Chuck Ragan

No matter how many times a rocker goes soft, it’s always a little jarring. But the transition from punk to folk is not all that abrupt, considering the genres’ shared emphasis on simple songwriting, emotional directness, and activist inclinations. After doing time in Hot Water Music, Chuck Ragan dove into the dusty, low-key roots of folk—and pulled it off without ever glancing back, even in the wake of Hot Water Music’s recent reunion tours. With two full-length collections of gritty, melodic alt-country to his name, Ragan released 2011’s excellent Covering Ground, which reflects and laments on a life spent mostly in transition. The thing about always being on the move, though, is that there are always new friends to be made and new tales to be spun, a sentiment Ragan will surely share with fellow folkies on the ongoing, collaborative Revival Tour.

Updated 03/19/2012