500 Miles To Memphis – Deluxe Edition out Today

18th April 2020 Rob Cella 667 Views

Punk Rock Americana sextet 500 MILES TO MEMPHIS has launched the preorder for their most recent effort Blessed Be the Damned. The deluxe edition includes eleven studio tracks, ten demos, six Basement Session videos including their bluegrass renditions of “Old Friend” (Rancid) and “Murder the Government” (NOFX), and their award-winning video for “Hold on Tight.” Deluxe bundles are now available for preorder via Paper + Plastick. In addition, the band will be commemorating the release with a livestream performance this evening at 10pm EST.

Their genre-bending gem Blessed Be the Damned was well-received and praised by many. New Noise Magazine declared, “Consider this their best album yet, and one of the first must-have records of 2019.” CityBeat confessed, “Still, one of the band’s most impressive feats is a more seamless blending of Country/Americana and Rock/Punk, a mix that is especially vibrant and powerful on Blessed.” The Lexington Herald reflected, “Over a galloping anthemic cowpunk charge, the Cincinnati band recalls the early days of the Old 97’s crossed with a Decemberists-inspired sense of expansiveness.” Maximum Volume Music boasted, “They don’t sound like anyone else. At all. Or at any point… 500 Miles To Memphis has constructed something wonderful here.”

“Old Friend” (punk rock bluegrass cover)

The album was recorded at Gwynne Sound in Cincinnati with engineer Adam Pleiman and producer John Pedigo (Old 97’s, Vandoliers, The O’s). Philip W. Peeples of Old 97’s added percussion to a couple tracks (Save Me, I’m a Bastard). From the mesmerizing chant in the momentum-building opener “The River” to the bass-laden rocker “Hold on Tight” to the sing-along anthem “Bonnie” to marching drums and shouts of “I Said Babe” to the slow-paced emotional closer “I’m a Bastard” – 500 Miles To Memphis crafted an album that blends roots rock with elements of punk, folk, and outlaw country.

Formed in 2003, the boys of 500 Miles To Memphis came together on the banks of the Ohio River between Cincinnati, OH and Newport, KY. Their genre-bending take on Americana and punk rock has been received worldwide in the form of movies, TV, video games, and their award-winning live shows. Logging 250 performances a year, these indie road kings have been to hell and back. If you are a fan of high-octane punk rock, bluegrass, and Appalachia – these boys are for you!

500 Miles To Memphis is Ryan Malott (vocals, guitar, banjo), Noah Sugarman (bass, vocals, piano), David Rhodes Brown (lap steel, guitar, vocals), Kevin Hogle (drums, percussion, vocals), Nate Hickey (vocals, guitar, mandolin), and Aaron Whalen (guitar, vocals).