Wales-based roots rock ensemble Ken Woods and the Old Blue Gang came with a bang and “Ride the Rails,” a debut single that has both a validations sonically as well as sincerely somber historically. The track is inspired by the actual events of September 24, 1893, in which the entire Chinese settlement was violently evicted from its territory of La Grande, Oregon and the track is a re-enactment of this dark chapter with the fire and fury and without any flinching detail.
The song only begins with the heart wrenching chime of a train bell, and the blowing of a piercing whistle, instantly titling it cinematic. From there, it’s off into an endless train-beat rhythm that propels the song as a locomotive rips through dust and the passage of time. The bass beats like iron on steel surrounding the old La Grande station by ticktack guitars chirping like desert winds.
Whether sonically or audibly, the track combines Bakersfield style country, psychobilly energy and roots rock aggression, creating a soundscape, that feels old yet urgent. Dozens of guitar tracks generate layers of tension, which culminate in literally two scorching solos that sound more like howls from history than performances. Even underneath all of this there’s even a baroque-pop shimmer, neo-soul smoothness—a pleasing, unexpected merger.
Ken Woods’ vocal delivered is magnetic gravelly, raw and soulful. His voice is as aging storyteller testifying to chaos, cruelty and endurance. With music galloping ahead he anchors, and with a gritty preppy grace.
“Ride the Rails” is, of course, more than a song—it’s a reckoning. With the help of some inspired musicianship and fearless story-telling, Ken Woods from the Old Blue Gang drive a sonic gut-punch in service of truth, and make themselves heard.
