Jason Broyles EP Release Show with special guest Rachel McIntyre Smith

DOORS: 7 PM / SHOW: 8 PM

GA ADV: $15

DOS: $20

21+

NO REFUNDS

ABOUT JASON BROYLES

Not long after releasing 2019's My Way Home — a debut album rooted in folk, Americana, and heartland rock and roll — Jason Broyles found himself in northwest Arkansas, attending a relative's memorial service with his father. The two grabbed dinner together that evening, looking to reflect and reconnect. Nostalgia was in the air, and before long, Broyles' dad was sharing stories about his own childhood spent on an Arkansas farm.

"He asked me if I'd heard about the time Bonnie and Clyde's gang shot and killed a local lawman on my grandfather's property," Broyles remembers. "I didn't know that story, but I looked it up and it's true. It happened on Old Rudy Road, right on the edge of the farm."

Stories like that one form the backbone of Old Rudy Road, an EP that shines new light on Broyles' expansive vision of American roots music. It's a richly detailed record, anchored by sharp songwriting and vivid, biographical storytelling. It also demonstrates just how wide his artistic reach can be. Filled with first-rate flat picking, theological metaphors, M**der ballads, fiery barn-burners, and everything in between, Old Rudy Road finds Broyles exploring new territory, stretching his sound far beyond My Way Home. At the center of that earthy, eclectic sound is the songwriter himself: a roots music Renaissance Man who grew up in Oklahoma, spent years working as a teacher in Guatemala, moved to Nashville to study religion, and eventually ditched a corporate job to pursue music once again, returning his focus to the melodies and stories that first captured his interest as a boy.

For a musician who's already traveled across much of the world, Old Rudy Road marks a thematic and geographic return to the American South. That landscape springs to life during the EP's first track, "Strawberry Hill," where Broyles sings about his family tree — as well as the strawberry farm that provided a home for multiple generations of his Arkansas ancestors — over a backdrop of fiddle, dobro, mandolin, upright bass, and acoustic guitar. Each track that follows adds new details to the story. In "Sons of Adams" and "Saturday Night Special," Broyles recalls the troubled neighbors who lived nearby on Old Rudy Road, haunted by generations of trauma and substance abuse. In "Chopping Wood" and "The Ghost of Ozark Mountain," he explores some of the darker corners of that rural world and spotlights everything from domestic abuse to small-town gossip. With "Revival," he splits the difference between a holy-roller gospel tune and a bluegrass-inspired barn burner. Together, these six songs add shape, swagger, and string-band stomp to the stories passed down by Broyles' father.

"I wanted to keep those family stories alive and pass them along to future generations," he says. "There's a rich tradition of doing that in American music. Some of these stories might be tough to hear, but if we're honest about our past and we acknowledge the wounds that we have, we can start the healing process. Music is such an important part of that journey."

These stories don't just belong to Broyles and his father, though. They're universal tales of love, loss, lust, and land. They're songs about the family bonds that bring us together, as well as the generational trauma that threatens to tear us apart. A former theology student, Broyles even connects the Adams family — whose members are responsible for some of the record's darkest moments — with the Biblical Adam, who was banished from the Garden of Eden after eating the forbidden fruit. It doesn't take a religious scholar to follow along with his metaphors. Old Rudy Road shines a light on the angels and demons who haunt every inch of our collective past, and the record serves as a reminder that none of us can move forward without first examining what we've left behind.

Working with producer and co-writer Matt Griffith, Broyles recorded Old Rudy Road with a makeshift band of A-list musicians, including dobro player Josh Matheny (Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris), Grammy-winning bassist Mark Fain (Bruce Hornsby, Ry Cooder), acoustic guitarist Shaun Richardson (Sierra Hull), and fiddle legend Tammy Rogers King (SteelDrivers). They captured each song in a handful of live takes, with everybody playing together in real-time. They stacked their voices into thick slabs of vocal harmony. More importantly, they brought Strawberry Hill — a place that's now "overgrown with weeds and memories" — back to life, turning Old Rudy Road not only into a piece of Broyles' past but into a sign of where he might go next, too. This is American roots music that's free of boundaries, and Jason Broyles has never sounded so eager to explore the world around him.

ABOUT RACHEL MCINTYRE SMITH

With her lyrically driven songs, Rachel McIntyre Smith’s comfort twang music reminds listeners of the classics while also adding a relevant and fresh perspective. Holler magazine calls her "Loretta Lynn for the TikTok Generation."

Raised in the small East Tennessee town of Oliver Springs, Rachel began piano lessons at 9 years old. She won the Tennessee State Piano Competition twice and earned the Paderewski Medal for Guild for 10 years of superior ratings in a row. This strong background in music theory allowed Rachel to excel in other areas of music. She taught herself ukulele and guitar and also served as clarinet section leader in her school band. She made her debut singing “Please Mister Postman” in the high school theater arts production.

Upon graduating from college, she compiled 13 demos of her original music and began sending them to venues. Due to the quirky subject matter of her original “The Kitten Song,” she became a regular performer at cat cafes. In early 2020, she launched a concert tour of those feline-friendly venues.

​In 2022, Rachel independently released her debut EP "Glory Daze", which went on to be featured on BBC Radio, Spotify's Best of Fresh Finds Country 2022, and Grady Smith's YouTube channel where he named the title track one of the best country songs of 2022.

​Now in 2024, Rachel just released her second EP, "Honeysuckle Friend", which features her most poignant lyrics set to banjo, mandolin, and three-part harmonies.

Her brightly colored style, smooth vocals, and small-town charm leave a lasting impact on audiences. Americana Highways states she is “a vocal descendant of Alison Krauss.” Rachel had the privilege to share the stage with some impressive names in country music, including Gabe Lee, Lee Roy Parnell, Larry Fleet, Paul Thorn, Boy Named Banjo, and Caleb Lee Hutchinson.

Host or Publisher Analog at Hutton Hotel