"Highwayman” from Coleman Jennings and the Roaddogs Out Today; Debut EP Release Jan. 27

ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY BAND
COLEMAN JENNINGS AND THE ROADDOGS
RELEASE NEW SINGLE AND MUSIC VIDEO
“HIGHWAYMAN’”

FIVE-TRACK DEBUT EP 
KNOW NO LEASH
SET FOR RELEASE ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

 

Above: Coleman Jennings and the Roaddogs; credit: Abigail Enright
L to R: Finn Dickens, Jake Boswell, Coleman Jennings, Bob Troyer

 

NASHVILLE, TN (January 11, 2022) — Today, Austin-based alternative country band, Coleman Jennings and the Roaddogs, deliver — “Highwayman’” — the final single ahead of their forthcoming debut five-track EP, Know No Leash, set for release on Friday, January 27.

Succeeding the release of “Head Spinnin’” which garnered a slot on Spotify’s official “New Music Friday Country” playlist, “Highwayman” can be characterized by a warm Texas twang along with graceful piano bars reminiscent of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind.” Accompanied by a performance style music video set in the beautiful Texas outdoors, Coleman notes that the track acts as the “thesis song” for the entire EP. 

 
 

“The song is an ode to the common man,” Coleman explains about the track. “A reiteration on the backbone of this country and what holds it together. I envisioned a truck driver driving down the highway. He stops at a small gas station next to some train tracks and is asked by a fellow southerner to tell him the ‘story of your land.’ ‘Why your names written on these walls’ and ‘why you seem so damn tall’ are metaphors I'll keep a secret. The whole song is kind of a metaphor, including the chorus itself.” 

 

Above: “Highwayman” single artwork

 

Composed of Coleman Jennings (vocals, lead guitar), Finn Dickens (piano), Jake Boswell “Jenko” (drums) and Bob Troyer (bass), Coleman formed “the Roaddogs” during his sophomore year at the University of Texas at Austin. Characterized by seamless vibrato, tranquil tones, narrative-driven lyrics and euphonious arrangements, they began recording Know No Leash in April of 2022 at Moon Lab Studios in Dripping Springs, TX, with every song written, composed and produced by Coleman himself

“With no producer, I can make every musical decision myself. Every guitar lick, every key change, every chord progression is my own,” says Coleman. “The band operates their instruments with full independence. We’re not opposed to signing a record deal or working with others, in-fact we would love to. But for now… this feels right.”

Resembling that of traditional outlaw country paired with the upbeat progressions of classic rock and the fervent nature of folk and blues, the group has managed to fashion a sound that is inherently familiar, yet undeniably fresh; a sound that effortlessly translates on Know No Leash. 

Through consistent vocal lessons and an almost unhealthy obsession with guitar since the age of five, Coleman has managed to generate a quality of wiseness and authenticity that expands far beyond his young age of 21. Throughout his childhood, he rigorously devoted himself to music by honing in on the guitar, his passion for singing and songwriting. Completing his last two years of high school at an East Coast boarding school, he notes being stripped away from his southern comfort zone as resulting in a heightened obsession for guitar and the inception of a momentous period of growth and transformation, which initiated a chapter of tremendous artistic self-discovery. 

He identifies the catalyst moment of his transition from classical singing to finding his natural voice and personal style in March of 2020 – a time that needs no further explanation – when he left high school and was separated from choir for the first time. After struggling to overcome the years of vocal muscle memory from classical singing, he joined a cover band in June 2021 and had a breakthrough. 

“I did not try to sing this way or any type of way at all,” says Coleman. “I just sang whatever came naturally and it came out of me like it wasn’t even mine at first. Talk-singing has always been my favorite style to listen to, and so I thank God I found a voice that I can associate with and love. I feel like the tone of my voice represents all that I stand for.”

Tracklisting for Know No Leash:
“Taken For a Ride”
“Head Spinnin’”
“Sunshine”
“Highwayman”
“Caroline”

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Maggie Coyle