Events

In a career spanning over 50 years, dozens of albums, and too many shows to count, Marty Stuart s>ll charts a course through new territory at every chance possible. Joined by his long>me band The Fabulous Superla>ves, the five->me GRAMMY® Award winner, Country Music Hall of Famer, Congress of Country Music Founder and AMA Life>me Achievement Award recipient cruises into another stratosphere with his first-ever full-length instrumental LP, Space Junk. The inimitable interplay between Marty, Kenny Vaughan, Harry S>nson, and Chris Scruggs fuels this cosmic cowboy trip with sun-kissed surf guitar, breezy California rhythms, soul s>rring steel guitar, and fluid fretwork all-around. "We thought the world needed a fresh instrumental album by a preSy good band" laughs Stuart "so we composed twenty instrumentals and took them to the microphones."

Space Junk sounds like country music's preeminent band crash landing on a Malibu beach and performing the most epic jam you've ever witnessed by starlight…

"Instrumentals have always been a part of the Fabulous Superla>ves repertoire, but this is the first completely instrumental album we've done, largely inspired" Stuart says "by two of my favorite bands from six>es, The Ventures and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. They did some dangerously cool instrumental records. We've done bluegrass, gospel, and country records. Our hearts just led us to this one. Space Junk turned us back into kids with our first guitars." Ironically, the cover art of Space Junk is a pain>ng by Stuart's long>me hero and pal, Herb Alpert, who generously consented for use as part of this project.

Stuart's deeper understanding of the instrumental form can actually be traced to the turn of the century. Marty took a year off from touring to focus on composing music for film and television. He notably scored All The PreSy Horses, garnering a Golden Globe® Award nomina>on for "Best Original Score" and earning GRAMMY® Awards in the category of "Best Country Instrumental Performance" for "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Hummingbyrd." The experience proved pivotal.

"Scoring required a cinema>c way of thinking." reveals Marty. "I had to make music for what the scene called for, which turned me into more of a visual player in an understated way. That kind of thinking followed me into the studio during the making of Space Junk. I knew the music had to be preSy, but it also had to say something without losing its drive."

He and The Superla>ves ventured to Hollywood and cut the bulk of what would become Space Junk at the legendary Capitol Recording Studios. The palm trees, sunshine, and energy of the world-famous room most definitely set the mood for the boys to blast off.

"Just walking in, you feel the weight of that room's history," Chris observes. "You can't help but think of The Beach

Boys, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and Buck Owens walking down that ramp. It li^s you up and helps you take flight."

"A place like Capitol makes you want to dress up and perform your best," grins Harry.

"I started listening to rock 'n' roll before The Beatles came out," Kenny chuckles. "There's a mys>que to Capitol; it's s>ll there too."

"The crea>ve atmosphere of California always gives me a feeling that the sky is the limit," Marty muses. "Space

Junk is California music. If you want a specific sound, you go to certain places in the world. For the California sound, it's Capitol. You've got the blue skies, the legacy, the romance, and a lot of friendly ghosts. The atmosphere makes you do a liSle beSer."

"California Part 1 (Bobbie Gentry Please Call Home)" channels this spirit. Captured live at Capitol, Marty played Clarence White's famous Fender Telecaster guitar on this song. The dusty beat holds down a steady groove as a lyrical lead swoons and swerves towards an upbeat crescendo accented by pinch harmonics.

"It winks at me, because it's purely California," Marty goes on. "I close my eyes and see a Western sunset. Clarence played really so^ly. There was a magic bell tone to what he did. I finally found that tone on his guitar on this song."

A drama>c drumroll gives way to ethereal guitar transmissions on "The Ballad of the Lonely Surfer." Organic percussion quakes beneath delicately strummed chords. "I had a vague idea of the melody for a ballad," recalls Kenny. "It fell right into place once I took it to the band."

"Wai>ng on Sundown" alternates between tender low-string twang and echoes of sustained notes awash in waves of reverb. "The song is clearly under the spell of my romance with the Golden State," Marty confesses. "It's a reflec>on of the music, rhinestone fashion of Lankershim Boulevard, cars, the TV and movie heroes. In reality, it's a love affair with the en>rety of the landscape of California custom culture."

The finale "Waltz of the Waves" revolves around a steel symphony performed with panache and poise by Chris. "Back in the day, the steel players were stars," Chris adds. "I wanted to do a song with that voice. There are elements of exo>ca and Hawaiian music too, which is dear to me. You can say a lot without words and just music."

"To me, 'Waltz of the Waves' is the moment you get in the rowboat, let the sun go down, and float off into the sunset," Marty con>nues. "It was the perfect way to close the novel."

The guys recorded just a handful of tracks in Nashville. Among those, "Graveyard" hinges on a quintessen>al surf guitar riff ushered forward by a dynamic beat and fast tremolo. "We recorded at the House of Blues studio," Marty remembers. "Right behind it, there's a big graveyard where people like George Jones, Tammy WyneSe, Marty Robbins and Porter Wagoner are buried. The >tle worked."

Then, there's "Space Junk." Steel drums thump, galac>c chimes wail, and the guitar prac>cally sings. It immediately evokes a big screen-worthy vigneSe topped off by a sample of the Sputnik signal. Kenny elaborates, "Sonically, it's like you're sidng in the window seat of a spacecra^ and you're seeing all of this stuff just dri^ on by."

Over twenty years together and unparalleled musicianship enabled Marty and The Superla>ves to reach such impressive heights. O^en cited among the scene's most elite players, the musicians leaned into their chemistry, conversing at a subconscious level a^er all of this >me. "Each band member is a lifer, and we've all got a liSle bit of the frontman gene," Chris reveals. "A connec>on to music is part of who we are."

"Also, none of us has ever had a job other than music," laughs Kenny.

"Harry and I made records in the nine>es," Marty remarks. "I saw Kenny for the first >me at Aus>n City Limits with Lucinda Williams, and I knew he could do it all. The three of us have known Chris since he was a liSle guy, and there's no end to his musical chain. These guys are all producers. When we get together, it's a masterclass in music and fun. A^er our very first rehearsal, I remember saying, 'This isn't your ordinary band. We're called at a deeper level'. It's about standing and living for something, playing good music, and trying to make a difference."

Marty's light has only goSen brighter over the years. He has le^ an indelible mark on successive eras of country music and culture. He went from accompanying Lester FlaS and Johnny Cash to launching a storied solo career highlighted by classic albums such as the Gold-cer>fied Hillbilly Rock and Pla>num-cer>fied This One's Gonna Hurt You as well as GRAMMY® Award-winning anthems, including "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" [with Travis TriS] and "Same Old Train." Recently, 2023's Al>tude incited widespread cri>cal applause. Of the laSer, Associated Press applauded how, "Guitarist Kenny Vaughan, drummer Harry S>nson and bassist Chris Scruggs match Stuart's guitar virtuosity, with thrilling results," and American Songwriter aSested, "Al>tude finds Stuart pudng his own stamp on a tradi>onal vein of country." NPR put it best, "For millions, Marty Stuart is the very image of country music— splendid jackets, musical mastery and his respect for country's tradi>ons and a good jolt of humor." You'd be hard pressed to find a corner of country music he hasn't impacted though. Speaking to his influence, he hosted longrunning fan favorite television series The Marty Stuart Show and notably remains a member of the Country Music Founda>on and Grand Ole Opry. Moreover, the Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him during 2020. He also curated and launched Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music in Philadelphia, MS, preserving and celebra>ng the genre and its history.

Ul>mately, Space Junk is another natural step for Marty and a worthy addi>on to his essen>al catalog.

"I hope Space Junk takes the listeners for a ride," he leaves off. "It makes me forget my problems and remember why I play guitar and get to dress up in cowboy clothes. It reminds me I'm okay, and I want it to do the same for you. Mainly, I want to inspire some kid to go to the store, buy an instrument, and make a difference. This concept was passed down to us from the old heroes. If we can serve the same role, mission accomplished."

BOILER

In a career spanning over 50 years, dozens of albums, and too many shows to count, Marty Stuart s>ll charts a course through new territory at every chance possible. The five->me GRAMMY® Award winner, Congress of

Country Music Founder, Country Music Hall of Famer, and AMA Life>me Achievement Award recipient has le^ an indelible mark on successive eras of country music and culture. He went from accompanying Lester FlaS and Johnny Cash to launching a storied solo career highlighted by classic albums such as the Gold-cer>fied Hillbilly Rock and Pla>num-cer>fied This One's Gonna Hurt You as well as GRAMMY® Award-winning anthems, including "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" [with Travis TriS] and "Same Old Train." Immersing himself in the world of film and television, he notably scored All The PreSy Horses, garnering a Golden Globe® Award nomina>on for "Best Original

Score" and earning GRAMMY® Awards in the category of "Best Country Instrumental Performance" for "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Hummingbyrd." Recently, 2023's Al>tude incited widespread cri>cal applause. Of the laSer, Associated Press applauded how, "Guitarist Kenny Vaughan, drummer Harry S>nson and bassist Chris Scruggs match Stuart's guitar virtuosity, with thrilling results," and American Songwriter aSested, "Al>tude finds Stuart pudng his own stamp on a tradi>onal vein of country." NPR put it best, "For millions, Marty Stuart is the very image of country music—splendid jackets, musical mastery and his respect for country's tradi>ons and a good jolt of humor." You'd be hard pressed to find a corner of country music he hasn't impacted though. Speaking to his influence, he hosted the long-running fan favorite television series The Marty Stuart Show and notably remains a member of the Country Music Founda>on and Grand Ole Opry. Moreover, the Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him during 2020. He also curated and launched Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music in Philadelphia, MS, preserving and celebra>ng the genre and its history. Joined by his long>me band The Fabulous Superla>ves, he cruises into another stratosphere with his first-ever full-length double LP of original instrumentals en>tled, Space Junk. The cover art of Space Junk is a pain>ng by Stuart's long>me hero and pal, Herb Alpert, leader of the Tijuana Bass, a group Stuart considers to be one of the greatest instrumental bands of all >me. The inimitable interplay between Marty, Kenny Vaughan, Harry S>nson, and Chris Scruggs fuels this cosmic cowboy trip with sun-kissed surf guitar, breezy California rhythms, soul s>rring steel, and fluid fretwork all-around. Space Junk sounds like country music's preeminent band crash landing on a Malibu beach and performing the most epic jam you've ever witnessed by starlight…