Tobacco Road is a rock-blues group that came together in their college years at the University of North Carolina and finalized in Nashville, bringing us to the present-day group consisting of Annabelle Dwyer (Lead Vocals), Briggs Mcelwee (guitarist/vocals), Hayden Robert (guitarist /vocals), TJ Fink (bassist/vocals), and Madi Schoninger (drummer). A few months before making their debut in Milwaukee and at Summerfest, they released a track called “Back On My Groove,” which has this fun rockabilly groove that truly showcases the diverse and unique sound this group expresses. Annabelle notes that their music continues to progress and change over time, especially since they each draw from different inspirations. She feels that she connects and brings the pop side, Hayden digs the soulful sounds, Briggs has the singer-songwriter vibes, and then Madi and TJ are on the Indie side of things. I think that it is super important to have all the different energies in a band because somehow you’re all going to come together and make this one cohesive beautiful sound. 

I have lately found a lot of joy in asking artists the following question: What is your favorite, least favorite, and most underrated track out of all your discography? Tobacco Road did mention a few leaks, so be warned:

Annabelle: 

• Favorite – “Too Far Gone” (Release date TBA)
• Least – “Altitude Sickness”
• Underrated – “Floating”

Briggs:

• Favorite – “Second Thoughts”
• Least – “Altitude Sickness”
• Underrated – “Back On My Groove”

Hayden:

• Favorite – “Back On My Groove”
• Least – “Altitude Sickness”
• Underrated – “Second Thoughts”

TJ:

• Favorite – “Falling” or “Don’t Go Thinking” (Not Out YET)
• Least – “Altitude Sickness”
• Underrated – “Floating”

Madi:

• Favorite – “Baby Goodbye” (JUST RELEASED GO STREAM)
• Least – “All In Time”
• Underrated – “Moving On”

What are your thoughts? I love getting to ask this question because every answer always starts with comparing to how much they enjoy playing it live. I don’t think any of them actually dislike the track “Altitude Sickness,” but the feelings that stem from the real performance, and often sometimes the song is the one that is always played. I get it; I have personal favorites by bands that I think are criminal when they don’t include it in their setlist. I just saw Death Cab for Cutie for the first time, and they have been a longtime bucket list artist, but to my dismay, I did not get to hear “Transatlanticism,” but I get it. The tour was to promote their newest album, and a lot of their tracks in the encore were live debuts, which is a cool aspect because it means we are the first to hear that song in a live setting versus the recorded album. Going from there, artists continue to release music on a semi-regular schedule, and sometimes the oldest song sticks with the audience more than they anticipated, and sometimes they need to be retired from the shows. This does not mean that the band hates the song, but as Annabelle mentioned in the interview, their music continues to progress as they grow, and they want to continue to be able to share that with their fans. 

Even with being a much newer band on the horizon, they have found their connection as a band, and I am so excited to see where they go from here. Their first EP was a collection of songs already written and made their project in recording, but their next project shows extensive growth in how they have worked together. They leaked several songs in the listing that have not been released to the public yet, so that just means we have some cool new tunes that will be dropped eventually. However, Madi’s favorite has been available on streaming platforms, so go give “Baby Goodbye” a listen or several dozen. 

Tobacco Road will be making a return to the state of Wisconsin at the end of July for the Mile of Music Festival in Appleton. It’s a super cool event that is basically what it’s named – a mile stretch of various businesses with stages of variety for the general public to check out. The venues include bars, hotel business rooms, and outside parks, and it’s free to the public to attend for the music, but please make sure to treat the businesses with the utmost respect for their space. I have trekked up North a couple times to check out the fun, and I highly recommend you check it out if you have the time. They bring artists from all over and all genres; there is sure to be something for everyone.