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As country fans we’ve often tried to imagine what became of some of our most beloved characters from our favourite songs, or even wondered how they got to where they ended up in the first place. The Steel Woods have filled in the back story of one of those characters in their new single, ‘The Man From Everywhere.’
“It’s a song loosely based on the story of Uncle Lloyd as a prequel to the Darrell Scott song we cut on our first record,” Wes Bayliss told us. “It's written from the perspective of a man who just can’t seem to get things right; hinting that his drinking and gambling addictions are the reason he’s abandoned every good thing he’s ever had going for him. When Connie and I were writing this one I started really getting excited about the record and realizing this crazy idea I had could actually be great."
In the original ‘Uncle Lloyd’ - who we were introduced to on 2017’s Straw in the Wind - we met a charming but dissolute character in his late fifties who’d left his wife and kids behind in Fresno, getting up early to build fences with his new adopted family during the day and drinking himself to sleep at night over the life he’s left behind.
‘The Man From Everywhere’ gives Uncle Lloyd a loose origin story, which helps explain how he ended up where he did all those years later.
It's a hard-driving southern rock crawl that grinds into gear before it sits back and settles into a deep country funk groove.
In the same way that songwriters like Tom T. Hall and John Prine seemed to be magically able to catch a story as if it was blowing in on the wind before letting it float away again, we can almost feel this “man from everywhere" just passing by as the song unfolds. All we get is a moment of time in his story before he’s gone again, but that moment tells us everything we need to know.
“No I ain’t in trouble / Not as far as I can tell / It’s just the longer I sit still The closer I can feel to Hell,” Bayliss sings, as the character runs from his responsibilities to follow a dream that’s always just out of reach. “All the good I’ve ever had’s a memory / I can’t pack it up so I just up and leave it there.”
‘The Man From Everywhere’ is premiering exclusively on Holler below.
‘The Man From Everywhere’ is taken from the band’s forthcoming fourth studio album, On Your Time, which comes out in October.
It's been two years since they released All of Your Stones, and this new ambitious album not only showcases their musical evolution and episodic storytelling abilities but also serves as a tribute to the vision and legacy of their late co-founder, Jason "Rowdy" Cope, who passed away just before the release of All of Your Stones.
Led by Wes Bayliss, the band's guitarist, lead vocalist and co-founder, The Steel Woods have poured their heart and soul into this album, creating a record that reflects their resilience, growth and unwavering spirit.
The Steel Woods’ fourth studio album, On Your Time, is released on October 6th via Woods Music/Thirty Tigers. Order here.
