New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, Texas-by-way-of-New Mexico artist Josh Grider announced his new record Long Way From Las Cruces will be released on November 12. Along with the announcement he's shared lead single "Boots On My Feet" with an accompanying music video.
Recorded at the legendary Yellow Dog Studios in Wimberly, TX, Long Way From Las Cruces is a celebration of life's silver linings, an ode to all the ups and downs and twists and turns that have shaped the critically acclaimed journeyman's 20-year career. "In spite of all the turmoil we may face on a daily basis, there's peace and contentment to be found wherever you are if you choose to look for it," Grider reflects. "I believe I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
By the time the pandemic hit and forced him off the road, Grider was well into writing what would become Long Way From Las Cruces, so he leaned into the empty calendar to finish work on the songs and reflect on what really mattered.
"I started reading a lot of stoic philosophy and thinking about the things that were truly important to me in my life," he explains. "Turning 40 has you doing that already, and then you add in a global pandemic and all the political turmoil and it just makes you want to double down on spending time with the people you love and care about."
When it came time to record, Grider gathered up his closest musical compatriots, many of whom he'd been playing with for decades, and headed out to Wimberly for four whirlwind days with engineer Adam Odor (The Chicks, Reckless Kelly), who'd helped him cut his debut all those years ago. The band played live on the floor, capturing the energy and the spontaneity of the moment in their loose, driving performances, which mix old-school country twang and grit with feel-good '80s and '90s radio appeal.
Working with a tight knit crew of longtime friends and collaborators, Grider produced the record himself, and the chemistry and camaraderie is palpable in the band's raw, rootsy performances, which overflow with all the joy and electricity of true human connection. That's not to say Long Way From Las Cruces is all sunshine and blue skies, though. Like any timeless country record, the album tackles its fair share of longing and loneliness and heartache, but it never veers into despair, instead pressing forward with resilience and determination at every turn.
"I wouldn't be who I am without everything that's happened to me, the good and the bad," says Grider. "I don't want to sound complacent, but I've been a lot of places and done a lot of things in my life, and I've never felt more comfortable on my journey than I do right now. There's still a lot I'd like to accomplish, but the pace of everything feels really good to me."
Over the years, Grider has been praised by Wide Open Country, Taste of Country, Lone Star Music, San Antonio Express-News, That Nashville Sound, and many more. In 2018, he released his fourth full-length studio album, Good People, after a successful crowdfunding campaign; in 2019, he began mentoring and producing a rising young
Texas artist named Gunnar Latham; and in 2020, he released a pair of duo EPs, one with fellow singer/songwriter Drew Kennedy under the moniker Topo
Chico Cowboys, and another with his wife, Kristi, who also tours and performs as a solo artist.
Grider is also playing a number of shows throughout
Texas over the next few months. See full list of tour dates below.
Josh Grider Tour Dates:
September 17 - Anna, TX @ Gar Hole
September 18 - Godley, TX @ DelNorte Tacos
September 24 - New Braunfels, TX @ Freiheit Country Store
September 25 - Austin, TX @ Saxon Pub
October 10 - Kerrville, TX @ Quiet Valley Ranch
November 13 - The Woodlands, TX @ Dosey Doe Big Barn
November 17 - Austin, TX @ Traveling Red River Songwriters
November 18 - Fredericksburg, TX @ Traveling Red River Songwriters
Long Way From Las Cruces tracklist:
1. Long Way From Las Cruces
2. Thank God It's Raining
3. Life's A Party
4. Missing You
5. Two Truths And A Lie
6. Wanting What You Get
7. I Know I Love You
8. Boots On My Feet.
