Acclaimed solo artist. Grammy-winning songwriter. Road warrior. By the time Kendell Marvel moved into a 200 year-old farmhouse in the Tennessee countryside in 2021, he'd already spent more than two decades expanding the boundaries of modern-day country music.  Albums like Lowdown and Lonesome and Solid Gold Sounds were showcases for his blend of southern twang and super-sized vocals, filled with songs that split the difference between honky-tonk country and roadhouse rock & roll. Marvel's catalog reaches far beyond his solo work, too, with artists like George Strait, Gary Allan, and Chris Stapleton all landing Top 40 hits with his compositions. The man had clearly left his mark. If he'd chosen to celebrate his new home by taking a few months off, the vacation would have been well-earned.  Of course, you can take the man out of Nashville, but you can't take the Nashville out of the man. Hours after moving in, Marvel unpacked his guitars and quickly got to work in his new space, writing songs that blended timeless textures with contemporary insight. He began with "Younger Me," a nostalgic ode to young manhood and resilience that became a Grammy-winning hit for the song's co-writers, Brothers Osborne. He kept writing during the months that followed, fine-tuning the mix of country-rockers, soul standouts, and bluesy ballads that now fill his third solo effort, Come On Sunshine. Recorded in Dallas, TX, with producer Beau Bedford — ringleader of The Texas Gentlemen, as well as the sonic architect behind albums by Paul Cauthen and Leah Blevins — Come On Sunshine burns as brightly as its name. These are songs for Saturday night hell-raising and Sunday morning comedowns. They're stand-your-ground anthems and help-your-neighbor rallying cries. They're sharply-written tunes about booze and breakups, true love and false prophets, bad habits and proud traditions, delivered by a songwriter who's lived enough life to confidently chronicle its ups and downs.  "I'm 51 years old, which means I'm long past the point of catering to anybody," Marvel says. "I'm just telling the stories I want to tell, whether it's a song like 'Come On Sunshine' — which Devon Gilfillian and I wrote at the height of the pandemic, looking to pour some light into the people who were shut in, shut down, and struggling with the doom and gloom we were all seeing on TV — or “Keep Doing Your Thing,” which argues that the world would be a better place if we just let people be who you are." He even zeroes in on money-hungry televangelists with "Put It In The Plate," a southern-fried stomper that's already become an audience favorite during Marvel's ongoing tours with Chris Stapleton. "It's got that sound I grew up loving, like Hank Jr's songs in the '80s," he explains. "It's not country, it's not rock; it's just a perfect mixture of all of it. It's an interesting song because it's calling out the righteous gemstones of the world! Maybe it'll piss people off, but sometimes, the truth does that." The truth goes down a little easier when it's set to a soundtrack of greasy funky-tonk and nuanced Tennessee twang, though. At its heaviest moments, Come On Sunshine leans closer to the rock & roll side of the country-rock divide, with Marvel delivering amplified anthems like "Don't Tell Me How To Drink" with the gruff growl of a lifer who's earned the right to call his own shots. "Brother, I've spilled more on the barroom floor than you've ever had, so let me do my thing," he barks in his deep baritone, backed by cymbal crashes and ringing power chords. If those moments nod to the ZZ-Top-meets-Merle-Haggard sound of his Keith Gattis-produced debut, Lowdown and Lonesome, then tracks like "Hellbent on Hard Times" and "Dyin' Isn't Cheap" salute the vintage warmth of 2019's Solid Gold Sounds, which Marvel recorded with The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. Come On Sunshine finds the middle ground between those two records, its diversity mirrored by Marvel's broad list of collaborators. Auerbach makes another appearance, this time as the co-writer of the piano-driven drinking song "Off My Mind." Mickey Raphael, longtime harmonica player for Willie Nelson, adds atmosphere and ambiance to "Dyin' Isn't Cheap," while Stapleton serves as a co-writer and backing vocalist on two tracks. Finally, solo artists like Dee White, Waylon Payne, Dean Alexander, Kolby Cooper, NRBQ's Al Anderson, and Josh Morningstar all contribute to the remaining songs. Such a lengthy guest list brings with it a number of different perspectives, which Marvel insists is the whole point.  "I like to work with people who are different than me," he notes. "Working with Beau Bedford in Dallas meant that I was playing with guys I'd never met before. Guys who had different ideas, different tones, and different ways of playing than my friends back home. We recorded the album live, finishing the whole thing in four days. That's how you capture magic. The same thing can be said for the people I write with. I prefer left-field people — people who come from different backgrounds and different genres. Devon Gilfillian comes from the R&B world; he hears different melodies than I do. Waylon is a gay man, so he has some experiences that are different than mine. I love to surround myself with people like that, and sit in the writing room with someone who isn't just like me. Because that's how you capture magic, too." It's been nearly 25 years since Marvel — a native of southern Illinois, where he began playing barroom gigs at 10 years old — moved to Nashville and wrote Gary Allen's Top 5 hit "Right Where I Need To Be" during his first day in town. With Come On Sunshine, he proves that one's day in the sun can last a lifetime, as long as you're willing to listen to the muse, challenge your perspectives, and chase down the magic in front of you.

"God could you throw this dog a bone. Let me turn the corner and be home. I'm tired of being on this road alone." Real lyrics are what Channing Wilson is all about. From a small town in Northwest Georgia Channing learned about real life American good times and hardships. He's not afraid to tell you about it either. From his songs like "Poor Man's Cocaine" referring to methamphetamines taking over rural America, to songs like "Crazy Over You" which is a throwback love song to the era of Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, Channing's voice along with his lyrics stand alone in a time of mass produced "throwaway" singers and songwriters. Brought up on the real side of the tracks by two hard working "dirt collar" parents, he had plenty of opportunities to learn real life at an early age. Channing says "I didn't have a musical family. My mother is a pretty good singer, but an even better worker. So, I found music later than most artists." Finding music later for Channing didn't slow down his passion for it. Learning guitar at 17 and starting writing shortly after. "I came across a book of short poems my mother had written before I was born, and after reading them I was so inspired to explore my creative side." By 25 he had flunked out of college and quit more jobs than he applied for. "I never could accept the idea that I was supposed to work every day for someone else. I expected more than a paycheck. After a friend turned me on to Guy Clark and Steve Earle, I knew 2 things. I never wanted to punch a clock again, and I had to become a better writer and musician." Thats exactly what he did at 26 years old, he started his first band and quickly learned the ropes as a very successful regional act. That venture lasted 6 years until he became a father and knew he had to step up his game if he was going to turn a dream into a way of life. Selling a fishing boat and a decent guitar collection to finance trips from north Georgia to Nashville every week paid off in October of 2010 he was approached by EMI Music Publishing after playing a Tuesday night showcase called Alabama Line. After meeting with EMI a few times he was offered his first publishing deal. "I didn't know what I had to offer such a big corporate publishing company, but when I looked on the roster and seen Guy Clark I knew I was in." It didn't take long before he was in the room with his teacher. Learning from the master himself. "Just knowing Guy has made me a better man, but getting to share ideas and stories is a dream come true." Channing got his first cut with a song titled "Living With The Blues." Sony recording artist Tyler Farr cut the song the same way he heard the demo. Acoustic and raw. He even played the guitar track on the upcoming album. He has been writing with some of Nashville's best writers such as Guy Clark, Ashley Monroe, Drake White, Dave Kennedy and more. All the while pursuing artist acknowledgment. When asked if he wanted to be an artist he replied "If you can't tell I'm an artist by listening to my songs, you're not listening." He has shared bills with so many of his heroes such as Billy Joe Shaver, Steve Earle, Robert Earl Keen, Tony Joe White, Chris Knight, Dale Watson, and many more including getting invited to be on the 2012 Country Throwdown Tour. Channing's love for country music history and future of country music is second to none. "I came to Nashville to make a difference, and I'll always work hard to earn respect from my peers. I owe them that at least. Hell, I've played their songs so many times for free."