Travis Roberts is emphasizing the “alt” in alt-country. On his debut album, Rebel Rose, coming Aug. 1 on New West Records, the Amarillo, Texas, songwriter channels the punk sounds of Jimmy Eat World, the power-pop of Gin Blossoms, and the grit of the album that changed his life, Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road.
Roberts announced his album today with the release of the song “Bellmarie,” a hard-charging slice of country-rock.
“‘Bellmarie’ is a song about an old coworker and a dear friend of mine,” Roberts says. “She’s super into all the ‘stars determine your fate,’ and I could never really get into that. When she started dating this dude and found out his ‘birth sign,’ things didn’t end out too well. I guess she’s happy now. I don’t know. I haven’t checked in a while, but at least the song is good.”
Roberts, who’s often on the road with his band, the Willing Few, says his music is a mix of jangly rock & roll (“God, I love the Telecaster,” he says) and the emo-leaning punk he was raised on. “My musical influences have changed a bit since we first cut this thing, but there are some that have stuck around that bleed all over the record. I dig a lot of roots rock and nostalgic Americana stuff like Bruce Springsteen, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, and the Dead,” he says, “but I’ve never been able to kill the emo kid in me that listened to Dropkick Murphys, Jimmy Eat World, the Wonder Years, and the Front Bottoms either. Mix those together and add a bit of West Texas trauma, and you get my record.”
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Comprising 10 tracks, Rebel Rose was produced by Dalton Domino, PH Naffah, and Jeff Lusby-Breault, with the Willing Few serving as Roberts’ studio band. They cut much of it live on the floor. Roberts will hit the road in support of the album with a string of shows throughout Texas.
Rebel Rose track list:
1. “Bellmarie”
2. “Ink Ain’t Dry”
3. “Kudzu”
4. “Rebel Rose”
5. “Arapahoe”
6. “Minefields”
7. “Hereford Blues”
8. “I’ve Got Reasons”
9. “All My Friends”
10. “Fake Magnolias”