that’s the day one of the most badass independent country bands in existence will release their highly-anticipated fourth album A Long Way From Your Heart via Bossier City Records and Thirty Tigers. Songwriters Evan Felker and RC Edwards, along with Turnpike members Kyle Nix (fiddle), Ryan Engleman (guitar), Gabe Pearson (drums) and Hank Early (pedal steel), have been hitting the studio hard and heavy in 2017, and are now ready to share their latest collection of songs with the world. The new album marks one of the quickest turnaround times for the band between releases. Previously the band has made fans wait for what seems like an excruciatingly long time between albums due to the infectiousness and earnestness of the Oklahoma-based band’s music. Turnpike released their last self-titled album in September of 2015. It also marks the first time pedal steel player Hank Early will be part of the bad as a full time member. A Long Way From Your Heart is said to be filled with “Vivid character sketches and blue-collar narratives, [while] Evan Felker continues to solidify his place as one of the finest songwriters to come out of the dustbowl in recent years. The theme running through ‘A Long Way From Your Heart’ is resilience during difficult circumstances, as in album opener, ‘The Housefire.’ The subjects in Felker’s songs are composite characters based on real people. Some tracks feel deeply personal, such as the poignant but upbeat ‘Pay No Rent’ or country/folk ditty ‘Oklahoma Stars.’ Other observational songs like ‘Unrung’ and the raucous rocker “The Winding Stair Mountain Blues” are proof that Felker’s penchant for great storytelling in the tradition of his musical forbearers has become masterful.”
