Out Friday: Appalachia’s Ben Fugate & The Burning Trash Band Delivers A Retro Sonic Honky-Tonk Gem On Self-titled EP, Available April 12 By sonaBLAST! Records

Fugate hosts series of April record release shows in Louisville, Lexington, Hazard & Harlan, Kentucky

ICYMI: Live TV appearances on WDKY-TV’s Live From Chevy Chase, WLEX-TV’s Best of the Bluegrass, & WAVE Country with Dawn Gee on April 11 

“…a beautifully authentic Kentucky sound that makes your ears just melt.”
– Fox 56, WDKY-TV

“With a voice steeped in the rich tradition of country crooners and a spirit as untamed as the rolling hills of Kentucky, Fugate epitomizes the essence of honky-tonk authenticity.”
— Emily Donohue, Lexington Living Magazine

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 10, 2024) – Ben Fugate & The Burning Trash Band will release their self-titled EP [Pre-save/Pre-add/Stream] on Friday, April 12 by sonaBLAST! Records. The honky-tonk traditionalist and Appalachian singer-songwriter from Hazard, Kentucky delivers an eight song sonic retro country gem which he recorded at Louisville’s La La Land Sound, with house Producer Anne Gauthier (Bonnie Prince Billy, Ray Lamontagne) taking the helm on production.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled about our self-titled EP,” Fugate said. “It’s been a journey through the rich tapestry of country music, from 50s honky tonk to Waylon Jennings vibes.” 

Fugate released “County Fuzz” [Stream/Download] as a single last month, exclusively premiering it on The Country Note. Like all the tracks on the EP, a song with all the hallmarks of a good country song; a story, a steel guitar, a fiddle and Fugate’s signature vocal twang. “County Fuzz” will also become Ben’s creative backdrop for his first ever music video, anticipated for an early summer release.

Fugate was discovered in 2021 by Louisville-based Entrepreneur, Community Organizer, Filmmaker and sonaBLAST! Records founder Gill Holland. Holland, who has played a role in the musical careers of other Kentucky recording artists like Jack Harlow and Ben Sollee, also saw the raw, natural talent in the Appalachian country songwriter and invited him to Louisville’s La La Land Sound to bring his self-written song-tales to pristine audio perfection.

Record release shows planned throughout Kentucky in Louisville, Hazard & Harlan:
Fugate and his band will celebrate the release of the new EP with a series of shows in Kentucky. The first will be on Thursday, April 11, 7 pm ET at The Monarch Music & Arts Community (1318 Bardstown Rd., Louisville), and then on Friday, April 12, 8 pm ET at the VFW Post #7387 (1700 N Main Street, Hazard) in his hometown of Hazard. The following week they’ll perform on April 20 at Harlan County Beer Company (120 E. Central St., Harlan). Admission is Free and open to the public for these events.

“I’m thrilled to host these release shows in my hometown, Harlan and Louisville,” Fugate said. “Both Hazard and Louisville have been pivotal in our success, so it feels only fitting to bring the celebration to where it all began for us!”

Tracklisting & Songwriters
1. “Dream Song #1” (Ben Fugate, Kevin Howard)
2. “Til’ Death Do Us Part” (Ben Fugate)
3. “County Fuzz” (Ben Fugate, Kevin Howard)
4. “Take Your Love” (Ben Fugate)
5. “Lovesick Over You” (Ben Fugate)
6. “Impossible” (Ben Fugate)
7. “Tick’s Blues” (Derek Mullins)
8. “Dream Song #2” (Ben Fugate, Kevin Howard)

Shows + Promotional Appearances:
MAR 09 – Pat’s Snack Bar / Manchester, Ky.
MAR 21 – Live From Chevy Chase appearance (WDKY-TV) / Lexington, Ky.
MAR 30 – Northfork Inn / Hazard, Ky.
MAR 30  – Best of the Bluegrass appearance (WLEX-TV) / Lexington, Ky.
APR 04 – Al’s Bar of Lexington / Lexington, Ky.
APR 11 – WAVE Country with Dawn Gee appearance (WAVE-TV) / Louisville, Ky.
APR 11 – The Monarch Music & Arts Community / Louisville, Ky.
APR 12 – VFW Post #7387 / Hazard, Ky.
APR 20 – Harlan County Beer Company / Harlan, Ky.
** Ben’s most up-to-date show and appearance schedule also available on his BandsInTown

About Ben Fugate:
Ben Fugate is the product of many things: the rural Southeastern Kentucky landscape he calls home, the belting of gospel vocals behind shoddy guitar amplifiers at the Pentecostal church he spent most Sundays, and the hardships that come with being a young adult in a town he loves, which both time and the rest of the world have seemingly passed by. Ben chose the path of music from an early age, donning the famous studded apparel of Elvis Presley and impersonating at his family gatherings as a young boy, playing Lynyrd Skynyrd songs to an amphitheater of his high school peers in talent shows, and forming his first band after graduation, spending all his time in a sweltering garage with his buddies coming up with melodies and singing every John Mellencamp song he knew. The influences Ben draws from, range greatly. From the high twanged vocal acrobatics of The Osborne Brothers, or the heart-tugging slow country warbles of Vern Gosdin. The influence of Joe Diffie, Hank Williams, Keith Whitley, George Jones, Travis Tritt, Bob Seger, Eagles, and Charlie Daniels are all evident in the music that Ben makes. However, he understands that he’s not those influences, but like any great artist, Ben is merely a vessel that channels all the great emotional highs and lows across the vast history of country music and makes them his own. This is before accounting for his equally incredible group, The Burning Trash Band, a band of music vets who always display their tight guitar work and clock-like rhythm section both in shows and in the booth. Ben Fugate and The Burning Trash Band have only been a collective for a few years, and they have been constantly working towards honing their sound, adjusting melodies and delivery, and obsessively messing with tone. What Ben and his band of honky-tonk heroes seek to achieve is none other than their own perfect vision of what country music is to them. And with every show, every record, every practice, every lyric, and every broken guitar string, they come that much closer.

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Watch Ben Fugate on WLEX-TV’s Best of the Bluegrass:

Publicity Photos & Poster Downloads: