Two of country music’s highly underrated artists are joining forces to lay down their version of a Danny O’Keefe ditty.
Today the cigarette-scented band is teaming up with honky tonk rock and roller Rob Leines for a new single, “The Road.” While the single is new for these artists, the lyrics are not new as it’s a cover of Danny O’Keefe’s 1972 track, “The Road.” Released on his record titled O’Keefe, the track highlights the true meaning of life on the road.
With the single’s release, Silverada (named Mike and the Moonpies until earlier this year) took to Instagram to share what inspired them to team up with Leines to cover this tune.
“One night after a recording session at YellowDog Studio in Wimberley (when Adam and I were producing the Rob Leines record), we all piled into the back of a pick-up and went to have some drinks at the Devil’s Backbone Tavern. On the drive over, Rob asked me if I had ever heard this song ‘The Road’ by Danny O’Keefe.
He said a girl had turned him on to the song, and he was obsessed with it. We played it on the truck stereo on the ride down to the bar, and the song hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Rob and I had been touring together most of that year and we felt like the song really aligned with where we were at that place and time. I realized I had heard the cut of this song by Jackson Browne but never the original.
We decided later that night that we had to record our own version of it. We got together a few months later after the YellowDog had relocated to San Marcos and cut this version. We hope you love it, share it, and add it to your daily playlist. Thanks for listening!”
After one listen, Silverada and Rob Leines’ take on the song will have you hooked. O’Keefe’s original cut keeps the melody acoustic heavy, but this duo amps up the melody from the beginning. They add in a steel-soaked composition that highlights the melancholy feeling of the lyrics.
Leines takes the first verse, and hearing his vocals on this track unveils a new side of his range. On other Leines tracks, listeners will hear a grittiness in his voice, which is removed from his delivery on “The Road. ” He sings with a vulnerable conviction. His silky smooth vocals flawlessly open up the first verse before frontman Mike Harmeier comes in on the second.
“It isn’t for the money
And it’s only for a while
You stalk about the rooms
You roll away the miles
Gamblers in the neon
Clinging to guitars
You’re right about the moon
But you’re wrong about the stars
And when you stop to let’em know you got it down
It’s just another town along the road…”
Given that the members of Silverada and Leines are faithful road dogs, they know the truth behind these lyrics all too well. They’ve seen every dive and honky tonk dance hall throughout every corner of the nation as they promote their music; they know the meaning of “it’s just another town along the road” all too well.
This cover is a change of pace from the honky tonk anthems both Silverda and Rob Leines often lay down, but it’s also the perfect change of pace, showcasing both talents in a new light. I have had this single on repeat all day.