Lucy Fitzgerald 
Hey folks, got a good one for you today. West Tennessee guitarist Elam McKnight and Nashville harmonica player Bob Bogdal have teamed back up, and the result is a single called “The Rural Wasteland”. These two go way back. They met around 2008, cut a well-loved record together in 2011 at Switchyard Studio in Nashville with producer Tom Hambridge, and after some time apart, they’re now working under the name Zombie Nation on a full-length called The Rural Wasteland: Postcards from a Zombie Nation, due out this October. Drums kick off the tune, and it lands in a bright, country-leaning pocket. Shuffling percussion, a walking bassline, tinkling piano, and Bob’s playful harmonica all sit under Elam’s warm, easy vocal delivery, with sharp little guitar flourishes scattered around for good measure. The subject matter is heavy, digging into the economic pressures squeezing America’s farming communities and the everyday people caught in the middle, yet the arrangement is upbeat and downright fun. That contrast between serious lyrics and a joyful groove ends up being the best part of the whole track, and Bob’s harmonica work deserves a special shoutout for how tastefully it’s used. Never too much, always adding color exactly where the song needs it.
Personally, this is one of the more enjoyable roots tracks I’ve come across this year, and it’s great to hear a band tackle something this real without losing an ounce of the fun in the process. Elam’s roots go deep. He grew up in West Tennessee soaking up blues, country, rockabilly, and Memphis soul, and that whole musical upbringing comes through here. Bob, despite being a Syracuse native, has spent over two decades in Nashville building a reputation as one of the city’s most versatile roots players, and his sense of restraint really shows on this recording. Together they’ve turned a tough topic into something that feels celebratory rather than gloomy, and that balance is no small feat to pull off.
Do yourself a favor and give “The Rural Wasteland” a spin, then follow Elam McKnight and Bob Bogdal on their socials and streaming platforms so you don’t miss what’s coming next. A new single called “Red Sarong” is out September 1, with the full Postcards from a Zombie Nation album landing in October. Add this track to your playlists now, keep an eye out for their upcoming Deep Blues Festival appearance in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and stay tuned because these two clearly have a lot more headed our way in the months ahead.
Listening to songs so you don’t have to! Just kidding :D, you totally should. Music blogger by day, nurse by night
