Going Back to the Well
John Surge and the Haymakers Return to Texas After Album Reaches No. 32 on AMA Chart
In September 2023, John Surge and the Haymakers released the breakout album Almost Time that received critical acclaim and reached No. 32 on the Americana Music Association radio chart.
Surge is well-known in the LA country music community for his band’s blistering live shows and his work producing concerts featuring local musicians. Almost Time brought more nationwide attention to this critically acclaimed songwriter.
A year later comes the release of Maybe You Don’t Know Me, again on Blackbird Record Label. This time it's a 5-song EP that continues Surge and company’s blending of high octane alt-country with gentler country-folk moments. The single "You Don't Know Me" was added to SiriusXM Outlaw Country and garnered regular rotation.
With the new recording, Surge re-connected with highly regarded Texas producer Tommy Detamore, known for records with Doug Sahm, Jim Lauderdale, Sunny Sweeney and Jesse Daniel. The songs included are ones that didn’t lend themselves to Almost Time but are staples of the band’s live set.
Not only did Surge go back to the well with Detamore, he enlisted most of the same players from the full-length, including his right hand Haymaker guitarist Randy Volin, plus Brennen Leigh on harmony vocals, Brad Fordham (Dave Alvin/Hayes Carll) on bass, Tom Lewis (Junior Brown/Raul Malo) on drums and Floyd Domino (Asleep at the Wheel, Merle Haggard) on keyboards.
“Maybe You Don’t Know Me is five shots, some straight up and some on the rocks,” says Surge. “These five songs represent a real cross section of the music we make.”
"You Don't Know Me" Single Added to
Sirius XM Outlaw Country
“Real country sh*t. Country as a stick!” - Sunny Sweeney
High energy California Country - John Surge & the Haymakers weave together classic country, rock ’n’ roll, blues and folk styles into a spirited feel good blend, a great fit for any venue from main stage to bar room, listening room to coffee house.
Critical Acclaim for the Music:
“I enjoyed ‘Almost Time’, but I get the feeling that with ‘Maybe You Don’t Know Me’ we’ve not only found the real John Surge, but he’s possibly found himself as a recording artist.” - Red Guitar Music
“John Surge is a veteran of the Los Angeles country scene, and he and his band are fluent in the gleaming, dance-floor-friendly brand of California twang-pop made famous by Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam, among others. To make their new album, however, they traveled to Floresville, Texas and worked with a gang of heavy hitters (Brennen Leigh, Floyd Domino) to make an album that seems to jump out of the speakers and into your ears. Surge is a master of melodic country, and Almost Time is like a full dish of ear candy.” - Ben Salmon, Bandcamp, The Best Country Music on Bandcamp
“Surge has made an album that fits like a pair of well worn jeans and feels the right side of retro country but also has an eye to the future and perfects his own personal vision of the music that came from the likes of the Palomino Club in its heyday in L.A. Seems like it’s almost time to listen again and make some hay in its audio sunshine. - Stephen Rapid, Lonesome Highway
“We’ve already been given a tempting taste of what’s in store for us with the music video for “Big Train,” an irresistibly twangy cut eminently suitable for toe-tapping, boot-scooting and/or plain old blissful listening.” - Cowboys & Indians Magazine
"With exuberance and enthusiasm, Surge and company come across as the ultimate roots rock combo. Hooks, harmonies, joy and jangle are imbued in each entry, resulting in songs that ring with the honesty and independence culled from California West Coast tradition.” - Goldmine
"The hooks evoke Tom Petty in places, while others may echo Dwight Yoakam. While the album mostly rocks and bounces, Surge proves capable of ballad singing on the lush closer 'Long Enough’" - Country Standard Time
“'On Your Wonderful Life,' John Surge blends heady old-school country twang and modern country-rock relishes into delectable sonic concoctions full of infectious washes of color, crowned by polished vocals." - Randall Radic
The New EP "Maybe You Don't Know Me"
The third John Surge and the Haymakers release is a 5-song EP
Featuring songs recorded in Floresville, Texas with famed producer Tommy Detamore (Doug Sahm, Jim Lauderdale, Sunny Sweeney, Jesse Daniel) and a host of notable players including right hand Haymaker guitarist Randy Volin, plus Brennen Leigh on harmony vocals, Brad Fordham (Dave Alvin/Hayes Carll) on bass, Tom Lewis (Junior Brown/Raul Malo) on drums and Floyd Domino (Asleep at the Wheel, Merle Haggard) on keyboards.
