Thank you to my family and friends for the decades of support and to my mom and dad for always being my biggest fans. You guys rock. A special thanks to my musical partner in crime, Austin Stark, who has been bringing these tunes to the next level since we started playing music together in 2013. Kendell Scott's guitar playing and songwriting contributions elevate this record greatly and did I mention Taylor Steele belts beautiful harmonies the whole time? Nash, you're alright for a bass player - but you're an even better bud. An enormous thanks to you all for bringing this to life.

Thanks to Steve Crosby and Mark Holthaus for lending two of Pana, Illinois' finest ballads and for your performances on each, to Dakota Holden for sharing your pedal steel talents on three tracks, to Mat Kuhlig for your co-write on “Standards and Expectations” and to Darren Burris for your lyrical contributions to “At the Rosebud”. Thanks to Loren Daniels for your keys work on "Sinner's Blues" all the way from the Catskill Mountains of NY. We couldn't do the "Louisiana Blues" without Josh Clark on harmonica. He knocked it out of the park. A special thank you to Andrew Linley for always being down to answer a question or show me how it's done when it comes to recording and mixing. Your guidance is greatly appreciated. Thank you to my brother Andrew Evans for your graphic design for this album and your constant support Lastly, thank you to James Stewart for the wonderful recording space and for helping to get this album across the finish line.

The nine original songs on this record are largely influenced and inspired by my upbringing in rural Central Illinois and the lessons learned, friends made (and lost), and characters encountered over the years. It is a love letter to my hometown, family, friends, and a retrospective look on my 20s and 30s (so far). This album was self-produced by a small army of friends throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the sense of purpose I felt from pouring myself into this record will always serve as a reminder that when life gets hard and the world gets dark, I can always turn to music and to the people I love for meaning, love, and support. I send this album out to you all with hope that you too find meaning in and relate to these songs about love, life, and loss in small town Illinois, that you find positive energy in the music, and that you enjoy the sound we are calling Prairie Rock. Much love, Garrett.

Produced by Garrett Burris in Effingham, IL during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Production Assistance by Andrew Linley
Mastering by Mike Purcell at County Q Studios, Nashville, TN
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