We’re excited to premiere All That Is And What Ain’t, the brand new album from Philadelphia alt-country trio Bug Martin & Co. The follow up to last year’s Gutterball feels moodier and more reflective of our current times with songs that sound nostalgic and yearning, as Martin explores themes of loneliness, identity, and love. The songs have classic narrative hints of the great Woody Guthrie wrapped up in the twang of Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and range in style from straight-up vintage country and boot-stomping bluegrass to more alternative-country, folkier sounding songs akin to Uncle Tupelo. Whether it’s describing feeling out of place in a coastal urban city like Philadelphia against firm plucks of banjo on “Philly Hillbilly,” the warm harmonies and harmonicas on “Absent Man,” or talking about kicking whiskey for good with some hearty acoustic guitars on “Teetotalerz Waltz,” there’s a lot of good old fashioned country to go around. Oh, and to hammer that Woody Guthrie comparison home, the album’s final track, “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” is crackly, distant-sounding, and straight-up heart-wrenching - it wouldn’t sound out of place at all alongside “Talking Dust Bowl Blues.” If you’re a fan of earnest, compelling storytelling with some serious country flair, then you’ll love this record. 

All That Is And What Ain’t is out now on Pyrrhic Victory Recordings. Stream it in its entirety below and pick up a copy via Bandcamp. Today is Bandcamp Friday, so all proceeds go directly to the artist!