Steve Earle has made a career out of shaking things up.

On his twentieth studio record, Ghosts of West Virginia, he shows no sign of stopping now. Releasing later this month, and recorded with his backing band, The Dukes, Earle has crafted a ten track record that draws inspiration from the Upper Big Branch mine tragedy that took place in 2010 in Raleigh County, West Virginia. The explosion, a byproduct of a myriad of safety violations and willful negligence, killed twenty-nine miners. With these songs, which are also connected to Coal Country, a dramatic piece inspired by the same disaster, Earle dives deeply into the lives of Appalachian coal culture and uncovers the harsh reality of life, and death, bound to the coal industry.

This month also features the return of two our Trail Mix’s favorite North Carolina bands, American Aquarium and Chatham County Line.

With American Aquarium’s latest record,