Tyler Childers And The Food Stamps To Release New Three-Part Album

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Tyler Childers and The Food Stamps. Pictured (L-R): Jesse Wells, James Barker, Tyler Childers, Chase Lewis, Craig Burletic, Rod Elkins. Photo: Emma Delevante

Tyler Childers and his longtime band, The Food Stamps, are gearing up for the release of their new album, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? on Sept. 30 on Hickman Holler Records/RCA Records. In advance of the release, two versions of “Angel Band” are out now.

Conceptualized as a three-part project, the album’s eight songs are presented in a trio of sonic perspectives in Hallelujah, Jubilee and Joyful Noise. The collection features a mix of new and traditional songs, with the Hallelujah version capturing Childers and the core band playing live in a single room over the course of two days, while the Jubilee version builds with the addition of strings, horns, background vocals and an array of instruments such as dulcimer, mbira and sitar. The Joyful Noise version will be unveiled on release day.

“I grew up Baptist and I was scared to death to go to hell,” Childers says of the new album. “A lot of that stuck with me. Filtering through that and trying to find the truth, and the beauty, and the things you should think about and expelling all that nonsense has been something I’ve spent a lot of time on. This is a collection that came together through those reflections. In a lot of ways, this is processing life experiences in the different philosophies and religions that have formed me, trying to make a comprehensive sonic example of that.

“Working with the same song three different ways is a nod to my raising, growing up in a church that believes in the Holy Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and what that means,” he continues. “The Father being the root, the place from which everything comes from, and The Son coming to free up some of those things, allowing it to be more open and welcoming. And then you have the Holy Ghost once The Son is gone—that feeling that’s supposed to keep us sustained until we are reunited, in whatever way that looks. Message wise, I hope that people take that it doesn’t matter race, creed, religion and all of that like—the most important part is to protect your heart, cultivate that and make that something useful for the world.”

The new album is the first new music from Childers since 2020’s Grammy-nominated surprise release, Long Violent History.

Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? Track List:
Hallelujah:
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin’Jubilee:
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin’

Joyful Noise:
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin

Lorie Hollabaugh
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