Colorado band Drunken Hearts, led by guitarist and singer-songwriter Andrew McConathy, are known for their well-crafted country rock songs and ‘Never Say Goodbye’ is a great place to start. McCoanthy’s light acoustic strum is accompanied by some gorgeous sliding pedal steel, from American Aquarium’s Neil Jones, that gives ‘Never Say Goodbye’ depth and texture. Over the fine instrumentation, McConathy’s voice finds its way around an engaging melody. It’s an immediately likeable song that has something of Tom Petty in there.
This is the fourth single from the brand new album ‘Reckless Ways of Living’, which is out today, 2nd June 2023. Songs from the new record feature a host of talented musicians, including Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon), Silas Herman (Vince Herman Band), Jason Carter (Del McCoury Band), Neil Jones (American Aquarium), Lindsay Lou and national banjo champion Kyle Tuttle (Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway). The album benefits from the collaboration with producer and co-writer Dave Pahanish. McConathy says the record is, “…our best yet. I think I’ve been trying to go more for that, I don’t want to say pop country, but more like outlaw country, Americana. The songs are reasonably more of an honest representation of me as a songwriter and I think Dave’s production style is great.” The pandemic was a challenging time but the new material has come out of that period and McConathy has a renewed sense of purpose. He says: “The pandemic really tore the doors off of ‘The’ Drunken Hearts. It’s difficult to make this an actual career that pays the bills. Even before COVID-19, I could have finally given up after dealing with several tragic experiences. The odds have always been overwhelming. I probably should have rolled over a long time ago. There is something cathartic about putting everything that you have into something.”
Andrew McConathy and Drunken Hearts are prolific live performers and have shared a stage with the likes of Billy Strings, Mumford & Sons, Greensky Bluegrass, Mavis Staples, The Infamous Stringdusters and Leftover Salmon. You can find details of upcoming shows here. In the meantime, check out the tuneful ‘Never Say Goodbye’ and the new album.
