Highway junkie: A conversation with Andy Thomas
Guitarist Andy Thomas will appear with Yarn in Asheville Dec. 16.
File photo
There’s a heaviness when you listen to Andy Thomas’ latest album, “Highway Junkie.” Not only from the swamp rock meets honkytonk melodies, but also the underlying tone and hard truths of this whirlwind journey of a singer-songwriter pushing into the next phase of his promising career.
“It’s crazy when you set everything aside and put your mind to something,” Thomas said. “I’m a hard worker, and this album is a product of that.”
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Thomas has worked his way up the ranks as an electrifying guitarist up and down the East Coast, whether it’s fronting his own wild-n-out project The Trongone Band or being the six-string rocket fuel for the melodic muscle car that is acclaimed Americana act Yarn.
“I’ve known for a long time that I was wired for this life,” Thomas said of being a musician and performer. “[The road and the stage] feels like home for me. I love playing, traveling, and getting the inspiration to write — it’s where I feel most at peace.”
Produced by fellow Richmond native and longtime friend Dave Schools, the legendary bassist for Widespread Panic, and captured at the renowned Spacebomb Studios, “Highway Junkie” connects the dots of Thomas’ troubled past and hard-fought strength of self in the present.
“Well I’ve been trying to outrun the shadow of my father/Every damn day I get a little bit farther,” Thomas roars through the title-track. “I can’t sit around and wait to die/The good lord knows that ain’t my time.”
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The 12-song LP is the culmination of years of trials and tribulations, of triumphs and the continued resolve to harness one’s potential. But, more so, in the game of life for Thomas, whose sobriety in recent years has become a deep source of stability and motivation — this unrelenting quest to seek out long-held dreams once thought to be beyond the horizon of one’s intent.
“I’m still navigating [sobriety] every day, but once I got into the thick of it, after a few months, I was able to find new things to replace ‘all that,’” Thomas said candidly and happily. “I was able to refine my love for music, and why I did it. I’ve got a story. I know I have a purpose on this earth, and I need that to translate into my music — if I can beat this, I can do anything.”
Thomas is now based in South Florida. Leaving the Mid-Atlantic for “The Sunshine State” was one of survival, both personally and professionally. Beyond wanting a change of landscape and fresh slate by which to manifest a new life, Thomas was looking to dig deep within, to get down to the core of his music — the essence of why he’s dedicated his life to this ancient craft.
“I just got in this lane where I was writing songs every day after dinner, for two hours at least,” Thomas said of “Highway Junkie.” “And I just did that until I had this bucket of songs — that’s when I called Dave.”
Thomas remembers the day he contacted Schools. It had been a while since the two had talked, but Thomas knew Schools was “the guy” that needed to be behind the console of “Highway Junkie.” Back in 2020, the duo worked together on an EP for The Trongone Band. But, with the pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of the music industry, everything unraveled.
“[The Trongone Band] imploded and we never did anything with [the EP],” Thomas said. “So, I felt like [Dave and I] had this unfinished business that we needed to do, because we had such a great time doing that small project. I had to circle back and do this with Uncle Dave.”
When not onstage or on tour, Thomas is a longtime construction worker in South Florida. Pulling into a Home Depot parking lot one day to grab some supplies for a renovation job, Thomas paused for a moment, sat in his work truck, and decided to call Schools.
“I was parked in the fire lane, ready to drive my truck up to the front door [to pick up my supplies],” Thomas chuckles. “I just called him and said, ‘Let’s make a record.’ He was immediately onboard. Then, I sent him all my songs and flew up to Richmond [to record].”
For “Nothing I Wouldn’t Do (For You),” Thomas tapped Southern Appalachian songbird Dori Freeman (on the suggestion of Schools) to take the duet reins on the western-style two-step ballad. The soaring number is a poignant ode to Thomas’ significant other, with the melody initially given as a Christmas gift to her — this meaningful gesture of genuine love and honest purpose.
“You make this life worth livin’/You gave it all a meaning,” Thomas and Freeman seamlessly intertwine on the tune. “And if there was another day without you/You know my heart it would be bleeding”
“I knew that song had to be on the record, but we had to find the right person to do it,” Thomas said. “And [Dori] crushed it beyond my expectations.”
With “Highway Junkie” soon to be released, Thomas is already headlong into planning out an upcoming tour in support of the record. The wheels are turning — either along the endless pavement of the open road or within the restless mind of Thomas himself — amid this unfolding landscape of creativity and compassion he’s living and thriving in, constantly fueled by his own unrelenting drive to see just what lies ahead for his music and for his life.
“You just need to count the wins and be grateful,” Thomas said. “And this album is a token of gratitude — this is why I’m doing everything I’m doing.”
Want to go?
Featuring guitarist Andy Thomas, Americana/rock sensation Yarn will host its “Christmas Yarn Ball” at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at The Grey Eagle in Asheville.
Doors at 7 p.m. The show is all ages. Standing room only. Tickets are $24.60 per person (tax included).
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit thegreyeagle.com.
