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Texas Road Crew: Mike and the Moonpies knocked us out with their fabulous 2018 album “Steak Night At The Prairie Rose”

Stream or download 2018 Year End Podcast Picks: 2018 Year End Podcast Picks

So much great music, and right in our wheelhouse . . . 2018 will be remembered not for one, two or even 10 great albums but a whole slew of game-changing efforts by a wide-ranging list of Americana artists. Whether it was the outlaw country of Whitey Morgan, the timeless folk of John Prine, the disarming, gritty alt-country of Sarah Shook or the multi-pronged Americana of Western Centuries, 2018 delivered an immeasurable amount of fabulous Roots music, all fitting nicely under the That Much Further West Podcast umbrella.

All of the artists included on this list of year-end picks found their way on to our Portland-based podcast this year, either as a monthly or seasonal pick, the subject of a review, or as a featured guest interviewed by our three co-hosts, Mike Lee, Eric Kotila and Phil Favorite. The lads put their heads together for this year-end feature, finding it difficult not only to single out this handful of fantastic performers but even to choose songs from albums loaded with potential entries. With just 25 songs on the list, it’s easy to see how this list could have been twice as long if not longer— all you have to do is look at the countless year-end “best of” lists already published in the preceding weeks.

With so many great acts to choose from, including many (see: Brent Cobb, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Courtney Marie Andrews, American Aquarium) drawing universal praise for the fantastic records they put out this year, we decided to feature a band that we hadn’t paid quite enough attention to on the podcast this year. Over the better part of the last decade, Texas-bred stalwarts Mike and the Moonpies have been bringing their world-class country to the people, building a reputation as one of America’s finest representatives of the white-hot Red Dirt movement.

Following in the footsteps of some of our favorites, like Chris Knight, Reckless Kelly and Turnpike Troubadours, Mike and the Moonpies hit a home run with their 2018 record Steak Night At The Prairie Rose, a must listen for every fan of country music. We kick off our year-end picks with their song “Beaches of Biloxi,” a potent cocktail of temptation, addiction and regret befitting a truly great country song.

Let it serve as a launching point, not just for this playlist but for our pursuit of more fantastic music to share with you as the calendar turns to another year. Be on the lookout for Mike and the Moonpies (see video below) and all the great artists and music we share here and throughout the coming year.

Here’s our humble list of Year End Podcast Picks. Thank you for listening. Enjoy.

Beaches of Biloxi, Mike and the Moonpies
Elevator Blues, The Resolectrics
NYC In The Rain, Caleb Caudle
Damned If I Do, Damned If I Don’t, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
Ballad For The Trees, I See Hawks In L.A.
Heart Slows Down, Aaron Lee Tasjan
Cadillac Man, Wes Youssi & The County Champs
Bad Time To Be An Outlaw, The Bottle Rockets
Every Time I Hear That Song, Brandi Carlile
A Hole In My Grave, Chuck Westmoreland
Lonesome Friends Of Science, John Prine
The World Is On Fire, American Aquarium
Girl Going Nowhere, Ashley McBryde
Everything Has Changed, Lucero
Set Em Up (I’m Afraid To Go Home), Countryside Ride
Cowboys And Canyon Queens, John Calvin Abney
Border, Courtney Marie Andrews
Wild You Run, Western Centuries
King Of Alabama, Brent Cobb
What Am I Supposed To Do, Whitey Morgan and the 78’s
My Sweet Arsonist, Karen Jonas
Plain To See Plainsman, Colter Wall
Ain’t Gotta Worry Child, Charley Crockett
The Being Gone, Jamie Lin Wilson
Kick The Lights Out, Hearts Of Oak