Jason Boland to Release Concept Album About Alien Abduction

photo: Will Von Bolton

Original Red Dirt music legend Jason Boland may be best known for straightforward country music heaters such as “Pearl Snaps” and “Somewhere Down in Texas,” but those that have followed his 20-year career know that if you know Boland, you best stay on your toes. Every once in a while, he’ll throw you a curve ball. He’s not just some bumpkin. Beneath the surface there’s a thoughtful, intelligent guy.

A year after celebrating the 20th Anniversary of his iconic debut album Pearl Snaps, Boland is veering into the paranormal with his next album called The Light Saw Me to be released on December 3rd by Thirty Tigers. Similar to Jason’s 2015 record Squelch, he’ll be going off the script on this one, not just singing the usual songs about tough times and heartache. This one is a concept record whose subject matter deals with an alien abduction.

That’s right, don’t rub your eyes. Jason Boland and The Stragglers are releasing an alien abduction concept record. Apparently made of three distinctive interlocking parts, the album follows a cowboy living in Texas in the 1890s who is abducted by aliens and ends up back in Texas in the 1990s. It’s partially inspired by the story of a rumored UFO crash in Aurora, Texas on April 17, 1897 before most folks even knew what a UFO was.

But don’t worry, Boland assures there is a deeper, more universal theme to the album as well that may be more accessible beyond fans of sci-fi. “’The Light Saw Me’ is a song and album which aims to highlight our lack of ultimate control over our narratives. So much of what happens in our lives seems to choose us in spite of our grand plans. The deeper meaning of the material is ‘meaning’ itself. When faced with the stoic realities of our collective fate, love is the source of the power that can keep us going.” 

The album was recorded in Los Angeles with the Stragglers, including longtime and beloved steel guitarist Roger Ray, who left the band in 2014. It was produced by Shooter Jennings, who received some of his first producer credits on the Jason Boland and the Straggler’s 2013 album Dark & Dirty Mile.

“Jason and the band were a delight,” Shooter says. “Jason’s vision from the album served as our lodestar as we carried it from cradle to its proper spot on the mountain high. It’s one of the coolest sounding records I’ve heard in years, so I’m really excited to see what the future holds for ‘The Light Saw Me.'”
 
And that’s not all of the exciting news for Jason Boland and the Stragglers. After nearly a quarter century playing country music, Jason Boland and the Stragglers will finally be making their Grand Ole Opry debut on December 7th—the week after the new album is released.

The title track of the new album can be heard below, and The Light Saw Me is now available for pre-order.

‘The Light Saw Me’ Tracklist

  1. Terrifying Nature
  2. The Light Saw Me
  3. A Tornado & The Fool
  4. Here For You
  5. Transmission Out
  6. Transition In
  7. Future
  8. Straight Home
  9. Restless Spirits
  10. A Place To Stay
  11. Faux Reel
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