Addison Lea Thompson: Western Sky
Bozeman. Kalispell. Billings. Missoula. These are the places that Addison Lea Thompson calls home while on the road in Montana spreading country music to the people in the Rocky Mountains. The state of Montana is HUGE. It is the 4th-largest in area but is the 3rd least-densely populated state. Thompson compares the music scene there to Texas because music coming out of Montana is often based on being from that area and having shared experiences, including extended time spent on the road (there is a LOT of space between population centers in Montana) and time spent on a horse, either as a working or rodeo cowboy.
After leaving his home in Monroe, Louisiana, Addison Lea Thompson came to Montana from Utah, where he went to college to study agriculture. While growing up, he had lots of experience around the family’s farm and cattle interests. Now, at 24 years old, Thompson is a full-time touring musician with a new full-length album. It features 10 original tracks that showcase the versatility of big-guitar outlaw country songs balanced with more traditional, slower country songs.
Unapologetically describing himself as “Honky-Tonk Country,” Thompson is excited about the sound of his new record. I talked with him and got his take on the songs and the production of Western Sky.
“Ramblin’ Ways,” Addison described, is based upon the time “a buddy and I used to move around a lot.” After about a year on a job, they would get what they called “the itch” and be ready to get out. One day his friend said, “It feels like the roads out of this county are getting longer, but the county is getting smaller.” Knowing the start of a great song when he heard it, Thompson wrote the song that opens the record.
The sound of a pop-top sets the mood for the up-tempo drinking song, “Drunk & Reckless.” Addison describes it as, “telling the stories of people seen in bars making bad decisions that equal great stories.”
Growing up in north Louisiana around his grandfather who raised cotton, Thompson based the song “Cotton Farmer” on his story and other people he knew from that world and how they were affected by the cotton market crash in the South.
“Single Barrel Hell” is my favorite track on the record. It’s not one of the many upbeat songs, but this tune is written around the dual reference of single barrel whiskey and the barrel of a gun. Addison says, “my happy place writing is dark stuff.” He remembers listening to a lot of sadder music one crummy day, and this is the song that came out.
Thompson admits there are already plenty of “Bible & Bottle” songs, but he wanted to put a new twist on one. He and songwriter, Josh Field, co-wrote “Towards the Light,” which is based on a retired soldier they knew who was going through a tough time. A gospel organ really adds to this standout track.
“Western Sky,” the title song, features many aspects of Montana’s cowboy culture, lifestyle, and the people that Addison have come to know while living there.
Thompson calls “Wild Horses,” “our favorite song to play in the band right now!” He says most of his songs start with lyrics, but the riff came first with this one. The band was just jamming on it when the lyrics suddenly came. He credits his drummer with the Native American drum-beat intro to the song that is now used for his entrance during live shows. This great outlaw country song showcases Addison’s unique growl in his vocals.
“Spanish Moss Dream” is another song combining biographical aspects of Addison’s life, as well as other background features of life in the South. Al Enzian adds a sweet “Dixie” refrain on pedal steel guitar to close the track.
Thompson says, “Custer” was originally a slow song, but has since turned into a rocking number.” The song captures different issues with folks he knows, including the rodeo cowboy with a drug addiction, the artist struggling with the bottle, and people battling depression and losing the will to go on.
Following the theme of a track from his first album, “Fire in the Hole” is about a woman surviving tough times and making things happen on her own terms. Addison wrote this song to close out the record.
Western Sky was recorded in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, and produced by Dillon Taylor at the Dillon’s Garage Studio. Thompson says they made a conscious effort to showcase the versatility of his songs. His first release, the 6-song EP, “Wapiti,” which came out in 2018, focused more on the “western sound” of his songs, but the Outlaw Country side could still be heard. With this new record, the plan was to give a little more focus to the slower and more serious songs, but still have fun with the more up-tempo songs. They really wanted to make a record that was fun to record and fun to listen to, and Addison Lea Thompson sure sounds like he’s having the time of his life in Western Sky.
Western Sky:
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Addison Lea Thompson:
