The Red Clay Strays Debuts New Song 'Drowning'
“Drowning” is the third song unveiled from The Red Clay Strays’ highly anticipated new album, Made by These Moments.
By: Josh Sharpe Jul. 02, 2024
The Red Clay Strays’ new song, “Drowning,” has just debuted. Written by guitarist Drew Nix, “Drowning” is a vulnerable call for help during a period of mental and emotional struggle.
Reflecting on the track, Nix shares, “In 2021 I was driving for Uber 10-12 hours a day, barely making ends meet. My wife Laurie Anne was taking on most of the chunk of the bills at the time because she had a steady job and we were still out of work mostly. I was really only making just enough to help pay rent. I remember the words and that melody coming to my mind ‘I’m drowning’ while I was headed to the gas station to pay for gas that at the time to continue Ubering. The debt was piling up and I was trying to save up for a ring at the time as well. Although I knew everything would be okay in time, it felt like I was treading water as long as I could stand. Things are much better now and I thank God every day that we don’t have to struggle like that anymore. If you feel like you’re drowning talk to somebody there’s help out there. And if God sends you a boat take it.”
“Drowning” is the third song unveiled from The Red Clay Strays’ highly anticipated new album, Made by These Moments, which will be released July 26 on RCA Records (pre-order/pre-save here). Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell) and recorded at Cobb’s Georgia Mae in Savannah, Made by These Moments is filled with the band’s signature genre-blending sound, as they meld electric rock and roll with southern soul. Across these eleven tracks, The Red Clay Strays explore fundamental elements of the human condition, reflecting on faith, love and redemption.
Ahead of the release, the band has unveiled two additional songs: “Devil In My Ear” and “Wanna Be Loved,” the latter of which Whiskey Riff declares, “The traditional Southern rock sound perfectly complements the lyrics to the single, instantly striking a chord with listeners,” while Live For Live Music praises, “Soaring Skynyrd slide guitar melds with Coleman’s rockabilly falsetto, all cloaked in hat-in-hand Southern humility and a lyrical honesty inherent to roots music.”
In celebration of the new music, the band recently made their late-night television debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and will continue to tour through this fall including headline shows at Brooklyn’s Brooklyn Paramount, Los Angeles’ The Wiltern, Boston’s Roadrunner, Philadelphia’s The Fillmore, Atlanta’s Coca-Cola Roxy, Denver’s Mission Ballroom and San Diego’s SOMA among several others. The band will also make their sold-out, three-night headline debut at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium in September, perform at major festivals such as Windy City Smokeout and Austin City Limits and select dates in the U.K. later this summer. See below for complete tour itinerary.
Of the project, lead singer Brandon Coleman shares, “Made by These Moments shines a light on overcoming the battles we face in life like loneliness, depression, and hopelessness. We hope you listen and recognize that our pain has a purpose.”
One of music’s fastest rising bands, The Red Clay Strays are Brandon Coleman (lead vocals, guitar), Drew Nix (electric guitar, vocals, harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass) and John Hall (drums). Formed in Mobile, AL in 2016, the group is in the midst of a breakout year, as they’re nominated Emerging Act of the Year at the 2024 Americana Music Awards and continue to achieve massive success with their single, “Wondering Why.” With over 100 million streams to date, the track spent a week at #1 on Spotify’s Viral 50 USA Playlist and six-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Americana Singles chart. The song also reached #84 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, #7 on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart, #16 on the Billboard AAA chart and #18 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and continues to gain support across genres.
“Wondering Why” is from the band’s album, Moment of Truth, of which Billboard praised, “Lead singer Coleman’s gruff, impassioned vocal shines here as always, bolstered by the group’s exemplary musicianship,” while Rolling Stonedeclared, “the musical manifestation of the push and pull between salvation and redemption…Delta blues, gritty honky-tonk, and Sun Records rockabilly, shot through with a palpable darkness.” Since the release, The Red Clay Strays have also made their Grand Ole Opry debut and toured extensively across the country including shows with Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Elle King and Old Crow Medicine Show.
MADE BY THESE MOMENTS TRACK LIST
1. Disaster
2. Wasting Time
3. Wanna Be Loved
4. No One Else Like Me
5. Ramblin’
6. Drowning
7. Devil In My Ear
8. I’m Still Fine
9. On My Knees
10. Moments
11. God Does
THE RED CLAY STRAYS CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
July 10—Columbus, OH—The Bluestone (SOLD OUT)
July 11—Columbus, OH—The Bluestone (SOLD OUT)
July 12—Chicago, IL—Windy City Smokeout 2024
July 13—Grand Rapids, MI—The Intersection (SOLD OUT)
July 19—Cheyenne, WY—Cheyenne Frontier Days 2024
July 20—Salt Lake City, UT—The Complex (SOLD OUT)
July 21—Redmond, OR—FairWell Festival
July 24—Airway Heights, WA—Spokane Live (SOLD OUT)
July 25—Portland, OR—Crystal Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
July 26—Seattle, WA—The Showbox (SOLD OUT)
July 27—Rexford, MT—Abayance Bay Marina (LOW TICKET WARNING)
August 2—Minneapolis, MN—Basilica Block Party
August 3—St. Charles, IA—Hinterland
August 9—Elkhorn, NE—The Club at Indian Creek
August 10—Oshkosh, WI—Xroads41 2024
August 18—Dublin, Ireland—The Academy, Middle Abbey Street (SOLD OUT)
August 20—Glasgow, U.K.—SWG3 (LOW TICKET WARNING)
August 21—Manchester, U.K.—O2 Ritz Manchester (LOW TICKET WARNING)
August 23—London, U.K.—O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (LOW TICKET WARNING)
August 24—Bottesford, U.K.—The Long Road Festival (LOW TICKET WARNING)
August 25—Koln, Germany—Sound of Nashville Open Air 2024
August 31—Weston, CO—Monument Lake Resort
September 4—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium† (SOLD OUT)
September 5—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium+ (SOLD OUT)
September 6—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium# (SOLD OUT)
September 12—Indianapolis, IN—Murat Theatre‡ (LOW TICKET WARNING)
September 13—Bristol, TN—Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
September 14—Birmingham, AL—Avondale Brewing Company‡ (SOLD OUT)
September 15—Pryor, OK—Born & Raised Festival
September 18—Silver Spring, MD—The Fillmore^ (LOW TICKET WARNING)
September 19—Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE^
September 20—Louisville, KY—Bourbon & Beyond
October 1—Brooklyn, NY—Brooklyn Paramount~
October 3—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore~ (LOW TICKET WARNING)
October 4—Ocean City, MD—Country Calling
October 5—Boston, MA—Roadrunner~ (LOW TICKET WARNING)
October 10—New Orleans, LA—The Fillmore**(LOW TICKET WARNING)
October 11-13—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Festival
October 12—Oklahoma City, OK—The Criterion** (LOW TICKET WARNING)
October 16—Atlanta, GA—Coca-Cola Roxy†† (LOW TICKET WARNING)
October 17—Atlanta, GA—Tabernacle
October 18—Simpsonville, SC—Greenville Country Music Fest
October 19—Simpsonville, SC—Greenville Country Music Festival 2024
October 31—Denver, CO—The Mission Ballroom††
November 8—Los Angeles, CA—The Wiltern++ (LOW TICKET WARNING)
November 9—San Diego, CA—SOMA++ (LOW TICKET WARNING)
November 10—Anaheim, CA—House of Blues†† (LOW TICKET WARNING)
†with special guests Taylor Hunnicutt and Aaron Raitiere
+with special guests Nolan Taylor and The Castellows
#with special guests Pony Bradshaw and Ben Chapman
‡with special guest Bella White
^with special guest Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge
~with special guest The Glorious Sons
**with special guest Black Pistol Fire
††with special guest Tanner Usrey
++with special guest The Moss
Photo credit: Robby Klein
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