
2/25 - The State Room - Salt Lake City, UT*
2/26 - Sheridan Opera House - Telluride, CO*
2/27 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO*
3/5 - Spread Oaks Ranch - Markham, TX
3/26 - Outlaws & Legends Music Festival - Abilene, TX
4/15 - White Oak Music Hall - Houston, TX
4/16 - Tulips - Fort Worth, TX
 
*Evening with The Band of Heathens and Nicki Bluhm
 
Additional 2022 tour dates will be announced soon.

For the first time in his 30-year music career, Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman is venturing into uncharted country music waters with the upcoming release of his first-ever solo album, Enjoy the Ride. The twelve-track album is set to release on November 18 via LoHi Records.

Herman wasn’t thinking about making a solo record when he decided to take to the highway in August 2020. “During the pandemic, I got an RV and just decided to have my own bubble and drive around the country,” he explains.

The longtime co-leader of the popular and pioneering jamgrass band Leftover Salmon was on the road for around five months and spent a month and a half of it in Nashville. It was there he bumped into some old friends who helped set him on a course that led to Enjoy the Ride.

He says the solo record is “a bit of a departure from anything I've done before.” That’s especially true of the way he approached it. The aforementioned old friends — Donnie and Chris Davisson of the Davisson Brothers Band — played a key role in that regard.

Through the Davissons, Herman met Erv Woolsey, who probably is best known as George Strait’s manager. Woolsey became his manager and publisher, and like the Davissons, helped facilitate writing sessions for him. It wasn’t long before Herman had “a big pile of songs.”

“So I decided to make a record with all these songs I've been writing,” he says. “The Davissons had worked with Ferg [producer David Ferguson] on their upcoming new record, and I met Ferg, and we got along great.”

David Ferguson, a highly-acclaimed producer who has worked with Johnny Cash, Sturgill Simpson, John Prine, U2, and more, remembers that meeting well. “I was making a record on the Davisson Brothers and they were writing with Vince,” he recalls. “Vince wrote a couple of songs with ’em on their record, and he came over to play on ’em, and he just liked what we were doing. So he goes, ‘Man, How would like to make a record on me?’ I said, ‘Hell, I’d love to,’ you know. ‘Let’s just do it.’”

A couple of months later in December 2021, Herman was at the Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa — the studio made famous by the late Cowboy Jack Clement — cutting tracks with a crack group of musicians assembled by Ferguson to back him on the sessions. All the songs were tracked live over three days with a studio band featuring guitarist Pat McLaughlin, multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott (acoustic guitar, 12-string baritone guitar, banjo), bassist Dave Roe, drummer Pete Abbott, keyboardist Mike Rojas, guitarist and pedal steel player Russ Paul, fiddlers Jason Carter and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and Herman’s son Silas Herman on mandolin. Tim O’Brien stopped by the studio during that time to add some harmony vocals.

Enjoy the Ride features a dozen memorable songs, eleven of which came out of Herman’s writing sessions in his new hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. In addition, to the Davisson brothers, Donnie’s son Nick Davisson, Levi Lowrey, Aaron Raitiere, Phillip Lammonds, Ronnie Bowman, Adam Hood, Rob Snyder, Benny “Burle” Galloway, Channing Wilson, William Paul McDonald and Dave Pahanish are Herman’s co-writers on the album. He also wrote a pair of songs with Ferguson and Pat McLaughlin.

The material is an Americana travelogue that takes the listener from Prine-ish country-folk rock (“Lost Lover’s Eyes” — the album’s first single, available today, October 5), funky swamp rock (“Rattlesnake”) and jazzy Dixieland polka (“Any Other Way”) to straight-up bluegrass (“The Ride”), classic Cajun country (“Coraleen”) and traditional country (“Drinking Alone”).

After the three days at the Cowboy Arms, additional overdubbing and mixing took place at the Butcher Shack, Ferguson’s post-production facility. The overdubbing included some lead vocals by Herman and vocal harmony parts by Bowman, who is best-known as a member of the Lonesome River Band, and Mike Armistead of the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band. Rob McCoury from the Del McCoury Band and Tuttle also overdubbed banjo parts, and George Harper added a trombone part to “Any Other Way.” Additional recording for that song was done in engineer Jake Eckert’s Rhythm Shack Studio in New Orleans, where Tom Fisher and Kevin Louis added clarinet and trumpet respectively.

It may have taken Herman nearly three decades to get around to making his first solo record, but it was certainly worth the wait. “Enjoy the Ride represents what country music is to me,” he says. “Rooted in tradition but wide open and ready for a good ride.”

To support his solo venture, Herman plans to tour with a new band consisting of several Nashville players and his son, Silas.

Upon its upcoming release, Enjoy the Ride, will be available to stream or download through all digital music retailers. Pre-order the album now HERE. Herman will be offering a limited edition signed print of a painting he illustrated to the first 250 pre-orders of the CD or vinyl from the LoHi store. All pre-orders will automatically be entered to win.

Enjoy the Ride Track Listing:
1. Lost Lover’s Eyes
2. Flying
3. The Ride
4. Coraleen
5. Rattlesnake
6. Any Other Way
7. I’d Rather Be Alone
8. Better Way
9. Lately
10. Old Pictures
11. All Outta Love Songs
12. Drinking Alone

Vince Herman 2022 Solo Tour Dates:
Nov. 3 - Winston-Salem, NC - Ramkat
Nov. 4 - Charleston, SC - Pour House
Nov. 5 - Durham, NC - Motorco
Nov. 6 - Atlanta, GA - Smith’s Olde Bar
Nov. 10 - Petaluma, CA - Mystic Theatre
Nov. 11 - Truckee, CA - Alibi Ale Works
Nov. 12 - Arcata, CA - Humboldt Brews
Nov. 13 - Felton, CA - Fenton Music Hall
Nov. 17 - Denver, CO - Cervantes’ Other Side
Nov. 18 - Nederland, CO - The Caribou Room
Nov. 19 - Basalt, CO - Tacaw
Dec. 1 - St. Louis, MO - Old Rock House
Dec. 2 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands Tavern

Sometimes an artist makes a record, then decides not to release it. Neil Young and Prince are two artists who famously did that multiple times. Todd Snider is another artist who has done it, putting three albums on the shelf in a career now spanning three decades. Like these artists, Snider is just as committed to his art, and his decisions to shelve those three records were artistic ones. But now Snider has decided to take one of those albums off the shelf. Sixteen years after it was recorded, Crank It, We’re Doomed will finally get its release via Aimless Records on November 10.
 
Snider was in the midst of one of the most creative periods of his career when he recorded Crank It, We’re Doomed in 2007. He was writing at a frenetic pace and experimenting with musical ideas he would develop more fully on later releases. He not only finished and recorded the 15 songs on Crank It that year, he also wrote and recorded the seven songs that appeared on Shit Sandwich, the digital-only EP released in 2010 by his alter ego Elmo Buzz & the Eastside Bulldogs. The tracks on Shit Sandwich made up the bulk of Snider’s 2016 full-length release, Eastside Bulldog.
 
“It was very much a blur,” he says, looking back on that year. “A blur not because of the party going on, but because of how many songs I was coming up with. It was probably the pinnacle of my time making up songs. Like they were really coming at me, and I didn’t know what to do with them all.”
 
Crank It, We’re Doomed was supposed to be the follow-up to a pair of acclaimed records that had taken his career to another level — East Nashville Skyline and The Devil You Know. The album was mastered and ready to be manufactured when he decided to pull the plug on it.
 
When asked recently why he decided against releasing the album, Snider puts on his best movie trailer voice and says, “The year was 2007 —  the sea was angry that year.”
 
Snider gets the laugh he’s going for, but the question remains because the why is not so easy to explain. His decision to shelve the record all those years ago was as much intuitive as it was the product of deductive reasoning.
 
“At the end, I was torn,” he says. “I felt like not only did I have all these story songs, sort of normal songs, there also were all these protest songs. And really that is where I lost the plot. I had too many scenes in the movie, and I had too many songs. It was all over the map. But I also remember feeling like it wasn't done either. Like it needed more songs.”
 
Snider had intended Crank It, We’re Doomed to be a double album with the Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street, The Beatles (White Album) and Bob Dylan’s Desire as its sonic touchstones/boundaries, and it unquestionably shares some musical similarities with all three of those releases. But with 15 tracks totaling 49 minutes in length, Crank It does fall a bit short of double-album length. Exile has 18 tracks totaling 67 minutes, while the White Album has a whopping 30 tracks that run more than an hour and a half.
 
Although Snider decided to not release Crank It, We’re Doomed, he did include five of the tracks he recorded for Crank It on his next two albums (Peace Queer and The Excitement Plan), with three of the songs getting new titles. In addition, he recorded new versions of six other songs from the record which were released on The Excitement Plan and Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables. Some fans, possibly many, will prefer the original versions of the songs on Crank It, which in some cases are dramatically different. The record also includes four other tracks no one outside the musicians and Snider’s inner circle have ever heard, and those recordings are pure gold.
 
Snider recorded Crank It, We’re Doomed at Eric McConnell’s East Nashville studio where he recorded East Nashville Skyline and The Devil You Know and was backed by the core of musicians he worked with on those albums: guitarist Will Kimbrough, drummer Paul Griffith, violinist Molly Thomas, and either McConnell or Peter Cooper on bass. He also brought in keyboardist Jimmy Wallace for the sessions.
 
At some point after Snider decided to put Crank It, We’re Doomed on the shelf, the stereo masters were lost. Over the years, both Snider and McConnell made efforts to locate the masters with no luck. The subject came up again recently when they met to discuss making another record together.
 
“We were sitting there just wracking our brains, ‘Where could it be,’ ” Snider recalls. “And finally Eric said, ‘I guess DeMain might have it.’”
 
McConnell was referring to mastering engineer Jim DeMain, and sure enough, DeMain had the masters. Snider’s mythic, lost album was found.
 
After hearing the record for the first time in more than a decade, Snider was no longer bothered by it being “all over the map.” So he shared it with a few friends and advisors, who recognized the historical importance and also felt it has withstood the test of time. They all encouraged him to release it.
 
“I couldn’t see it conceptually back then,” Snider says. “But now I can see it was about a guy losing the plot.”

Crank It, We’re Doomed Track Listing:
1. From A Dying Rose
2. Juice
3. Handleman’s Revenge
4. Don’t Tempt Me (featuring Loretta Lynn)
5. The War on Terror
6. America’s Favorite Pastime
7. Doll Face
8. But Seriously Folks
9. West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown
10. Mercer’s Folly
11. What Made You Do It
12. The Last Laugh
13. Mission Accomplished (Because You Gotta Have Faith)
14. Slim Chance Is Still A Chance
15. Good Fortune (featuring Kris Kristofferson)

*Produced by Todd Snider and Eric McConnell; Recorded and mixed by Eric McConnell; Mastered by Jim DeMain
 
*Recorded at Eric McConnell’s studio in 2007
 
*All songs written by Todd Snider except “Don’t Tempt Me Baby,” written by Snider and Loretta Lynn, and “West Nashville Ballroom Gown,” written by Jimmy Buffett

Todd Snider 2023 Tour Dates:
Sep 24 - Mountain Stage - Franklin, TN - SOLD OUT
Oct 14 - Luckenbach Texas - Fredericksburg, TX^ - SOLD OUT
Oct 16 - Belly Up - Solana Beach, CA* - SOLD OUT
Oct 17 - Teregram Ballroom - Los Angeles, CA*
Oct 18 - Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA*
Oct 20 - Lobero Theatre - Santa Barbara, CA*
Oct 21 - Fremont Theater - San Luis Obispo, CA*
Oct 22 - Rio Theatre - Santa Cruz, CA*
Oct 24 - Palace of Fine Arts Theatre - San Francisco, CA*
Oct 26 - Revolution Hall - Portland, OR*
Oct 27 - Revolution Hall - Portland, OR*
Oct 28 - Washington Center for the Performing Arts - Olympia, WA*
Oct 29 - Moore Theatre - Seattle, WA*
Nov 1 - Mount Baker Theatre - Bellingham, WA*
Nov 2 - McDonald Theatre - Eugene, OR
Nov 4 - Bally's Lake Tahoe - South Lake Tahoe, NV**
Nov 5 - Knitting Factory - Boise, ID
Nov 6 - The Commonwealth Room - Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 8 - Waiting Room Lounge - Omaha, NE
Nov 9 - Barrymore Theatre - Madison, WI
Nov 10 - The Castle Theatre - Bloomington, IL
Nov 11 - Old Town School of Folk Music - Chicago, IL - SOLD OUT

^with Hayes Carll and The Band of Heathens
*co-bill with Patty Griffin
**with special guest Jim Lauderdale
 
About Todd Snider
A fixture on the East Nashville singer-songwriter scene, Todd Snider is known for his irreverent humor and poignant lyrics delivered in classic troubadour style. With influences including Jerry Jeff Walker, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Woody Guthrie, Snider's live shows combine sharp songwriting, acclaimed musicianship and endearing storytelling for a one-of-a-kind night of modern folk music.

Legendary multi-platinum selling southern rock and country group The Marshall Tucker Band (MTB) was awarded Pandora's coveted Billionaires Plaque on Saturday night, December 9, on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. The plaque recognizes over one billion Pandora streams for the MTB.

Ahead of the MTB's final song of the evening, Opry announcer Mike Terry stopped the band for the big reveal. Terry welcomed the late Charlie Daniels' wife and son, Hazel Daniels and Charlie Daniels, Jr., to the stage with a wrapped Christmas present containing the Pandora Billionaires Plaque. The band's lead singer and founder Doug Gray graciously accepted, visibly moved. Two years ago, the MTB presented the same honor to the Daniels family to recognize one billion Pandora streams for The Charlie Daniels Band.

"Receiving this great honor from Pandora was one of the proudest moments in our over 50 years of performing," explains Gray. "Over one billion streams. We are floored and completely overwhelmed. Thank you Pandora, thank you Grand Ole Opry and thank you to Hazel and Charlie Jr. for making it so very special. I know Charlie was watching. And thank you to the fans. We wouldn't be here without you. Merry Christmas!"

Following the presentation, the MTB ripped through its biggest hit song, "Can't You See," earning a standing ovation from the crowd.
 
The Marshall Tucker Band's music will now be played on Pandora's Country Billionaires station.
 
"Saturday night was very special for us, but we'd like to send our thoughts to those devastated by the tornadoes," adds Gray. "By the grace of God, we were all safe, but there are so many of our friends who were affected. We are abundantly praying for those people and God Bless Tennessee."
 
About The Marshall Tucker Band
Over 50 years ago, The Marshall Tucker Band was founded in Spartanburg, SC. Thanks to hits like "Can't You See," "Heard It in a Love Song," "Fire on the Mountain," and "24 Hours At a Time," the 5x Gold, 3x Platinum-selling southern rock group has sold millions of albums worldwide. MTB songs have been featured in major motion picture films and television shows including Breaking Bad, Blow, The Box, Swing Vote, Half Nelson, My Name Is Earl, Cold Case Files and Good Guys. CMT (Country Music Television) named the MTB's "Can't You See" the #4 Greatest Southern Rock Song. The MTB's debut album, The Marshall Tucker Band, reigns as Gibson Guitar's #5 Greatest Southern Rock Album. Ultimate Classic Rock crowned the MTB's "Can't You See" as the #1 Southern Rock Song and in 2013, GRAMMY® Magazine named the group's logo as one of the most distinctive and iconic brands in music.