Mike Herrera's Tumbledown is an

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

band from

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city ...

consisting of

MxPx MxPx () is an American punk rock band from Bremerton, Washington, formed in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera (bass guitar, lead vocals), Yuri Ruley (drums, percussion), Tom Wisniewski (lead guitar, backi ...

guitarist/vocalist

Mike Herrera MxPx () is an American punk rock band from Bremerton, Washington, formed in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera (bass guitar, lead vocals), Yuri Ruley (drums, percussion), Tom Wisniewski (lead guitar, backi ...

and Rocky Point All Stars (Jack Parker, Marshall Trotland, and Harley Trotland).Gilmartin, Alexa (2009)
Tumbledown ''Mike Herrera's Tumbledown''
, ''

The Aquarian Weekly ''The Aquarian Weekly'' is a regional alternative weekly newspaper based in Little Falls, New Jersey. Founded in 1969, it covers rock music and related news and events in New Jersey, New York City, and the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Penns ...

'', May 28, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2015 The name "Tumbledown" comes from a line of a

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

song.Smyers, Darryl (2010)
Q&A + Bonus MP3: Mike Herrera of Tumbledown (and MxPx) Talks Going Country, Covering His Own Songs and The Current Debate on Immigration.
, ''

Dallas Observer ''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...

'', November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2015 They are currently signed to End Sounds, which is based in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. In Mexico, they are signed to Cafeina Riot Radio Records.

History

Herrera had first explored country music while in MxPx in 2005, with the track "Late Again" from the ''Panic'' album, which featured Parker on guitar.Lake, Dave (2011)
MxPx's Mike Herrera: Still Punk
, ''

Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976, and it becam ...

'', May 10, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2015 According to Herrera: "After that, I knew what I wanted to do with Tumbledown." In November 2007, Herrera formally announced the Tumbledown project. In January 2008, a music video was released for "Atlantic City", followed by one for "Ballad of a Factory Man" two months later. The group released a self-titled debut album on May 19, 2009. ''The Aquarian Weekly'' gave it an 'A' rating, with reviewer Alexa Gilmartin calling it "a solid, enjoyable record...a taste of country for the non-believers". In August and September 2009, they went on a co-headlining US tour with

Straylight Run Straylight Run is an indie rock band based in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York. The band released two albums, ''Straylight Run (album), Straylight Run'' and ''The Needles the Space'', as well as three EPs, ''Prepare to Be Wrong'', ''About Time' ...

frontman John Nolan. On September 2, 2009, a music video was released for "Butcher of San Antone", directed by Joe the Visualist. In 2010 the band release the ''Live in Tulsa'' album, recorded the previous year. In October 2010, the band's second studio album, ''Empty Bottle'', was released on End Sounds.Allen, James
''Empty Bottle'' Review
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Retrieved November 29, 2015 The group performed on the

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...

in 2014.Smith, Troy, L. (2014)
15 must-see acts on the 2014 Vans Warped Tour (photo gallery)
, cleveland.com, July 14, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2015

Influences and sound

Herrera has pointed out that he has been writing country songs since 1998, and that this project has been long-awaited. He has cited

Whiskeytown Whiskeytown was an American alternative country band formed in 1994 from Raleigh, North Carolina. Fronted by Ryan Adams, the group included members Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000 ...

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

, and

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

among influences. He explained his move into country music: "I've always liked country. I think the first song I ever learned to sing was Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again." When I write punk songs, I do it on an acoustic guitar, so it was just a natural progression to write more folk type songs." The band's music has been described as "a twangy mashup of country, folk, and punk sounds featuring acoustic guitar and upright bass". The band has often covered MxPx songs at their shows.

Discography

Extended plays *2007: ''3 Songs'' *2008: ''Atlantic City'' EP *2008: ''Atlantic City'' 7-inch *2009: Tumbledown/Yesterday's Ring split 7-inch *2010: ''Arrested in El Paso Blues'' Picture Disc 7-inch Full-length albums *2009: ''Tumbledown'' *2010: ''Live in Tulsa'' *2010: ''Empty Bottle'' Singles *2007: "Ballad of a Factory Man" *2008: "Atlantic City" *2009: "The Butcher of San Antone" *2019: "Run Rudolph Run"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tumbledown Musical groups from Washington (state) American alternative country groups