We recently received a CD in the mail of Leeroy Stagger’s new release Truth Be Sold, which officially hit stores earlier this week.

We have to confess to not being familiar with him previously (despite this being his eighth album), but a couple of spins later we were making up for lost time and checking out this fella’s background. Punk rock roots, ragged country and melancholy folk are all mixed together to spin tales of regret, retribution and ultimately even redemption that owes as much to The Stooges as it does Woody Guthrie.

Our current favourite is Mister that tells of a classic bitter, but ultimately pointless, bar-room confrontation that is prevented by a Willie Nelson tune.

“I got a steady job at the hardware store
I make six bucks an hour, I started at four
I got a piece of shit parked out in the back
Anyways mister could you cut me some slack
Anyway buddy, tell me what’s your problem
I can see you staring at me from the other side of the bar
Don’t you judge me to even start to try”

For now though, have a listen to the rollicking stomp of Goodnight Berlin. You can buy the album here.

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