Texas troubadour Cody Jinks performs at F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on March 30
From a press release:
It was announced today that fast-rising, rule-breaking Texas powerhouse songwriter Cody Jinks will visit the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, March 30 at 8 p.m. with special guests The Steel Woods.
Tickets, which start at $35, plus fees, go on sale this Friday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. and will be available at the Sundance Vacations Box Office at the Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre), online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m.
For well over a decade, Cody Jinks has devoted himself to making outlaw country music that is equal parts uncompromising and empathic, often giving voice to those who exist on the margins of modern life.
Since first emerging as a solo artist in the mid-2000s, the Texas-bred singer/songwriter has steadily advanced from playing nearly empty bar rooms to building a following so dedicated they’ve formed their own fan club – a self-governed group called the “Flockers,” comprised of more than 21,000 members and counting.
With his new album, “Lifers,” Jinks reaffirms his commitment to creating music with purpose and passion, all while turning out songs overflowing with indelible hooks and unbridled energy. The follow-up to “I’m Not the Devil” – a 2016 release that hit No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart – “Lifers” also deepens the spirit of solidarity that’s long guided his every endeavor.
Rooted in a relentlessly vital, rock-and-roll-steeped country sound, “Lifers” takes its name from those portrayed in the title track as “the struggling strifers working long after the day is done… It seems they still dream.” With his powerful, yet nuanced baritone voice and lyrics that instill so much truth into one single line, Jinks attests to the work of self-preservation in an often unbending world and ultimately leaves the listener with a profound sense of courage.
Jinks’s debut album for Rounder Records, “Lifers” arrived on July 27, 2018 in the midst of a typically rigorous touring schedule that included his own inaugural Loud and Heavy Fest, a multi-stage music/arts festival whose eclectic lineup features several of his “Lifers” co-writers (Whitey Morgan, Paul Cauthen, Ward Davis) alongside iconic metal bands like Corrosion of Conformity. Taking place Aug. 18 in Fort Worth, Loud and Heavy attracted the supremely loyal and wildly diverse audience that tend to congregate at his shows, a crowd that he’s characterized as “bikers, suits, hippies, cowboys… men, women, old, young – just working-class people.” Not only operating according to a fans-first ethos that invariably finds him spending abundant time with audience members both before and after the gig, Jinks endlessly honors that loyalty by offering up songs that transform desperation into glory and turn everyday pain into a conduit for enduring connection and irrepressible joy.
Hailing from Fort Worth, Jinks grew up on outlaw country heroes like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Merle Haggard thanks to his father’s record collection. After closely mining classic country in early releases like 2010’s “Less Wise” and its 2012 follow-up “30,” he expanded his sound with 2015’s “Adobe Sessions,” gaining traction on the iTunes country chart and feeding the increasing groundswell of interest in his music. Following the release of “I’m Not the Devil” in the summer of 2016, he quickly earned acclaim from major outlets like Rolling Stone, who drew comparisons between Jinks and such widely celebrated artists as Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell – then noted that “Jinks may be the most palatable of the lot, blending an innate knack for hooks with the DGAF attitude suited for a rebel.” Within a year, he had sold out two back-to-back shows at the Ryman and later landed top billing at leading festivals like Stagecoach.
In all, Jinks has released eight studio albums beginning with 2008’s self-released “Collector’s Item.”
