Evan Felker Talking Songwriting With Bruce Robison Is A Must-Watch

I think I’m pretty content to say that if you don’t like Turnpike Troubadours, you don’t country music. And while I’m not one to generally deal in absolutes, I think most fans with any knowledge of the band would agree.

Turnpike has been on hiatus for that past year and half, which of course hurts every day, but thankfully Evan is now sober and thinking about writing again.

And until that time comes, if it ever does, I’ll continue to dig into the endless vault of music, interviews, live performances and behind the scenes content that the internet has to offer.

Prior to the band’s hiatus, Evan recorded a song with Carrie Rodriguez called “Whiskey In Your Water”  for Bruce Robison’s The Next Waltz Volume 2 compilation album. It’s the only song Evan released since the hiatus began. However a few years prior to that, Turnpike recorded another song for an earlier Bruce Robison project, The Next Waltz Volume 1. 

It was titled “Come As You Are” and I still think it’s one of their most underrated songs.

In this old video Bruce and the band talk songwriting, embracing the uphill climb, the early days of Turnpike, building fans and more. And in those early days, you had to know some Merle Haggard as fiddle player Kyle Nix recalls:

“One time a guy told me he was gonna whoop my ass if I didn’t play Merle Haggard at a place one time… it almost happened because we went to songs without playing it.”

The video also features some behind the scenes footage of “Come As You Are,” along with an intimate conversation between Bruce and Evan about making music.

It’s an absolute must watch for any Turnpike fan.

“Come As You Are”

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