Thanks to American Songwriter for this great spotlight:

Album Premiere: The Coal Men, Escalator

The Coal Men’s fourth album, Escalator, was released yesterday, and things are looking up. There’s the fall tour with Todd Snider, who runs the band’s label. There’s the support of top-shelf Americana vets like Will Kimbrough, Jen Gunderman, and Audley Freed, all of whom make guest appearances on the album. Most importantly, there’s the band’s rootsy rock & roll, full of steady pulses and wild guitar breaks that point to a half-century’s worth of influences, from Skynyrd’s backyard boogie to Springsteen’s road anthems.

“We took time to make this album a little strange,” says frontman Dave Coleman. “After 13 years in a band, it’s easy to read each other and play as one, so we all felt comfortable going out over the cliff and playing with intensity and dynamics. The basic tracks are all single takes and [producer] Joe Garcia pushed us to get the best collective performances. The songs, I think, are a bit of a spiritual accounting; at 34, I’m taking stock in my life.  ‘Stuck’ is accepting were you are from, rather than running away from it. ‘Tennessee’ is a look at the committed path ahead. ‘Sanity’ is a song about the temp job hustle, and how you have to have a since of humor if you are down in the mud.”

CHECK OUT THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Dave Coleman & Dave Ray will play a stripped down set & take part in an interview for East Side Storytellin’.  Chuck Beard, owner of East Side Stories, puts on a great show in which an author does a reading and a musical guest performs, with interviews following.

UPDATE:  You can stream and listen to the entire show HERE.

August 20th will feature The Coal Men and Mike Pentecost (author of Bus People) 

Thanks to Too Much Country for this extensive review of Escalator

Check out the full review HERE.

East Nashville keeps ’em coming: The Coal Men

Check out “Last Goodbye” on the front page of Country Fried Rock HERE.

ALT ROOT TOP TEN SONGS OF THE WEEK – 8-06-13

6. “Broken Heartland” – The Coal Men   (from the album Escaltor) – Hey, ever heard this one? “Nobody is writing songs about issues anymore”. Sorry, wrong answer. There are lots of songwriters pointing fingers and naming names, you just gotta listen…..and hear is a great chance. The Coal Men target their home in “Broken Heartland”. Plants shutting down, followed by the bars and local watering holes. Towns are crumbling across the U.S. and The Coal Men tell a story that should get your blood flowing for change. Just in case you are only here for the music, the guitar that burns a trail through “Broken Heartland” has only one cause, to incite and fan the flames to take a stand.

The Coal Men fourth album, Escalators will be presented by Todd Snider’s Aimless Records and released on August 27, 2013

The Coal Men have a long list of shows coming up, with more to come.  Escalator has been sent out to press and radio and the band will hit the road in late August.

First, there are some great chances to see the band in Nashville.

Aug. 2 @ the Five Spot.  The Coal Men, Ned Van Go, & Hurricane Doyle

Aug 20 @ Fat Bottom Brewing Company as part of East Side Stories.  This will be more of a stripped down kind of show with an interview with host Chuck Beard.

Tennessee

Dave Coleman, Dave Ray, and Paul Slivka recorded with Kenan Boyle at The Toy Box with Lij Shaw January 20-24.