Wyoming’s The Two Tracks returns with Postcard Town, a telling travelogue of stories worth sharing
Sheridan Wyoming (March 5, 2017) – Americana covers a broad spectrum of music these days, and it’s easy to get lost in trying to define its particular parameters. However, if one was to determine an overreaching definition, then it’s best to describe it as music that reverberates with heart-felt emotion, songs that come from the soul and speak to the listener with honesty, conviction and integrity.
If that’s the case -- and indeed, it should be -- then The Two Tracks, a band based out of Sheridan Wyoming clearly fits the bill. Their forthcoming album, Postcard Town (self-release, May 19) further affirms the promise and determination shown on their eponymous debut, which No Depression described as “creating an instant connection...in truth there’s not a single offering here that doesn’t engage the listener practically from the get go," and by The Alternate Root as “rural warmth...infusing their tunes with a feel for the open spaces of The West.”
Postcard Town continues this trajectory and confirms, both in songwriting and delivery, that this enticing new ensemble has something special to offer. Produced by the legendary Will Kimbrough, with eleven new tracks performed by the band -- Julie Szewc (guitar/vocals), David Huebner (cello, electric guitar, and vocals), Fred Serna (drums/percussion), and Russell Smith (upright bass)-- It also features contributions from special guest Bruce Bouton, Garth Brooks’ long time pedal steel guitar player.
The combination of these remarkable talents has yielded an album that is brimming with depth and emotion. True to its title, it unfolds like a series of observations from the open road. The sprightly “Eyes on the Road” shares the optimism that comes with daring to follow one’s dreams to the next plateau, while “Lost in the Canyon” expresses that same sense of exploration, all the while wondering where the trail will lead. The cello-accompanied “Rain Day” and the easy sashay of “Four Wheels” offer further assurance, just as the gospel-tinged “Sow ‘em on the Mountain” suggests that, in the end, it takes a bit of faith to be willing to climb to that higher plateau. And when they sing of going “Back to Memphis,” the circle seems complete, and as a result, no journey seems too long.
“The band is a second family,” Julie notes. “You gotta love the people you spend so much time on the road with. Those hours add up and we all share the bug to write and perform.”
Inevitably, those themes seem appropriate for The Two Tracks. The band has spent much of their time on the road since the release of last year’s initial offering, efforts well spent that found them sharing their music with new audiences and developing the close musical bond that made them eager to record a stunning new batch of songs.
“We had a mutual friend put us in touch with Will Kimbrough this past year, and before we knew it we were driving cross country to Nashville to record our second album,” Julie recalls. “The studio fit us just right. Nothing fancy about it. Dusty old Johnny Cash photos and Will Kimbrough with his amazing collection of instruments, including an old J-45 Gibson that I fell in love with and got to strum for a couple of tracks.”
Formed in 2014, The Two Tracks call home the base of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. From rock to country, bluegrass to folk, the music helps define the sound of superbly crafted, fully assertive Americana. Their harmony-rich songs often add cello to a solid groove, creating a unique ambiance that’s all their own. Throw in a journeyman’s attitude and a penchant for affecting storytelling, and here again, The Two Tracks create a sound that typifies a style birthed in the heartland, with all the sentiment and sensitivity that does justice to that timeless sound. Postcard Town brings it all back home -- and down home -- offering a travelogue that its listeners can share and enjoy.
