The Melancholy Traveler, by Russell Hoke

The Melancholy Traveler

by Russell Hoke

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Standard weight black vinyl with full-color jacket and lyric sheet.
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Full Digital Discography

31

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Get all 31 Round Bale Recordings releases available on Bandcamp and save 75%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Whiskey Walkin', Contemporary Ruin, Jumpthefox, Sneaking Into the Light, Away & Instinct, True Songs, Rock Music, The Dream of Change, and 23 more. , and , .

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1.	Sea Monster 03:55	buy track
2.	I Have A Gift 01:46	buy track
3.	Sweet Rosemary* 02:34	buy track
4.	Coronation 01:51	buy track
5.	Kingdom Blue 03:30	buy track
6.	Peace Key (instrumental) 00:59	buy track
7.	Desert Snowstorm 03:04	buy track
8.	Ecstatic Outcast (instrumental) 02:11	buy track
9.	I’d Gladly Give It All 02:29	buy track
10.	The Mountain and the Stream 02:19	buy track
11.	Jesus Understands 01:55	buy track
12.	When I Get Down (instrumental) 01:13	buy track
13.	Wandering, Ancient Soul 04:55	buy track
14.	The Melancholy Traveler 04:01	buy track
15.	By the Time It Gets Dark* 03:30	buy track

about

After compiling the double cassette anthology, A Voice From the Lonesome Playground, back in 2016, we were fairly certain that would go down as not only the final documentation of Russell Hoke’s vast back catalog of recordings but also the final musical statement from him altogether. Having sold off his guitar and banjo several years prior, Hoke had expressed that he was done writing songs and making music. So it was with great surprise and delight when early last year we received word that he had recorded an album’s worth of new material and it was on its way in the mail.

With a borrowed guitar and banjo, Hoke revisited the previously undocumented pages of his original songbook and recorded this new collection straight to an outmoded cell phone. Remarkably, the resulting recordings that comprise The Melancholy Traveler are cut from a very similar cloth, both sonically and lyrically, to Hoke’s early private press, outsider folk gems like The Magic of My Youth, Cosmic Outlaw, and If I Had Been the Universe. Adding further allure to this surprise release, and highlighting his reverence for British folk music, Hoke rendered two achingly beautiful covers versions of Sandy Denny songs.

As we collectively descend from the Twisted Mountain that was 2020, together let’s hope that the unexpected appearance of a new Russell Hoke album is an indicator of brighter days ahead.

credits

released March 5, 2021

All music and lyrics by Russell Hoke, except "Sweet Rosemary" and "By the Time It Gets Dark" by Sandy Denny.

Mastered by Bobdog Catlin.
This album is dedicated to Don Partridge: “May we busk together in the afterlife.”

Original artwork by Meghan Irwin
Graphic design and layout by Matt Irwin

**Wholesale ordering at: thebusinessanacortes.com/distro/

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Round Bale Recordings Mankato, Minnesota

Round Bale Recordings is a record label associated with the Free Form Freakout radio show & podcast series (aka FFFoxy Podcast) that focuses on small edition releases across various physical formats.

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