The band from Mobile, Alabama has gotten where they are today without any help from the radio… so they feel comfortable saying that the medium doesn’t hold the weight that it once did.
The Red Clay Strays – consisting of Drew Nix (electric guitar, vocals, harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), John Hall (drums), Sevans Henderson (keys), and frontman Brandon Coleman – has gone from up and coming to house hold name in just a couple of years.
Their first two albums, Moment of Truth (2022) and Made by These Moments (2024), acted as stellar introductions into the world of music. Now that they are established and here to stay, there’s growing excitement and anticipation for their third album, Grateful, which is set to drop on June 5.
They’ve obviously gotten a lot of attention in the country music space as of late, but funny enough, they don’t consider themselves a country band. Last year they took home the “Vocal Group of the Year” at the CMAs, and this year, they were awarded “Group of the Year” at the ACMs. So even though they don’t see themselves as a country group… they are being awarded as one.
Coleman told Billboard that he and the band doesn’t really care what genre people think of them as… and threw out there that they see themselves as more so a rock and roll group:
“(How we’re classified) doesn’t matter. I’ve always just said ‘rock’n’roll,’ because we don’t have any fiddles or anything like that. We’re just three electric guitars, bass, drums and piano. We’re definitely country boys with Southern heritage, but I just never really thought of ourselves as a country music band.”
Red Clay Strays bassist, Andrew Bishop, seconded that by revealing that their upcoming album – Grateful – will apparently step even farther away from the “country sound” that people associate with the band now. However, he admitted that they plan on staying country-adjacent, at the very least:
“This new record is another step away from the country sound, but we always keep a toe in that country world.”
And regardless of if they are a country band or a rock band, the Red Clay Strays haven’t really benefited from the radio with either genre. If you’ve ever tuned into the radio (and not a ton of people do anymore), chances are you’ve never heard RCS played over the radio waves.
The group’s mega hit – “Wondering Why” was only on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for one week back in 2024. That’s their only entry on the chart… ever. Does that bother the Red Clay Strays at all? Nope. They are too busy selling out arenas, and Bishop says that they never had set out to have radio success:
“It’s never been a goal of ours to make a radio song. Look how far we have gotten with no radio play. We got a CMA (Award) with three country radio stations playing us, and one of them is our local radio station. People are bending over backward for radio, and especially in the day of social media, I don’t think you have to have it. Honestly, I think radio is dead.”
Frontman Brandon Coleman walked that quote from his bassist back a bit, and clarified that they would happily take some more love from the radio. That being said, that’s not going to happen because they change up what they are doing to better fit into the current radio model:
“We’re certainly not going to change to try to get on the radio, but if the radio decides to start playing what we’re doing already, then we’ll take it.”
At the end of the day, the Red Clay Strays don’t need the radio anyway. Like I said earlier, they are packing pretty much every venue they play. And if you want to get out and see the Red Clay Strays this year, scan the tour dates below to see if the Mobile, Alabama band is coming to a town near you.
Grateful Tour Dates
July 30 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
August 1 – Boston, MA – TD Garden with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
August 5 – Laval, CA – Place Bell with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
August 7 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann with The Revivalist & Brent Cobb
August 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden with The Revivalist & Brent Cobb
August 16 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
August 18 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
August 19 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Event Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
August 21 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse with Sweet Talk
August 22 – Missoula, MT – Adams Ceter with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
August 26 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
August 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
August 29 – Portland, OR – Moda Center with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
August 30 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
September 2 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 4 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Amphitheater at Caesars Republic with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 11 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 12 – Ontario, CA – Toyota Arena with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 16 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 17 – Phoenix, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 20 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center with Muscadine Bloodline & Sweet Talk
September 30 – Toronto, CA – RBC Amphitheater – with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 1 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 3 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 7 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena with Shane Smith & the Saints & Brent Cobb
October 14 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 15 – Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 17 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 18 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 22 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena with Brent Cobb & Sierra Ferrell
October 23 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena with Brent Cobb & Sierra Ferrell
October 28 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center with Wyatt Flores & Brent Cobb
October 31 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC with Shane Smith & the Saints & Brent Cobb
November 5 – Baton Rouge, LA – Raising Cane’s River Center with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb
November 6 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb
November 8 – Jonesboro, AR – First National Bank Arena with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb
November 13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena with Travis Tritt & Brent Cobb
