Turnpike Troubadours Headline Diamond Daze

Turnpike Troubadours Dazzle While Headlining at Diamond Daze!

The Turnpike Troubadours were welcomed to the Diamond Daze Festival in Sallisaw, Ok this past Friday, there I had the opportunity to sit and talk with them. Fittingly, their band name comes from living and traveling up and down the turnpikes of Oklahoma and sharing their love of music. Band members are Evan Felker, lead vocals and acoustic, R.C. Edwards, bass and backing vocals, Kyle Nix, fiddle and backing vocals, Ryan Engleman, lead guitar, and Giovanni “Nooch” Carnuccio, drums and backing vocals.

Reading about them I found that, “isolation can be the mother of originality”. Coming from small towns, the guys of the band realized that they were able to do things their way. Not having to conform or compare to others made them who they are today, a mixture of folk, country, and pure talent!

The Troubadours have many influences including Steve Earle, Old 97s, and Flogging Molly. When I asked who they would like to have an informal jam session with, dead or alive, they quickly replied with The Band, Bob Dylan’s former band or themselves ten years from now. The second answer must have left an intrigued look on my face because lead vocalist Evan Felker and bass player R.C. Edwards went on to explain how the impossible opportunity would give them a chance to learn from experiences and show a glance of what the future held.

They shared with me their excitement for larger venues, like Fort Worth’s Billy Bob’s. Shows with 150-200 people always seem to be a fun time with tons of crowd enthusiasm. They have made some memories while joining artists like Jason Boland and Cross Canadian Ragweed on stage and once opened for legend Randy Owen of Alabama! At the same time they love a small town festival, fiddle player Kyle Nix said seeing a little kid singing along to their songs gives a different kind of satisfaction. Knowing that someone truly likes the songs and isn’t just looking for a good bar with live music must be a proud moment for any band. The song “Whole Damn Town” is a crowd pleaser, usually resulting in plenty of energized fans afterwards. Trying to dig for some crazy stories, all the guys agreed that after a while nothing shocks them, it all becomes the norm.

The Troubadours have two albums, Bossier City and Diamonds and Gasoline. They are currently promoting the later of the two where they worked closely with Mike McClure. One goal of theirs is to put out a new album every year, they will be going into the studio next month to work on their third.

Local band Sherman Conelly and War Pony opened for the Turnpike Troubadours Friday and Saturday the festival hosted The Brandon Butler Band, James Wesley, and Josh Gracin. Wesley is an up and comer already having his single “Real” on the country charts. Josh Gracin played many cover songs, along with some originals including “Nothing To Lose” and “We Weren’t Crazy“. He also gave us a sneak peak of a song that hasn’t even been recorded, “Take It Slow“.

Be sure to check out the Turnpike Troubadours the next chance you get and pick up their album, trust me you won’t be dissapointed!