Midwest Soul Xchange offer solid roots rock on ‘New American Century’ LP

February 1st, 2016

Brian Leak

Wisconsin duo Midwest Soul Xchange, comprised of members Nate Cherrier and Ryan Summers (who’ve known each other for 20 years), recently released an 11-track full-length titled New American Century, which is essentially the Heartland in audio format—everything you might expect the band’s moniker to represent.

Speaking on the album in a recent interview with Vents Magazine, Nate Cherrier says, “In a way, it’s like a road trip through the heart of the American Dream, or at least the state of affairs the nation has found itself in since the turn of the century.” Touching on influences that may have had an effect on the album’s themes in lyricism, bandmate Ryan Summers adds, “I get a lot of inspiration from books and other works of art. The song ‘Roots’ is based on a painting my wife made. The song ‘Revolt Of The Guards’ is based entirely on Howard Zinn’s book ‘A People’s History Of The United States.’ The title is actually taken from one of the later chapters in that book.”

Below, you can listen through a few select tracks from New American Century to get a feel for what the release has to offer. The effort can be purchased on CD and vinyl through the band’s webstore.