Song of the Day

Song of the Day > All Episodes

October 3, 2022

Alex Williams: “Old Before My Time”

By: Jack Anderson

Here in the U.S., we’ve enjoyed nearly a century of transcontinental and interstate routes, thanks to our highway system. Because of its introduction amidst advents in recording technology and decades-long development alongside advances in songwriting, tunes about cruising have taken American artists pretty far. And everyone’s got their favorite so no need to list ’em all out here. That said, the point of a good road playlist is to pack too many tracks in so you don’t have repeats, right? With that in mind, today we introduce you to a must-have piece of musical migration, courtesy of Indianapolis singer-guitarist Alex Williams.

With the release of his 2017 Nashville-produced debut Better Than Myself, Williams seemed like a shoe-in successor to the Outlaw Country throne. But the following five years of touring and temptation eventually influenced Williams to shy away from a bandana-bound sense of recklessness and write a new batch of horizon-affixed, road-weary personal reflections. The result, Waging Peace, is set for release on October 21st in the thick of a national tour. This dozen-track trek evokes everyone from Jerry Reed, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and The Allman Brothers all the way to Texas treasures like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, boldly opening up a throttle of cross-genre twang. So buckle up for Waging Peace‘s release Friday after next, and rev up for a practice run right now with the LP’s latest Haggard-esque trailblazer, “Old Before My Time”!


Episodes

November 29, 2022

Gaye Su Akyol: “Anadolu Ejderi”

With one only month left until the year’s close, the need to recharge has become a higher priority worldwide. Even the most prolific creatives benefit from a period of recess, and when they come back, more often than not they’re better than ever. Among those who’ve made the most of their time off is Turkish […]

Listen

November 28, 2022

Friend in Law: “Hold Out”

Way before Elon Musk or Joe Rogan moved here, I remember seeing a ton of bumper stickers and T-shirts with slogans like these: “Don’t L.A. my A.T.X.”, “Don’t Dallas My Austin”, and yes, even “Don’t Put Your Big ‘D’ in My Little ‘A’”. Now, I can’t recall the last time I saw one of those […]

Listen

November 22, 2022

on being an angel: “brit boy”

It’s a gloomy start to 2022’s final thirty-nine steps. And in embracing the wintertime blues, it’s the perfect time to indulge in a hazy, understated, all-lowercase aesthetic. Which, here in Austin, brings us to on being an angel. For the past three years this quartet sewn seeds of pop melodies across faint fields of fuzz […]

Listen

November 21, 2022

Big Bill: “Humanoids”

Longtime fans of Austin four-piece Big Bill no doubt still feel the effects of their unexpectedly refreshing hard left turn earlier this year. For those out of the loop, midway through 2022 Big Bill released Public Freakout Compilation, chronicling the group’s shift from their once-signature ’80s-esque angular post-punk into lackadaisical ’90s-style indie rock. But the […]

Listen

November 18, 2022

Dezron Douglas: “Atalaya”

Jazz has pretty much always been my favorite genre. But along the way, I’ve discovered that the biggest barrier of getting into newer stuff (for myself, personally) is a general lack of connection to any sort of jazz royalty. Fortunately, that’s not the case with Dezron Douglas. Once apprentice to the late legend Jackie McLean, […]

Listen

November 17, 2022

Trouble in the Streets: “Dreaming of Forever”

Phantogram. Big Freedia. George Clinton. For most folks, opening for any one of ’em would be the crowning achievement of their career. But to have shared the stage with all three, not to mention Bob Moses, Lettuce drummer/producer Adam Deitch, and other legends in under a decade? On Trouble in the Streets‘ list of milestones, […]

Listen