Turkeyfoot - Promise of Tomorrow (2020)

Colorado based bluegrass outfit Turkeyfoot have emerged as a fully-fledged musical powerhouse on their debut full-length album Promise of Tomorrow (June 5, 2020). Jordan Brandenburg (Mandolin), Michael Rudolph (Bass), Bridger Dunnagan (Fiddle), Dave Pailet (Guitar/Dobro), and Alex Koukov (Banjo) share momentous instrumental talent, an enthusiasm for collaboration, and some serious songwriting chops. With Promise of Tomorrow, the band has transitioned from a group of friends dipping their toes into playing original material, into an unmistakable unit with a fully defined sound, deep musicianship, and something to say about the human experience.

The five friends began their journey playing around one condenser mic at a weekly bluegrass jam in Denver, and have since toured throughout the West, taking second place at the RockyGrass band competition in 2018, and winning over new audiences around the country. The new album was recorded over four days at Vermillion Studios with engineer Eric Wiggs. They turned to their fans to pay for its production via Kickstarter, offering perks such as a chef’s dinner cooked by banjo player Koukov and fly fishing trips with Brandenburg and Dunnagan. “We got a ton of support from this community. For me it’s been cool to see that your friends are excited about the things that you’re doing,” says Brandenburg.

While Promise of Tomorrow is still a decidedly bluegrass record, with straightforward instrumentals such as “Snaggletooth Stomp” and “Westwater”, other moments harken more to an old country or Americana sound with crying pedal steel. On “Another Painful Lesson Learned”, the band tackles the downfall of a romantic relationship, as Brandenburg sings “we lit the match/the bridge is burned/another painful lesson learned”. “It’s about a realization of values” says Brandenburg, “maybe the things I’ve been moving towards aren’t the things that are really going to allow me to be the person I want to be. We’re all just growing up and figuring it out”.