Ok, I know, they released their first album in 2007 so they’re not exactly a new band. Well, they are new to me, and I reckon they should get a lot more attention than they have.

I discovered them through veteran singer/songwriter Mike McClure (I love his album, 50 Billion), I was wondering what he was doing and the name Turnpike Troubadours popped up when I looked around the web.

They have released three albums so far, all excellent. We did not include them on our year-end list for 2012, and I fear it is just as big a mistake as when we failed to include Johnathan Wilson on the 2011 list. Those things are bound to happen but it is really annoying when they do.

Gin, Smoke, Lies , great video/song beautiful shot but with a dark undertone:

They come from Oklahoma and they play a country tinged roots-rock. It sounds effortless and clever at the same time, kind of the  same way that Steve Earle or Townes Van Zandt sounds so easy at first and are so intricate and smart when you really listen.

Wikipedia has a short description of them, I guess it will expand in the near future… :

Turnpike Troubadours is an American Red Dirt group from Oklahoma composed of Evan Felker, R.C. Edwards, Kyle Nix, Ryan Engelman and Gabe Pearson. They are signed to Bossier City Records and have released three studio albums since 2007. Their 2012 album Goodbye Normal Street peaked at number 57 on the Billboard 200.

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