Ridin' The Night Train

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Ridin' The Night Train	4:52	Play
2		I Don't Miss Her	2:38	Play
3		Way Too Many	2:28	Play
4		Loving You Is Easy	3:11	Play
5		Old Heartache	4:05	Play
6		Reluctant Farewell	4:04	Play
7		When I Fall	3:44	Play
8		Honkytonkin' Daddy	2:46	Play
9		Mending Fences	3:24	Play
10		Ain't Gonna Let Go	5:15	Play
11		Anthem	6:04	Play

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Description

If you think youve heard all there is to say about heartbreak and life on the road, chances are you havent listened to Santa Rosa resident singer/songwriter/bandleader Michael Thomason. His straight-from-the-hip songs about loneliness, betrayal and good love gone bad put a new spin on eternal country themes in a resounding twang that proudly displays the influences of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams and Elvis.

On his latest CD, Ridin the Night Train, Thomason brings the emotional essence of lifes hard knocks into sharp focus, with spare lyrics rendered in an unsentimental voice that says, This is how it really happened. Stylistically, the CD covers a lot of ground. It includes ballads, breakneck 12-bar shuffles, accordion-laced Norteo, a nod to Hank Williams, as well as fresh covers of tunes by Steve Earle and Leonard Cohen.

The overall vibe, though, is Bakersfield. It comes from an ultra-tight band anchored by two very hot guitarists: the telecaster wizard, Sean Allen, and pedal steeler, Ruetiger Karahn. Their tasteful (but never overstated) lick swapping keeps the auditory nerve sufficiently tickled, while the rhythm section (drummer Jens Dunker and bassist Don Schmitt) maintains a firm groove. Thomasons youngest daughter, Jessie, who has been singing with her father since she was 3, trades lead vocals and harmonizes, adding a sweet, high-lonesome sound.

Unlike many wavers of the Americana flag, Thomason earned his country credentials the old-fashioned way: by playing 35 years in roadhouses and county fairs in and around Californias fabled Central Valley. A native of Modesto, an agricultural town on Hwy 99, Thomason, grew up listening to country, blues and rock. But it wasnt until 1971, when he was 24, that he started playing professionally. In 1974, he recorded his first single, California, with the Buckeroos at Buck Owens studio. From 1976 to 1979, he lived in Austin and toured extensively throughout Texas and Louisiana. Hes since toured Europe and the U.S. with his own bands, and opened for Tammy Wynette, Emmy Lou Harris, Asleep at the Wheel, Johnny Paycheck and other country legends. En route, Thomason also shared the stage with such luminaries as Amos Garrett, Bill Kirchen, Keith Allen, Larry Otis, Carl Brouse, Gary James, Kenny Dale Johnson, Norton Buffalo and Don Schmitt, his current bassist.

Thomason, 59, now resides with his family in the hills outside of Napa Valley, California where hes long been a favorite in local clubs.

Of fame and fortune Thomason says: If it comes, fine. If not, Im perfectly happy recording and touring with the great musicians Ive assembled in this band. For me, making good music and having appreciative audiences are reward enough.