There’s a heaviness when you listen to Andy Thomas’ latest album, Highway Junkie. Not only from the swamp rock meets honkytonk melodies, but also the underlying tone and hard truths of this whirlwind journey of a singer-songwriter pushing into the next phase of his promising career. “It’s crazy when you set everything aside and put your mind to something,” Thomas says. “I’m a hard worker, and this album is a product of that.” Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Thomas has worked his way up the ranks as an electrifying guitarist up and down the East Coast, whether it’s fronting his own wild-n-out project The Trongone Band or being the six-string rocket fuel for the melodic muscle car that is acclaimed Americana act Yarn. “I’ve known for a long time that I was wired for this life,” Thomas says of being a musician and performer. “[The road and the stage] feels like home for me. I love playing, traveling, and getting the inspiration to write — it’s where I feel most at peace.” Produced by fellow Richmond native and longtime friend Dave Schools, the legendary bassist for Widespread Panic, and captured at the renowned Spacebomb Studios, Highway Junkie connects the dots of Thomas’ troubled past and hard-fought strength of self in the present. The 12-LP is the culmination of years of trials and tribulations, of triumphs and the continued resolve to harness one’s potential. But, more so, in the game of life for Thomas, whose sobriety in recent years has become a deep source of stability and continued motivation — this unrelenting quest to seek out long-held dreams once thought to be too far beyond the horizon of one’s intent. “I’m still navigating [sobriety] every day, but once I got into the thick of it, after a few months, I was able to find new things to replace ‘all that,’” Thomas says candidly and happily. “I was able to refine my love for music, and why I did it. I’ve got a story. I know I have a purpose on this earth, and I need that to translate into my music — if I can beat this, I can do anything.” With Highway Junkie soon to released, Thomas is already headlong into planning out an upcoming tour in support of the record. The wheels are turning — either along the endless pavement of the open road or within the restless mind of Thomas himself — amid this unfolding landscape of creativity and compassion he’s living and thriving in, constantly fueled by his own unrelenting drive to see just what lies ahead for his music, and for his life. “You just need to count the wins and be grateful,” Thomas says. “And this album is a token of gratitude — this is why I’m doing everything I’m doing.”