Close Enemies is
an all-star rock band fronted by Aerosmith bassist
Tom Hamilton, featuring drummer Tony Brock (The Babys), guitarists Peter Stroud (Sheryl
Crow) and Trace Foster (AC/DC
tech/Joe Perry), and vocalist Chasen
Hampton. Close Enemies, featuring Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton, is
releasing their self-titled debut album, "Close Enemies," on March
13, 2026, following singles like "Sound Of A Train," …"Inside
Out," …"Sweet Baby Jesus,"… "Rain," … and "More
Than I Could Ever Need…with pre-orders available for signed blue vinyl
editions.
Watch for
the debut album release
By
CLOSE
ENEMIES
available March 13th
The
signed album is limited to 200 copies, so act fast! But if you miss out, or
don’t want to pay a premium for colored vinyl and autographs, a standard vinyl
release, and CD, will be up for sale in March.
The Liberty Code is a thrilling blend of science fiction, political intrigue, and military strategy. With its compelling characters, intricate plot, and timely themes, this novel offers a captivating journey through a world where the line between fiction and reality blurs. It's a must-read for fans of dystopian futures, extraterrestrial encounters, and high-stakes political drama.
Are you ready to decode the secrets of The Liberty Code and join the fight for Earth's future?
LIBERTY CODE TEASER
AVAILABLE
NOW!
RAY'S INCREDIBLE NEW
SCI-FI BOOK!
THE
LIBERTY
CODE
In a near-future America, where democracy has collapsed under the iron grip of the Commonwealth Party, redemption lies in the unlikeliest of places—a novel. The Liberty Code, penned by decorated Marine veteran and journalist Sam Edwards, uncovers the hidden truths of a dystopian world teetering on the edge of annihilation.
Guided by telepathic messages from two Centauri extraterrestrial ambassadors, J-Rod and Naxia, who secretly collaborate with the U.S. Air Force, Edwards reveals a master plan to save Earth. This gripping tale begins as fiction but evolves into a stark reality, reflecting real-world geopolitical conflicts and revolutionary military operations.
In early August 2021, John McCutcheon reached out to his
longtime friend Tom Paxton with a simple idea: why not use Zoom—a newly
essential tool in those pandemic days—to connect, ease the isolation of COVID,
and maybe write a few songs together?
That following Monday at 2:00 PM Eastern, they logged in. One Monday led
to the next, and soon the weekly sessions became a ritual.
More than four years
later, they’re still at it.“I think we have enough for another album,” Tom Paxton
remarked during one of our regular Mondays-at-Two Zoom writing sessions. McCutcheon responded to his friend “Tom, as
keeper of the demos, I can tell you that we have enough for ten more
albums.” According to John, It’s been
that kind of partnership.
It was born
out of loneliness and cabin fever during the pandemic and continued well past
its limits. Today, it’s just a habit of
two old pals who have new jokes to tell, sage sports observations to dispense,
hungry for news about our fellow musicians to share, and the never-ending
wonder of creating a new song in the course of an hour. Tom is one of the greatest American
songwriters to ever lift a quill.
Me? I was a fourteen-year-old kid
learning Woody Guthrie songs from a library songbook. We met in the 80’s and we ain’t done yet. Now comes Together Again (Appalsongs,
2026)—another fourteen songs from two of the most revered songwriters in
acoustic music.
This time, things look
a little different: at 88, Paxton has retired from the road, and McCutcheon, a
spry 73, has scaled back his touring schedule. But both remain at the height of
their creative powers.The album opens with The Future, inspired by McCutcheon’s many
appearances at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas—a launching
ground for countless folk and bluegrass careers.
He recalls seeing Alison
Krauss as a teenager and Molly Tuttle in her early twenties, recognizing in
both the promise of a bright future. For Paxton and McCutcheon—artists whose
careers span over half a century—the song feels like a joyful passing of the
torch.
There are songs of reflection and
remembrance (Old Dog, Artie’s Last Stand, Rebel Gal), a heartfelt tribute to
their friend and mentor Pete Seeger (Pathfinder), playful humor (Cheatin’ While
I’m Eatin’), the stirring Stop at Nothing, and, of course, a baseball
story—Famous for a Day.With wide-ranging insight, impeccable craftsmanship, and
luminous performances, Together Again stands as proof of the deep well these
two songwriters continue to draw from. These are songs only decades of life,
love, and music can produce.It’s a rare and welcome thing to find them—Together Again.
The Compleat Tom Paxton [live in June 1970 at the Bitter End nightclub,
Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, New York City] (Elektra, 1971)
How Come the Sun (Reprise, 1971)
Peace Will Come (Reprise, 1972)
New Songs for Old Friends [live] (Reprise, 1973)
Children's Song Book (Bradleys, 1974) (reissued in the U.S. ten years later
under the title The Marvelous Toy and Other Gallimaufry (Cherry
Lane / Flying Fish, 1984))
Something in My Life (Private Stock, 1975)
Saturday Night (MAM, 1976)
New Songs from the Briarpatch [live] (Vanguard, 1977)
Heroes (Vanguard, 1978)
Up and Up (Mountain Railroad, 1979)
The Paxton Report (Mountain Railroad, 1980)
Bulletin (Hogeye, 1983)
Even a Gray Day (Flying Fish, 1983)
Tom Paxton in the Orchard (Cherry Lane Records, 1984)
One Million Lawyers and Other
Disasters (Flying Fish, 1985)
A Paxton Primer (Pax, 1986)
Folksong Festival 1986 (Pax, 1986)
And Loving You (Flying Fish, 1986)
Balloon-alloon-alloon (Sony Kids' Music, 1987)
Politics Live [live] (Flying Fish, 1988)
The Very Best of Tom Paxton (Flying Fish, 1988)
In The Orchard [live] (Sundown Records, 1988)
Storyteller (Start Records Ltd, 1989)
It Ain't Easy (Flying Fish, 1991)
A Child's Christmas (Sony Kids' Music, 1992)
Peanut Butter Pie (Sony Kids' Music, 1992)
Suzy Is a Rocker (Sony Kids' Music, 1992)
Wearing the Time (Sugar Hill, 1994)
Live: For the Record [live] (Sugar Hill, 1996)
A Child's Christmas/Marvelous Toy and
Other Gallimaufry (Delta, 1996)
A Car Full of Songs (Sony Kids' Music, 1997)
Goin' to the Zoo (Rounder, 1997)
I've Got a Yo-Yo (Rounder, 1997)
The Best of Tom Paxton (Hallmark, 1997)
Live in Concert [live] (Strange Fruit, 1998)
Fun Animal Songs (Delta, 1999)
Fun Food Songs (Delta, 1999)
A Car Full of Fun Songs (Delta, 1999)
I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm
Bound: The Best of Tom Paxton (Rhino, 1999)
Best of the Vanguard Years (Vanguard, 2000)
Stars in Their Eyes (Cub Creek Records, 2000), duet with Mark Elliott
Live From Mountain Stage [live] (Blue Plate, 2001)
Under American Skies (Appleseed and Koch International, 2001)
Ramblin' Boy/Ain't That News! (Warner Strategic Marketing, 2002)
Your Shoes, My Shoes (Red House, 2002)
Looking for the Moon (Appleseed, 2002)
American Troubadour (Music Club, 2003)
Best of Friends [live on February 16, 1985, at Holsteins folk club,
Chicago, Illinois] (Appleseed Recordings, 2004) (originally taped for
broadcast by WFMT's The Midnight Special radio show by its host, Rich Warren)
The Compleat Tom Paxton (Even
Compleater) [live] (Rhino Handmade, 2004)
Outward Bound/Morning Again (Wea/Rhino, 2004)
Live in the UK [live] (Pax, 2005)
Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop [live] (Shout Factory, 2006)
Autumnsongs (series: John McCutcheon's
Four Seasons) (Rounder, 1998, family album)
Springsongs (series: John McCutcheon's
Four Seasons) (Rounder, 1999, family album)
Storied Ground (Rounder, 1999)
Supper's on the Table (Rounder, 2001, retrospective)
The Greatest Story Never Told (Red House Records, 2002)
Hail to the Chief (self-published, 2003)
Hammer Dulcimer Repertoire (Homespun Tapes, 2003; CD and book)
Stand Up! Broadsides for Our Time (self-published, 2004; reissue 2010)
Welcome the Traveler Home: The
Winfield Songs (self-published,
2004; reissue 2010)
Mightier Than the Sword (Appalsongs, 2005)
This Fire (Appalsongs, 2007)
The Hammer Dulcimer (Hal Leonard, 2007; 6 CDs and booklet)
Sermon on the Mound (Appalsongs, 2008)
Untold (Appalsongs, 2009)
Passage (Appalsongs, 2010)
This Land: Woody Guthrie's America (Appalsongs, 2011)
22 Days (Appalsongs, 2013)
Joe Hill's Last Will (Appalsongs, 2015)
Trolling for Dreams (Appalsongs, 2017)
Ghost Light (Appalsongs, 2018)
To Everyone in All the World: A
Celebration of Pete Seeger (Appalsongs, 2019)
Cabin Fever: Songs from the Quarantine (Appalsongs, 2020)
Bucket List (Appalsongs, 2021)
Leap! (Appalseed Productions, 2022)
Together (Appalseed Productions, 2023, with Tom Paxton)
Field of Stars (Appalseed Productions, 2025)
Together Again with Tom Paxton 2026
Books
Happy Adoption Day (1996)
Christmas in the Trenches (2006, book with CD)
Flowers for Sarajevo (2017)
TOM PAXTON
AND
JOHN McCUTCHEON
APPEAR
DECEMBER 3RD
ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS
WITH RAY SHASHO
RAY'S NEW NOVEL
'THE LIBERTY CODE'
The Liberty Code is a thrilling blend of science fiction, political intrigue, and military strategy. With its compelling characters, intricate plot, and timely themes, this novel offers a captivating journey through a world where the line between fiction and reality blurs. It's a must-read for fans of dystopian futures, extraterrestrial encounters, and high-stakes political drama.
Are you ready to decode the secrets of The Liberty Code and join the fight for Earth's future?
LIBERTY CODE TEASER
AVAILABLE
NOW!
RAY'S INCREDIBLE NEW
SCI-FI BOOK!
THE
LIBERTY
CODE
In a near-future America, where democracy has collapsed under the iron grip of the Commonwealth Party, redemption lies in the unlikeliest of places—a novel. The Liberty Code, penned by decorated Marine veteran and journalist Sam Edwards, uncovers the hidden truths of a dystopian world teetering on the edge of annihilation.
Guided by telepathic messages from two Centauri extraterrestrial ambassadors, J-Rod and Naxia, who secretly collaborate with the U.S. Air Force, Edwards reveals a master plan to save Earth. This gripping tale begins as fiction but evolves into a stark reality, reflecting real-world geopolitical conflicts and revolutionary military operations.
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