Turnpike Troubadours Confirm New Single “Mean Old Sun”
New music is on the way from the Turnpike Troubadours, finally. On Wednesday (4-19), the band confirmed that a new single called “Mean Old Sun” is coming and is now available to pre-save on streaming networks. The quick announcement was also accompanied by a teaser video of the band walking down a corridor, with “oohs” and a banjo playing in the background (see below).
Though we don’t have a date at this moment for when the single will be released, the announcement came with the quick caption, “Cat’s out of the bag.” That occurred this weekend when “Mean Old Sun” populated on TouchTunes machines at bars and other locations across the United States on accident. As Turnpike fans showed up at their favorite watering hole and went to play a Turnpike song, they noticed the new selection in their catalog. The song came with blacked out cover art, and was attributed to Bossier City Records, which is the band’s imprint on Thirty Tigers.
According to sources, “Mean Old Sun” was initially planned to be released on Friday, April 14th at midnight as a standalone single. But that plan was later scrapped, and the folks at TouchTunes didn’t get the memo. Though some were able to play the song through TouchTunes, it quickly disappeared off the TouchTunes network. However, because of the leak, it appears the Turnpike Troubadours camp has decided to move up the single release from what they had planned.
The Turnpike Troubadours were rumored to have been in FAME studios in Muscle Shoals in February of 2022, with some linking Shooter Jennings to the project. Bassist RC Edwards also confirmed in the summer of 2022 that the band had been in the studio and writing new songs. Evan Felker played a new song in Houston on May 7th, 2022 called “Cat In The Rain,” and recently at an album release show for Lance Roark, RC Edwards said a new song Roark and himself wrote “might be on that new Turnpike record.”
“Mean Old Sun” will be the first new music from the Turnpike Troubadours since 2017’s A Long Way From Your Heart, and the first single since their hiatus between 2019 and 2021. It comes at a time when the band has been on a meteoric rise in popularity, including selling out large venues and being booked as headliners at numerous festivals.
Despite that success, Turnpike was recently forced to cancel a planned show in Washington, DC at the Capital One Arena on Friday, May 5th. The band blamed a “significant Ticketmaster issue” that displayed the wrong prices for tickets that the band said “deterred people from purchasing tickets.” There was a ticketing issue, but demand for the show may not have been as robust as anticipated.
That will not be the case for “Mean Old Sun,” and any potential album announcement that may accompany the single release. Though many are assuming the song will come out sometime this week, this has not been confirmed just yet. Stay tuned to for more information as it appears new music from the Turnpike Troubadours is finally on the way.
April 19, 2023 @ 11:40 am
More like the Turnpike Divas
Just release the single already. We don’t need an announcement that a single is coming
April 19, 2023 @ 11:54 am
I personally am enjoying seeing the band with a legit marketing team. The teaser video was awesome and fired me up.
Proper marketing will only help them grow even bigger, and they sure as hell deserve it.
April 19, 2023 @ 6:06 pm
How does an announcement make them divas?
April 19, 2023 @ 7:21 pm
Because haters gonna hate. And if you wanna find the haters, unfortunately, they seem to pop up all over this website. It’s a shame because Trigger does great work and TurnpikeTroubadours are a fine band.
April 19, 2023 @ 10:51 pm
That was the plan, but someone leaked it early. What’re they supposed to do?
April 19, 2023 @ 11:54 am
Canceling the show in DC due to an issue with the presale prices is one of the scummier things I’ve seen from a band in a bit. Turnpike and their show cancelations; some things never change.
April 19, 2023 @ 12:47 pm
Comments on their Instagram were saying that it wasn’t really related to the presale ticketing issue – they just weren’t seeing anywhere near the number of sales they were anticipating, and used the issue as an excuse to shut the show down.
I vaguely remember Trigger pontificating a while ago about whether or not the band would be able to sell out stadiums outside of traditional independent country turf. My guess is that they found out the answer was no, and rather than playing to a half empty arena they’ll return to DC in a smaller venue.
Whether or not that is scummy behavior is kind of up to the audience to decide. I think the Turnpike fever is wearing off a little bit – tickets to the festivals they’re playing this summer haven’t disappeared nearly as fast as, say, the Friday UTBS tickets last year did. The band is probably realizing that now as well.
Hopefully Mean Old Sun brings it right back. But Turnpike might’ve overestimated their own reach a little bit on this one.
April 19, 2023 @ 12:52 pm
I completely agree that it was due to low demand and they likely were able to opt out of the show due to a contractual clause. However, I think it’s bullshit that they pulled the plug on the show due to low ticket sales. I, and a bunch of my friends, had already bought plane tickets and hotel rooms. If you overestimated the demand, take the financial loss and play the half-empty show. For the love of God, stop having fans blow their hard earned money to see a band that doesn’t show up.
April 19, 2023 @ 1:28 pm
Agreed. Big jump from the 9:30 club and Fillmore in Silver Spring (both incredible shows) to Capital One. I wouldn’t blame that on the band – they got some bad advise from their manager. Next jump for them should be The Anthem, which would be a perfect venue for them (and the stage can go up and back depending on crowd size). Hope they are back in DC again sometime soon. (Or even better, play an additional night at the Birchemere)
April 19, 2023 @ 3:06 pm
Perhaps the Turnpike fever is wearing off because every show is the exact same thing. There are no significant arrangement changes, creative covers, jams, or anything that differentiates the live show from their albums. There is a reason that some people saw the Grateful Dead 300 times in their life, and I am not suggesting they turn into a jam band, but the last show I saw was the same one I have seen nine times.
April 20, 2023 @ 7:46 am
Agreed, RJ. Saw them at Red Rocks and at the Jackalope Jamboree last year. Same set, but it was only a month-ish apart, so I expected as much considering they seem to play the same set song-for-song since the hiatus.
Seeing them in Bend this July. If it’s the same set *again* a year later, there may be some complaints…
April 24, 2023 @ 7:46 am
Late to this party…
Also saw them at Jackalope AND also have tickets to the Redmond show. If you look at the setlist from Jackalope vs the setlist from Lubbock last Friday, there’s some adjustment. Only 2 songs from ALWFYH, vs 5 at Jackalope. If you figure they play 20 songs a show, an even split across their albums means they’ll drop 5 “favorite” ones in favor of 5 off the new album. After Stagecoach this weekend (though its unlikely to stay that way) the next show is Redmond and we could be the first to see the “new” set. What songs would you have them drop? We know at least one, (maybe two if you count “Cat in the Rain”) could be in the mix. All this to say, would you feel bummed if they didn’t play 7&7 or The Bird Hunters in lieu of Mean Old Sun? I might.
But I guess we’ll find out.
April 20, 2023 @ 9:07 am
They used to do more covers.
“Much Too Young” and “Fox on the Run” were great covers by them.
April 20, 2023 @ 12:17 pm
“Louisiana Saturday Night” was always a fun one to hear TT play back in the day.
April 20, 2023 @ 4:15 pm
RJ, you’ve voiced what I’ve been avoiding saying out loud. I saw them at Whitewater in New Braunfels in October, then again in Feb at the SA rodeo, and both were the same exact show. The rodeo was what my son wanted to do for his birthday because he loves them, and he left a little disappointed they didn’t play the Housefire. But yes, not a lot of passion in their show. My mom, who I’m constantly trying to get to listen to anything besides top 40 “country” said it was the worst show she’s ever been to. But, they’re arguably the best songwriting band of all time, so I’ll continue listening to them and probably even trying to see them live.
April 20, 2023 @ 5:18 pm
In this intimately creative sphere, we really cannot judge anyone for personality changes when the vast majority of their career included drugs and drinking and they are now performing sober. It is often difficult to re-create that fire in the valley. That said, mailing it in it is not just about the relative scale between a zombie and fever pitch, but also has to include a full and intelligent effort into the performance. If the zeal is gone, needs to be replaced with something.
April 21, 2023 @ 7:46 am
No two bands are the same, nor should they be.
Nobody here is asking Evan Felker to be Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes–running around the stage and egging on the crowd and being expressive–but the guys could at least mix up the setlist. Is Turnpike a creative organism or a fossilized greatest hits show? You’d think if they considered themselves a living, evolving, creative organism they’d *need* to mix up the set.
April 22, 2023 @ 10:34 am
So interesting. I’m getting roasted for making similar comments in regards to recent Tyler Childers performances. While TC does mix up his set lists (and I personally LOVE that he doesn’t give the fair weather fans their two favorite hits every night), the deadpan/aloof thing really doesn’t land when people spend over $100 to see a show they’re excited about. Especially in an arena.
I was at night 1 of the Turnpike reunion shows at Cain’s last year, and while it was a euphoric occasion, I also felt a twinge of melancholy at the robotic direction of the live sets. The ensuing run of festivals and arenas definitely proved those fears founded.
While no two bands need to be the same, I think it’s fair for fans to expect *something* to hold on to when they pay to attend a live show. Everyone from the Avett Brothers to Billy Strings to Eric Church have figured out how to scale to arenas without turning into robots. And while I may lament the good old sweaty ballroom days, I also celebrate the fact that musicians I love are making a serious living while connecting with everyone from their most diehard original fans to brand new listeners.
There’s an odd, sinister undercurrent brewing with some of the recent media darlings. Since covid, Whiskey Riff, and Yellowstone, some of the independent country artists we all know and love are trapped in a high-stakes tailspin. I empathize with them, but that doesn’t mean I won’t call a spade a spade.
April 21, 2023 @ 7:39 am
The only actual changes they make to their shows are the ones in Oklahoma when they play one or two local OK songs. Everything else is the same though.
April 21, 2023 @ 10:21 am
As a South Carolinian whose seen them play in Greenville, SC and also Boston, I agree with this notion. Although it was a shortened set in Boston due to opening for Dropkick, every song played that night was also played in Greenville when I first saw them.
Me and many people I know from SC would be perfectly fine with hearing Oklahoma Stars, The Mercury, Easton & Main, etc.
April 22, 2023 @ 9:42 am
I haven’t been a too show but every time I check out a setlist its the exact same songs in the exact same order
April 19, 2023 @ 12:53 pm
“Due to a significant Ticketmaster issue during the on sale that displayed ticket prices incorrectly, caused confusion, and deterred people from purchasing tickets, we have decided to move our show to a later date.”
Yeah. I am not buying that one. Maybe it’s true I don’t know for sure but I doubt it. Sounds like they just weren’t gonna sell enough tickets to turn a profit.
Say what you want about Ticketmaster and the outrageous fees and monopoly but they are generally good at selling tickets. But no harm in blaming Ticketmaster. They will be fine.
April 19, 2023 @ 2:44 pm
I’ll believe Turnpike over Ticketmaster any day of the week. Ticketmaster has a monopoly and they use that to jack up prices. They have this automatic pricing algorithm that changes based on demand. It’s pretty ridiculous and I’ve seen shows where the prices jumped by hundreds of dollars in 15min of the sale opening. Shady shit.
April 19, 2023 @ 12:04 pm
Just release it fellas
April 19, 2023 @ 12:44 pm
I don’t mind a little bit of teasing and the build-up for a single. What I really dislike is bands releasing 4 singles before the damn record comes out. Give me one or two then put the damn thing out already. I find that too many singles always ends up diluting the overall impact of the record.
But bring on the new TT music!!
April 19, 2023 @ 1:23 pm
Agree with everything said above. It seems like they were prepared to secretly drop the Single last week, which is the cool way to do it and something got screwed up. If you are someone who I follow on Facebook with a small following, I appreciate you letting me know you are dropping music so that I know to look for it. If you are Turnpike, just drop it!
I have to assume the DC arena show was due to lower than expected sales. The last thing this band needs to do is cancel/move shows for any reason!
That said, can’t wait to hear new music from them!
April 21, 2023 @ 8:01 am
Since it didn’t get released today, when 90% of new music gets released, I second the diva tag. No new music in 6 years, the Red Rocks ticket disaster, cancelled DC show this week, etc.
Who the hell cares if the thing leaked to some juke boxes the night it was scheduled to be secretly released? If you have something ready to go, just drop it. No need for hype, announcements, etc.
Still can’t wait to hear anything!!
April 20, 2023 @ 6:31 am
In my opinion Turnpike (my fav band) is a regional band and after selling out big venues in their home state may have gotten over their skis a bit booking a venue on the east coast. The fact that they sold 30,000+ tickets in Tulsa but didn’t even sell 4,000 in Jacksonville FL, a city twice the size of Tulsa tells me that their popularity drops off rapidly as they get away from home.
I’d estimate that Jacksonville is more culturally southern than DC. JAX is a huge military city and the city where Zach Bryan recorded his first album DeAnn, the home of Skynyrd, and the Allman Bros. I’d speculate that JAX is going to have more Turnpike fans per capita than DC, so they probably did worse in DC than they did in JAX and they didn’t even fill a 5,500 seat amphitheater in Florida.
April 20, 2023 @ 6:31 pm
They didn’t sell that many in Tulsa. The first show announced was sold out. The second added had tons of seats left. Also the capacity of the venues drops a few thousand once you factor in the stage. I think it ends up being about 11-12k based on the touring data tweets from that venue. Since they didn’t sell out a second night in their home state I’d say the fever is winding down. Lubbock tomorrow also has tons left. And that’s Texas.
April 21, 2023 @ 7:12 am
You can only go on so long filling venues without releasing a new album in 6ish years right?
They sold 11-12k per night x two nights? So total 22-25k for both shows?
Selling 20-25k tickets in Tulsa (pop 1 mil) and 4k tickets in Jacksonville (pop 2 mil) shows how regional their fanbase is.
April 21, 2023 @ 7:51 am
Only legacy acts can survive just playing the hits.
April 20, 2023 @ 9:07 am
Just release the single already.
It has been six years since new music.
April 20, 2023 @ 10:41 am
What does pre-save mean, Trigger?
April 20, 2023 @ 10:50 am
It’s basically pre-ordering in the streaming era. Each streaming service is different, but if you pre-save something, you’ll often get notified when it’s released, or if you have a Release Radar plalist or something, it will appear there. It’s also really important for artists because it notifies streaming services that there is interest in the track, so they may feature it on a landing page or a playlist.
April 20, 2023 @ 11:16 am
OK. I clicked on the link you shared and feature.fm wanted a bunch of access. So I was curious.
April 20, 2023 @ 10:59 am
I had the same questions so I did some digging. I think it’s similar to pre-ordering an album but done through Spotify. It should show the song under the artist page with an option to “pre-save”. Looks like the song will be downloaded and added to your library as soon as it’s available.
April 20, 2023 @ 11:47 pm
Looks like May 5th now.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TurnpikeTroubadours/comments/12sdtrv/another_cat_out_of_the_bag_poking_around_the/
Ridiculous. Squandering momentum.
April 21, 2023 @ 8:41 am
Drama queens.
April 21, 2023 @ 9:21 am
I agree. The way fans are way overreacting to this situation is getting pretty ludicrous.
Oh wait….
April 21, 2023 @ 9:27 am
Cute.
Just thinking of all the talented musicians and bands out there, who would love to have the opportunities this band has had, and wouldn’t piss those opportunities away.
MOST of the bands and musicians would have made better use of these opportunities.
April 21, 2023 @ 5:54 am
Hopefully they sing it tonight in Lubbock! This concert better be legit compared to the rodeo in San Antonio!
April 21, 2023 @ 8:02 am
Since it didn’t get released today, when 90% of new music gets released, I second the diva tag. No new music in 6 years, the Red Rocks ticket disaster, cancelled DC show this week, etc.
Who the hell cares if the thing leaked to some juke boxes the night it was scheduled to be secretly released? If you have something ready to go, just drop it. No need for hype, announcements, etc.
Still can’t wait to hear anything!!
April 21, 2023 @ 9:06 am
It is quite amazing how they are squandering all the momentum from the triumphant return.
My sport teams and favorite bands never make the right decisions.
April 21, 2023 @ 9:30 am
There was a 99% chance “Mean Old Sun” wasn’t getting released today. If it was going to be released this week, the teaser would have said, “Later this week.” They already had one misfire by jiggering the dates back and forth. The single may coincide with the announcement of an album or tour dates, media features, and other stuff. It’s easy for any of us to say “Just drop it,” but it might be harder for them. This is probably the most important and anticipated single drop in years in independent country music, and they want to get it right.
I agree that the band waited too long to start releasing new music again after the hiatus, and it may mean they’ve lost a little of the momentum they had. But I also think it’s dependent on fans to be a little patient, and understand they want to get this right.
April 21, 2023 @ 10:14 am
Patient?
Fans have been waiting nearly six years for new music. We stood through a hiatus, not caused by creative differences or a legitimate health scare, but by Felker’s inability to control his baser instincts. And before the hiatus, the band routinely jerked fans around with the constant cancelations only to be immediately followed by releasing new tour dates.
The fans have been more than patient. We are not Job.
April 21, 2023 @ 1:08 pm
You do realize that downplaying the addiction history of the lead singer, while whining you have to wait to listen to new music from them is a crappy look for you, right?
Like, I get it. It’s frustrating that Turnpike has had the starts and stops it has had, but you can just not…like the band anymore?
This is like whining that your favorite restaurant has crappy service. Yeah, it sucks, but you have two options. You can either whine about it on the internet or you can just go support another restaurant.
I was bummed when Turnpike took a break, but the amazing thing about the modern music industry is that more good music is more available than at any time in consumer history. I moved on. I’ll listen when they release new music, but if they don’t…life goes on.
April 21, 2023 @ 12:28 pm
If the songs are as good as they’ve been in the past, everyone will get hyped again and this cluster will feel like ancient history. BUT it is crystal clear that they are overthinking the rollout of new music.
April 24, 2023 @ 5:00 am
I agree, it’s been a long time since the last new songs.
April 29, 2023 @ 7:03 am
Bitch, bitch, bitch. Man-I don’t have the time, effort or desire to go and complain about things and people that I already don’t like or care about. Apparently, there are others in this country that have nothing else better to do with their time (or their egos) than to complain. Here’s a bit of advice-if you don’t like something/one, then don’t listen to them. Get a job or hobby and enjoy life instead of spending all your time and energy being negative. You will find life is enjoyable.