If any artist has earned the right to name a record Covering Ground, Chuck Ragan is deserving of that honor, with hundreds of thousands of miles covered over nearly the last two decades. Set for release on September 13th, Covering Ground is singer/songwriter Chuck Ragan’s third full-length studio record, though he has released seemingly countless singles, 7-inches, live records, collaborative splits, and appeared on numerous compilations. Ragan will be covering ground this Fall in support of the record with tour dates to be announced shortly.
Growing up on a healthy dose of Cajun, Southern Baptist gospel, and bluegrass music, Ragan’s sound is a blend of folk, roots, and gospel, but Covering Ground is essentially a blue collar, Americana record filled with honest road songs. “The majority, if not all of these songs were either written on the road or they are about the road. There aren't any hidden meanings within the title at all. It is what it is and it depicts what I've done since the release of the last record, as well as the majority of my life,” states Chuck Ragan, who has played thousands of shows across five continents. “But the fact of the matter is, some of us have been raised to live and thrive in one place throughout our lives, while others have constantly been on the move. There's no telling which is for the better or for the worse. That all depends on the person we wish to be and the perspective we choose to view.”
Songs such as “Nomad By Fate” and “Wish On The Moon,” which sound like a soundtrack for freighthoppers traveling cross-country, reinforce the album’s title, but the lovelorn and openly honest songs “Right As Rain” and “Meet You In The Middle” exemplify the sacrifice of being a road warrior. "'Right As Rain' is an undying confession of love," admits Ragan. As the road constantly beckons Ragan, he says "The hardest thing for me to do nowadays is leave home. This song is simply about being away from my wife when we're both busted up about it and wanting nothing more than for her to sleep sound and well, knowing that no one on this earth could love her anymore than I do."
Recorded between three different tour this year, Chuck Ragan and his band, Jon Gaunt (fiddle) and Joe Ginsberg (upright bass), entered Fireside Sound Studios in Silverlake, CA with Blind Melon’s Christopher Thorn in the Spring. In keeping with the ideals of Chuck Ragan’s yearly Revival Tour, which is a collection of like-minded musicians that collaborate with each other on the road, Ragan invited new and old friends to join him on the record. The Camaraderie, as Ragan refers to it, includes Gaunt and Ginsberg, as well as Christopher Thorn (mandolin, guitar, lap steel, banjo), Rich Steff (organ, piano, accordion) and Todd Beene (pedal steel) of Lucero, Chris Phillips of Squirrel Nut Zippers (bodhran, tambourines, percussion), Frank Turner (backing vocals), Audra Mae (backing vocals), and Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem (backing vocals).
Chuck Ragan has plans to tour the world continuously this year, and will unveil tour dates shortly. This year alone, Chuck has supported Social Distortion in the US, Dropkick Murphys in Canada, and headlined his own dates in North America with his Revival Tour slated to tour the UK this Fall.
Covering Ground Track List:
1. Nothing Left to Prove
2. Nomad by Fate
3. You Get What You Give
4. Wish on the Moon
5. Come ARound
6. Seems We're OK
7. Valentine
8. Right as Rain
9. Meet You in the Middle
10. Lost and Found
Artist:
www.chuckraganmusic.com/
www.myspace.com/chuckragan
www.facebook.com/pages/Chuck-Ragan/
www.twitter.com/chuckragan
Download:
Chuck Ragan – "You Get What You Give" – Covering Ground