Left Lane Cruiser

Freddie J. Evans IV fronts Left Lane Cruiser, whose raw hillbilly punk-blues approach delivers the visceral punch of a modal chainsaw pushed to its limit. The group’s output carries the swamp-soaked textures of North Mississippi hill-country blues in the vein of Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, spiked with abrasive garage-punk energy. Although the lineup occasionally stretched to a trio, the core catalog was cut as a duo, and that taut, gritty roar emerged intact on the 2006 debut Gettin' Down on It. Left Lane Cruiser maintained its sledgehammer garage-blues attack across experiments that included a 2012 collaboration with James Leg on Painkillers, the addition of an electric skateboard for 2015’s Dirty Spliff Blues, and a keyboard player on 2017’s Claw Machine Wizard, before reverting to a two-man configuration for 2024’s Bayport BBQ Blues.

The band originated in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Evans and drummer Brenn Beck formed it in 2004. Their first release, the self-issued Gettin' Down on It, appeared on the band’s own Hillgrass Bluebilly Records in 2006; the following year Alive Naturalsound Records signed them. Bring Yo' Ass to the Table came out on that label in 2008, followed by All You Can Eat in 2009 and Junkyard Speed Ball in 2011, while constant touring kept the group on the road between sessions. Teaming with James Leg of Black Diamond Heavies, the duo issued Painkillers in 2012, which also included contributions from bassist Jim Diamond and blues harpist Harmonica Shah; Rock Them Back to Hell! arrived the next year.

Lineup shifts accompanied the 2015 release Dirty Spliff Blues: Brenn Beck departed, Pete Dio took over drums, and the band expanded to a trio with Joe Bent on bass and electrified skateboard. The 2016 compilation Beck in Black gathered eight fan favorites plus six previously unreleased tracks from Beck’s tenure. After Joe Bent exited, Left Lane Cruiser returned to the Evans-Dio pairing for 2017’s Claw Machine Wizard, which featured guest keyboardist Jason Davis; Davis returned for 2019’s Shake and Bake, an album chronicling life on tour. The elemental duo of Evans and a reinstated Brenn Beck recorded the band’s tenth studio album, 2024’s Bayport BBQ Blues, dedicating it to Deep Blues Festival founder Chris Johnson, an early champion who died in April 2023.