A gritty, country-leaning roots rock band out of Oklahoma, the Turnpike Troubadours at their best synthesize the populist, political folk of Woody Guthrie and the outlaw-styled honky tonk of Waylon Jennings with doses of bluegrass, Cajun and straight-out rock dynamics. Fronted by singer and guitarist Evan Felker and including bassist R.C. Edwards, fiddler Kyle Nix, guitarist Ryan Engelman and drummer Giovanni Carnuccio, the group celebrates and explores modern rural life with a full awareness of history, delicately avoiding being ornate revivalists. A debut album, the self-released Bossier City, appeared in 2007. The follow-up, Diamonds & Gasoline, was produced by veteran songwriter Mike McClure and released in 2010.