UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing! Winners of the Trucker Country CD by Erich McMann are SFC Sapper, Kevin I., and Eric M. Below is a short video showing how I chose the 3 random winners.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to pop in here and tell everyone about a CD giveaway the Trucker Dump podcast/blog is doing. I announced it on the last podcast, but I realize that despite my wishes and my repeated attempts at mind control, not everyone listens to the podcast version. See what you’re missing?!

So here’s the deal. An independent artist named Erich McMann has put out a new CD called Trucker Country and he offered to give away a copy of the CD to three of you lucky Trucker Dump listeners/readers. All you have to do is send me an email to TruckerDump@gmail.com with the Subject line: Trucker Music. There is no need to give your address at this time. Once enough entries have been received, I’ll do a random drawing and contact the three winners. Shortly after that, they’ll be cursing Erich for writing songs that worm their way into their head and won’t leave.

Seriously folks; as I explained on the podcast (which you should be subscribing and listening to – it’s FREE!), I didn’t expect to like this music as I’m not much of a Country music fan and I’m even less of a fan of the trucking music genre. I even warned Erich of my doubts and he was still kind enough to send me a copy of Trucker Country. I vowed to give the CD a fair shake and I’m glad I did.

The first time I listened all the way through it, I found a couple of songs I “sort of” liked right off the bat. There was certainly something catchy about the track called “Keep On Truckin’,” (check out the video below) but I didn’t realize how good songs like “Truckin’ Daddy,” “Big Rig a Rollin’,” and the title track “Trucker Country” were until I listened for the third or fourth time through.

One thing is for sure. Erich McMann is one talented puppy (although I doubt he’d piddle on your floor if you invited him over for dinner). He played all the instruments and sang all the vocals on the CD and he recorded the whole thing in his home studio, which I’m guessing is what an independent artist calls his guest bedroom covered in egg crate foam. 😀 Honestly though, it sounded quite excellent to my crappy old ears. Even more impressive, he did most of them in one take!

But perhaps the highest praise I can give is to Erich’s songwriting abilities. While he’s an excellent musician, it’s really the songs themselves that stick with you. And to prove that, some of these songs regularly show up in a Playlist I call “The Shiznitz,” meaning it’s a 5-star song. Even more impressive, there isn’t a song I’ve rated less than 3 stars. And we all know that most albums have at least one or two stinkers on them. All this coming from a guy who doesn’t even like trucking music!

But hey, don’t take my word for it. Head on over to iTunes, CDBaby, or Google Play and sample all the songs. Then whip out your wallet and spend $10 to help an independent artist keep putting out great music. You can learn more about Erich on Facebook and Bandcamp, or you can talk to him directly on Twitter where he’s @ErichMcMann. You can even download some of his songs for free at ReverbNation! And be sure to check out his interview on the March 26 episode of The Extreme Truckers Show (approximately 58 minutes in)!