Goodnight, Texas Drops New Single 'The Lightning and the Old Man Todd'

Goodnight, Texas have just dropped their latest single "The Lightning and the Old Man Todd". This track is from the roots-rock duo's forthcoming full-length LP Signals. Singer-songwriter Avi Vinocur shares some insight into this new single: "I see this song as a continuation of the story of the 'old man' from our 2018 song ‘End of the Road,' exploring the character’s history and what led to his loneliness. I wrote the skeleton of this song in 2022 and presented it to Patrick [Dyer Wolf] in person at my house and he immediately came up with the indelible jangling riff that seemed to capture the wind-chimes in an impending Midwestern storm.”

Goodnight, Texas is a band you’ve almost certainly heard by accident somewhere. And now on second look, you’re deep in their catalog and they’re telling you stories about trapped coal miners and lovebird bank robbers. Banjos and mandolins twinkle. Now you’re seeing them live and they’re swelling to a fever pitch, suddenly singing quiet harmonies off-mic, and then rocking out again. You’re talking to them at the merch table for a good while and you’re legitimately excited about their new album Signals because, more than ever before, it captures the vast dynamic range of the show and blends it with their expansive and intricate songwriting.

Without doubt, the new album kicks. Lead single “RUNAWAYS” even features a blazing guest solo from none other than Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, who admired the band’s version of “Of Wolf and Man” on the 2022 covers album The Metallica Blacklist.

But beyond the memorable sock-you-in-the-face riffs, GN, TX is reaching its roots deeper in every direction on Signals. Their first album-sized trip into the studio expands their sonic range, thanks to Oakland’s Ian and Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof, Tune-Yards). Stories of the Americana of yore bleed into the near past and present via DB Cooper and North Dakota oil field workers. Electric guitars pound like hammers, but the mandolins still twinkle like stars. Is that song a little tongue in cheek? Are those strings?   

Further googling reveals that NME, Rolling Stone, No Depression and Consequence of Sound have recently featured the band, and that in 2023 they appeared at SXSW, Red Wing Roots and Austin City Limits Festival. They’ve toured with Larkin Poe, Shakey Graves, Trampled by Turtles, The Brothers Comatose, Donavon Frankenreiter, and John Craigie. Back in 2020, their song “The Railroad” was the opening montage theme for Tiger King, which had 53 million streams in its first week. Maybe that’s where you heard them in the first place. Or maybe it was the Coors Banquet commercial with Sam Elliott. Wait a minute, they have a quarter of a billion streams across platforms. Maybe it was at a bar or in your friend’s car, who knows. 

Still at the merch table at last call, you learn: Goodnight, Texas is a hamlet of 27 people and dozens of dogs, the exact mile-for-mile midpoint between co-founders Avi Vinocur and Patrick Dyer Wolf’s homes in San Francisco and Chapel Hill (as the van drives). The band is hoping to make it back and play another show for their friends there in the near future. 

Goodnight, Texas' new single "The Lightning and the Old Man Todd" is out now on digital / streaming platforms, and their previous singles "The Ghost of D.B. Cooper," "The Money or the Time" and "Dry Heat" are out now. Their new studio album Signals drops July 19th via 2 Cent Bank Check Records.

GOODNIGHT, TEXAS 2024 TOUR DATES

Jun. 20 - Old Saloon - Emigrant, MT (w/ White Buffalo)

Jun. 21 - Pub Station - Billings, MT (w/ White Buffalo)

Jun. 22 - Remington Bar - Whitefish, MT (w/ White Buffalo)

Jul. 19 - Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA

Jul. 28 - Underground Music Showcase 2024 - Denver, CO

Aug. 04 - Center For The Arts - Jackson, WY (w/ John Craigie) 

Aug. 05 - KettleHouse Amphitheater - Bonner, MT (w/ The Dead South)

Aug. 08 - Colusa, CA - Levitt Amphitheatre Concert Series

Aug. 13 - Grand Sierra Resort And Casino - Reno, NV (w/ The Dead South)

Aug. 14 - The Stone Pony - Asbury Park, NJ (w/ Donavon Frankenreiter)

Aug. 15 - Burley Oak Brewing Company - Berlin, MD (w/ Donavon Frankenreiter)

Aug. 16 Upper Merion Township Building Park - King Of Prussia, PA (w/ Donavon Frankenreiter)

Aug. 17 - The Rockaway Hotel - Queens County, NY (w/ Donavon Frankenreiter)

Aug. 18 - Jonathan Edwards Winery - North Stonington, CT (w/ Donavon Frankenreiter)

Aug. 20 - The Sound - Del Mar, CA (w/ The Dead South)

Sep. 20-22 - Cascade Equinox Festival 2024 - Redmond, OR

[additional dates to be announced soon]

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