NEWS: Ken Woods and the Old Blue Gang release debut single: Ride the Rails

Blazing cut from the forthcoming concept album Silent Spike showcases the band’s virtuosity and rootsy rock vibes.

It brings to life the terrifying expulsion of the entire Chinese community of La Grande, Oregon in 1893

“During the year 1893 a time of great economic depression, a great deal of agitation against the Chinese arose – it being felt, particularly by the unemployed, that the Chinese were taking work away from the whites. On 24 September of that year a great mob of men visited Chinatown burning and plundering and peremptorily ordered the out numbered Chinese to take themselves out of the community. Some of them left on the next train, but a greater number moved to a temporary camp up the Grande Ronde River. This did not satisfy the mob however, and the next day the camp was visited and broken up. The Chinese were marched back to La Grande where they were placed forcibly on an outbound train. Similar violence was shown to Chinese in the Cove region.” From “Oregon Genealogy.”

The song sets the atmosphere with a driving train beat which continues for almost the entire song, the relentless bass riff and ticktack guitars all serving to create an atmosphere of chaos and drama in the neighbourhood surrounding the old La Grande station. Dozens of guitar tracks evoke the sounds of rural America’s dusty streets and swirling winds. The song reaches its ferocious climax in two searing guitar solos which are as virtuosic as they are real and raw. The music shows a strong influence of Bakersfield-style country, psychobilly and roots rock.

Silent Spike, which will be released worldwide on July 4th, 2025, is a concept album that provides a meditation on the experiences of the “Railroad Chinese”, or “Silent Spikes” who built the first Transcontinental Railways in Oregon, California and Washington. It’s a story nearly a century long, starting with the first ocean crossings of the migrant workers and the building of the railway that made America a true two-coastal nation. Subsequent to the backlash that led to the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Massacre at Dead Line Creek, the Sundown Towns where Chinese could be shot if seen after dark, and the expulsion of the entire Chinese community from La Grande, Oregon. The album concludes with a gentle meditation on the return of the remains of the Chinese buried in the Chinese cemetery in Baker City, Oregon to China.

The musical language of the OBG is grounded in American music and improvisation. It is a potent stew of blues, rock, western, country, roots and folk music that embraces elements of Jimi Hendrix’s transcendent tonal range and improvisational ambition, alongside the influence of groups like early ZZ Top, The Allmann Brothers Band, Mountain, Beck Bogert and Appice, Neil Young and Crazy Horse. It’s both a jam band and a band than jams, with a body of originals that cover subjects including love, humour, and also some of the darkest chapters in American history.

The OBG’s name has deep historical roots. The original “Old Blue Gang” were the group of horse thieves and murderers led by Bruce Evans who committed the Hells Canyon Massacre atrocity, which you can learn more about here. Ken felt that it was wrong to let such a great name stay the sole territory of a bunch of long-dead racist criminals. One of Ken’s ideas behind the whole OBG project was that one shouldn’t let any worthwhile musical tradition or subculture be dominated by an ideological group you may not align with. This instinct can be seen in his embrace of cowboy and western style, the incorporation of roots music from multiple traditions and in his choice of band name. It’s all part of the Old Blue Vibe

Press comments

“The style of the guitar sound is so refreshing almost like an ocean breeze, it’s more surf sound is full of grace and freshness and I can bet you that you will enjoy every chord, also in some bars the distortion takes over the guitar and gives us a devilish solo that is so wild that it will leave you stunned, also the snare drum and its rhythm are so forceful and wild that listening to this great song becomes a wild road trip.” End Sessions

“Through a rhythmic fusion of blues and rock, “Ride the Rails” contrasts its catchy percussion and chords with an outrageous historical event: the tragic expulsion of the Chinese community from La Grande, Oregon, in 1893. Thus, despite its overwhelming energy, this song stands out for its commitment to an accurate historical narrative, one that, while it may seem distant, can also be connected to the current difficult situations faced by millions of migrants around the world.” Rockola Indie

“”Narrating a devastating situation that you probably didn’t know about and that is set in that time located on September 24, 1893 is precisely the setting that will dazzle us, executing verses that tell with a raw and pulsating energy an event of that date, which lies in the violent expulsion of the Chinese community from the town of La Grande, Oregon, a situation that will leave you speechless and your skin crawling while you fully appreciate a bold Rockabilly musical landscape… verses that will go straight to your heart to make you reflect on it in an empathetic way… an atmosphere with an emotional, memorable and authentic alternative seasoning; Ken Woods and the Old Blue Gang is undoubtedly a musical project that is shown off with this song!” Cosmonauta Radio

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General management

Elise Brown, Revere Arts
elise@reverearts.com