Some music gets written in a studio. This music got written on the road — in the space between Clarksdale and Memphis and New Orleans, where gospel, blues, and hard truth all learned to sit at the same table.
That’s where Jackson Rail & the Rail City Band live. Our debut single, “The Switchman,” is out now — nine musicians, one sound, and zero interest in polishing away the parts that make it real.
The band isn’t a backing group. It’s a collective, built around whoever the song needs. Tommy Erb on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. Jack Malone on lead guitar. Ray Calloway on bass. Eddie Briggs on drums. Niko Saunders on keys. Cliff Davis on saxophone and harmonica. Wanda Cole and Tammy June on backing vocals. Bobby McClannan on pedal steel. Penny Rhodes on fiddle. Lloyd Burns on trumpet. Steve Ward on percussion.
We made a deliberate choice with “The Switchman” — leave the acoustic imperfections in. No studio tricks to smooth out the grit. When you hear this song, you’re hearing the room, the breath, the years it took to get here.
This is a front-porch reckoning, not background noise. It’s a parade that starts at dawn and doesn’t stop until everyone in town has heard the news.
Listen to “The Switchman” now, and get the full story behind the band, the sound, and what’s coming next at TommyErb.com/music.
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