Bobbo

This is kinda weird but Amazon still has 9 copies of Too Many Miles for sale and they are a few bucks cheaper if you buy it through them - if you're looking for a deal on my book. Sure, I make less dough but it says it's available internationally too. I cannot confirm or deny that.

Too Many Miles: On the Road with an Unofficial Rock & Roll Goodwill Ambassador Take a seat in the passenger-side of the van, feel the hum of highway, and join Bobbo Byrnes on a globe-trotting, laugh-out-loud, sometimes heartbreaking ride through the underbelly and glory of rock & roll. Too Many Miles: On the Road with an Unofficial Rock & Roll Goodwill Ambassador is not jus...

Thank you Radio Castor Bazil!

https://www.radiocastor.com/index.php/titre-du-jour-la-melancolie-voyageuse-et-lauthenticite-brute-de-bobbo-byrnes-avec-too-many-miles/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSg-DZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFYNEkxZmVReGlLSW5UVlhtc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkVAxnDx_I2NyWlkDVZxwZpyuev8HW2-y2lFJe0AzxnQTlkfOkfkGsyAFUte_aem_b3fPnjDYQy3I4HGNqVV_oQ

Today's review comes from France!

https://www.radiocastor.com/index.php/titre-du-jour-la-melancolie-voyageuse-et-lauthenticite-brute-de-bobbo-byrnes-avec-too-many-miles/

Google Translation:

"American singer-songwriter and globetrotter Bobbo Byrnes delivers a disarmingly sincere musical snapshot with the release of his introspective single, “Too Many Miles”, released on February 1, 2026.

A tireless troubadour forged by the road, Bobbo Byrnes hadn't planned a solo career. After years spent touring clubs with various bands, it was an offer from a German label in 2016 that opened this new chapter in his life as an artist. Boasting an impressive discography of eight band albums and twelve solo records spanning a quarter of a century, this seasoned musician has toured most of the United States and no fewer than 15 countries. "Too Many Miles" serves as the essential musical companion to his literary memoir, titled Too Many Miles: On the Road with a Rock & Roll Goodwill Ambassador . While the book recounts the anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories of this nomadic existence, the song beautifully captures its soul and underlying feeling.

Flourishing with remarkable economy of means within a pure Americana aesthetic, "Too Many Miles" immediately establishes a particularly somber, nocturnal, and haunting mood. Far removed from chart-topping or Top 40-friendly structures, the track was composed in the midst of a tour, born from an exhausting geographical mix-up between two towns named Decatur and the accumulated fatigue of being away from loved ones. The song shares obvious artistic affinities with the stark, soulful sound of Bruce Springsteen ( Nebraska era ), the dusty melancholy of Townes Van Zandt, and the folk-tinged spleen of Tom Waits. To musically translate this feeling of perpetual motion and existential stagnation, Byrnes made the bold choice to structure his piece around three unique chords that never change, playing only on inversions and nuances of interpretation to create a hypnotic monotony.

The lyrics, poignantly understated, evoke the intimate wound of watching a loved one leave while one remains alone with their ghosts and their own solitude ("Heard her footsteps on the stairs / Passed through me like a ghost / My voice faded off in the night"). Between the jacket left on a chair and that familiar vacant stare of the weary road warriors ("my thousand yard stare"), the refrain resonates as a tired and haunting observation. Carried by a voice weathered by the asphalt and crepuscular acoustic arrangements, "Too Many Miles" stands out as a profoundly moving confession of truth. An intimate, raw, and deeply human work, offering a powerful emotional experience on RadioCastor."

Luca is a music reviewer based in Italy. He has been amazing to me about sharing my music and getting me to a wider audience. I'm going to have to tour in Italy soon!

Today he released a review of my Red Wheelbarrow album that came out a few years ago - pushing back against the idea that something has to be brand new to be appreciated! (English Translation below)

Thank you Luca!

“The Red Wheelbarrow” chiude, in qualche modo, una trilogia di dischi pre-covid, cominciata nel 2017 con “Motel Americana”, seguito da “Two Sides Of This Town”, (il mio preferito), 2018 e, appunto, questo album, uscito nel 2019. Bobbo Byrnes si stava costruendo una sua nicchia dentro la musica “americana” e lo stava facendo molto bene, fra l’altro supportato da ottimi musicisti: qui troviamo Ken Coomer, batterista degli Uncle Tupelo e dei Wilco, nelle prime cinque canzoni, Rami Jaffee (Wallflowers), con il suo Hammond, e la chitarra di Phil Manzanera, nella cover dei suoi Roxy Music, “Virginia Plain”. Ma, soprattutto, c’è la bella scrittura di Byrnes, la sua voce rock’n’roll, la sua attitudine rock’n’roll, che insieme a tanti amici, imbastisce un album divertente, essenziale, che prova a catturare il momento, la scintilla della creazione, proprio come sottintende il titolo, che fa riferimento a una poesia di William Carlos Williams, “La Carriola Rossa”, che in sole sedici parole, costruisce un mondo, un’immagina capace di reggere per sempre. E’ una delle poesie preferite di Bobbo, uomo di grande cultura. Il resto lo fanno questi dieci pezzi, sei di Byrnes e quattro cover, per nulla scontate, che vanno dai Roxy Music a John Prine, (una bella “Mexican Home”, canzone forse poco conosciuta del grande cantautore), passando per cose più oscure. Pur suonando una musica debitrice alla grande musica americana, Bobbo Byrnes non suona mai scontato e, soprattutto, ci crede, ci crede sempre: è un piccolo Steve Earle, uno che non molla di un centimetro, anche nel criticare le politiche scellerate del suo paese. Mi piace segnalare “Look For It” e tutte le prime cinque canzoni, in odore di alt-country, di Bottle Rockets, il country di “Looking At The World Thru a Windshield”, la ferocia rock di “January”, un inno alla Willie Nile. Un trittico imperdibile, per un artista troppo poco considerato."

https://blackwaltzes.blogspot.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn5ePWcEPh8jGA1cN8hC1BbAgXRvTuMolQSpKgvkQq4op7O61p9Ed2gG58t1w_aem_6vwYWl8XtvtegdQxknjICw

“The Red Wheelbarrow” effectively rounds off a trilogy of pre-COVID albums that began in 2017 with “Motel Americana,” followed by 2018’s “Two Sides Of This Town” (my personal favorite), and finally this record, released in 2019. Bobbo Byrnes was carving out a niche for himself within the “Americana” genre—and doing so impressively—backed by excellent musicians. Featured here are Ken Coomer (drummer for Uncle Tupelo and Wilco) on the first five tracks, Rami Jaffee (The Wallflowers) on Hammond organ, and Phil Manzanera on guitar for a cover of his own Roxy Music hit, “Virginia Plain.”

Above all, however, there is Byrnes’s fine songwriting, his rock ’n’ roll voice, and his rock ’n’ roll attitude. Together with a host of friends, he crafts an entertaining, stripped-back album that seeks to capture the moment—the spark of creation—much like the title implies. That title references the William Carlos Williams poem “The Red Wheelbarrow,” which builds an entire world—an image capable of enduring forever—in just sixteen words. It is a favorite poem of Bobbo’s, a man of great culture. The rest is carried by these ten tracks: six originals by Byrnes and four covers—none of them predictable—ranging from Roxy Music to John Prine (including a beautiful rendition of “Mexican Home,” a perhaps lesser-known song by the great singer-songwriter) and taking in some more obscure material along the way.

While his music is clearly indebted to the great American tradition, Bobbo Byrnes never sounds derivative; above all, he truly believes in what he’s doing. He’s a bit like a young Steve Earle—someone who never yields an inch, even when criticizing his country’s disastrous policies. I’d like to highlight “Look For It” and the first five tracks—which have an alt-country, Bottle Rockets vibe—as well as the country feel of “Looking At The World Thru a Windshield,” the rock ferocity of “January,” and... ...a Willie Nile-style anthem. An unmissable triptych from an artist who is far too overlooked."