Transatlantica

Bill Kirchen and Austin de Lone team up for a hands-across-the-Atlantic new studio album, Transatlanticana. The long-overdue release unites the pioneers of two major musical movements; Kirchen co-founded the original "Americana" band Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen. De Lone formed Eggs Over Easy, the band that became progenitors of British Pub Rock, the first link in the chain to punk rock, new wave and beyond.

Bill and Austin have been writing together since the 1970s while in The Moonlighters, the band that caught the ear of Nick Lowe who wound up their producer and fast friend, later hiring them to play in his bands. Recorded with top-flight backing bands in the UK and the US, Transatlanticana finds Kirchen and de Lone trading songwriting credits and lead vocals on a collection of tunes from throughout their careers alongside new tunes, including the timely "Hounds of the Bakersfield," a tribute to the late Merle Haggard and the Bakersfield sound. Special guest Butch Hancock (The Flatlanders) sings a duet on his meaty Texas boogie "Oxblood" with Bill while steel guitar virtuoso Bobby Black plays on "Wine, Wine, Wine," revisiting Black and Kirchen's Commander Cody days. De Lone's smooth vocal finesse leads five tracks. Spirited and served up with wit and humor, Transatlanticana is a gem - driven by Kirchen's scorching guitar licks and de Lone's keyboard mastery, it's a ringside seat to these transatlantic sessions by a group of like-minded, top-of-their-game players enjoying each other's musical company.

Cast of characters: Gurf Morlix, Butch Hancock, Rick Richards, David Carroll, Sarah Brown, Louise Kirchen (representing Texas); Bobby Black, Paul Revelli, Michael Godwin, André Moran and Caroline de Lone (representing Calilfornia) and Paul "Bassman" Riley and Malcolm Mills (representing the UK)