Ryan Culwell Plays in Kansas City Tonight; FLATLANDS Album Out Now

On March 3rd, the Nashville-via-West Texas songwriter Ryan Culwell released Flatlands, his first album in more than 8 years, on Lightning Rod Records (Jason Isbell, Billy Joe Shaver, Amanda Shires). Culwell will be performing at Uptown Arts Bar tonight, April 28 (with Amy Speace) in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets: Songkick.

When asked to describe the album, Culwell says, "listening to my music is like watching No County For Old Men...all the emptiness and violence will either scare you away or you'll find yourself alone at 3am with it on repeat."

Folk Alley premiered "I Think I'll Be Their God," the third song to be released from Flatlands. Kelly McCarty said "Flatlands, on the whole, feels suitably dusty and dark... And, while it might not be an easy listen, [it] is certainly a pleasant one... in the same way that driving those long, lonesome highways can be, if you surrender to the experience rather than fight it."

CMT Edge debuted the video for Culwell's track "Red River" and said it "conveys the song's foreboding feel perfectly, like something bad is always just around the corner."

Recently, The Bluegrass Situation premiered the track "Red River" and said "Like Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Rodney Crowell,Nanci Griffith and so many others before him, Ryan Culwell wears his heritage on his sleeve, right next to his heart."

Guitar World Acoustic Nation premiered "Never Gonna Cry," the first single to be released from the album, and called it "masterfully crafted and artfully delivered."

Culwell was born in Perryton, TX and spent most his life among the company of roughneck oilfield men in a small town near the epicenter of the Dust Bowl. In 2006, Culwell released his debut album and quit music shortly thereafter. "When my daughters are grown they deserve a story that doesn't include the woes of West Texas bars or a recounting of daddy's touring history to explain why he left their mom. I left the scene so those stories wouldn't write themselves over the top of me, and it was worth it."

"Flatlands was written for my father and my brother," explains Culwell. "We are tough people and I'm proud of that. I wanted to tell them and the world how special that is, and then remind them that toughness cannot save you. In the end, I was talking to myself."

New Album, "Flatlands" Available Now - iTunes | Amazon | Lightning Rod Records. Follow Ryan Culwell on: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | RyanCulwell.com.

Tour Dates:

Apr 2 - Nashville, TN -- Exit/In (w/ Whiskey Myers)
Apr 3 - Decatur, GA -- Eddie's Attic
Apr 18 - Nashville, TN -- Bluebird Cafe
Apr 22 - Austin, TX -- Strange Brew
Apr 23 - Houston, TX-- McGonigel's Mucky Duck
Apr 24 - Dallas, TX -- All Good Cafe
Apr 25 - La Grange, TX -- The Bugle Boy
Apr 26 - Oklahoma City, OK -- The Blue Door (w/ Tim Easton)
Apr 28 - Kansas City, MO -- Uptown Arts Bar (w/ Amy Speace)**
Apr 30 - Chicago, IL -- Hideout (w/ Amy Speace)
May 1 - Carmel, IN -- The Warehouse (w/ Amy Speace)