“‘Strange American Dream’ captures Rayland’s mindset of the moment; somewhere between a childlike sense of wonder and disbelief at the good and evil he saw as he watched the news cycle unfold around him…a piano driven ear worm of a song that sounds like a distant cousin to The Beatles’ ‘Lady Madonna.’” – NPR Music

Rayland Baxter has unveiled the second song from his forthcoming ‘Wide Awake’.  “Strange American Dream” premieres today on NPR Music/World Café.  Rayland made this album during a self-imposed isolation quest.  He moved into an abandoned rubber band factory turned studio for 3 months, with nothing but a mattress on the floor and a couple of instruments.  He wrote for 15 hours a day, the occasional waft of news from a TV down the hall seeping through the door of his room.

Says Rayland, “’Strange American Dream’ is a song about the strange…American…dream. i was Living in the middLe of a cornfieLd in Kentucky when i wrote it…the tv in the kitchen was stuck on the news channeL for three months…i couLdnt heLp but eavesdrop…and take notes.” 

‘Wide Awake’ has already earned praise for its first song “Casanova,” which GQ named as one of its Songs of the Summer 2018. It’s also drawn comparisons to the Beatles (Rolling Stone Country) and the Kinks (Nashville Scene), and is currently #24 on the national Triple A radio chart.

Listen to Casanova here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_jbTR-1Sqc

‘Wide Awake’ was produced by Butch Walker (Weezer, Pink, Pete Yorn) and features Walker himself on bass, Cage the Elephant’s Nick Bockrath on guitar, Dr. Dog’s Erick Slick on drums, and piano wizard Aaron Embry (Elliott Smith, Brian Eno) on keys. Rayland’s father Bucky Baxter contributes pedal steel, as does original Nashville Cat Lloyd Green.

On July 12, Rayland heads out on a national headlining tour including an album release show on July 13 at Bowery Ballroom in New York City. He is also opening some of the shows on Shakey Graves’ tour this summer and performing with him at Red Rocks in August (Rayland also co-wrote some of the songs on Shakey’s new record).  Full dates below.

Pre-order ‘Wide Awake’ on all platforms here: http://wideawake.raylandbaxter.com/

TOUR DATES: 

12-Jul- Washington, DC – Union Stage

13-Jul- New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom

14-Jul- Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live

15-Jul- Richmond, VA  – Broadberry

18-Jul- Nashville, TN – Basement East

20-Jul- Birmingham, AL – Saturn

21-Jul- Atlanta, GA – Terminal West

24-Jul- Toronto, ON – Adelaide Hall

25-Jul- Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern

26-Jul- Detroit, MI – Otus Supply

27-Jul- Grand Rapids, MI  –  The Stache

28-Jul- Chicago, IL –  Lincoln Hall

1-Aug- Indianapolis, IN – Hifi

2-Aug- Davenport, IA – Triple Crown Whiskey Bar

3-Aug- St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall

4-Aug- Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck

5-Aug- Omaha, NE – Slowdown

9-Aug- Denver, CO – Bluebird

24-Aug- Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden w/ Shakey Graves

25-Aug- Missoula, MT – Big Sky Amphitheatre w/ Shakey Graves

26-Aug- Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory w/ Shakey Graves

27-Aug- Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory w/ Shakey Graves

28-Aug- Boise, ID – Knitting Factory  w/ Shakey Graves

30-Aug- Morrison, CO – Red Rocks w/ Shakey Graves

5-Sep- Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret

6-Sep- Bellingham, WA – Wild Buffalo

7-Sep- Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern

9-Sep- Portland, OR – Doug Fir

14-Sep- San Diego, CA – Belly Up

15-Sep- Los Angeles, CA – Moroccan Lounge

16-Sep- Templeton, CA – Whale Rock Festival

20-Sep- Crystal Bay, NV – Red Room at Crystal Bay

21-Sep- Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst

23-Sep- Sonoma, CA – Harvest Music Festival

28-Sep- Roseland, VA – Devil’s Backbone Hoopla

30-Sep- Asbury Park, NJ – Sea Hear Now Festival