Rancho Deluxe

California's country-rock outfit Rancho Deluxe arose in 2005, channeling vintage twang through a fresh, energetic lens under the leadership of songwriter-vocalist-guitarist Mark Adams and lead guitarist Jesse Jay Harris. Harris's affinity for roots music developed organically, given that his father, musician Greg Harris, had recorded with Skip Battin, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, and the post-Gram Parsons Flying Burrito Brothers during the 1970s and 1980s. Adams and Harris first connected while attending college, where their common enthusiasm for classic country and roots rock prompted them to begin crafting songs as a team. The self-titled Rancho Deluxe debut appeared in 2006, spotlighting Adams, Harris, and bassist Graham Harris together with select guest contributors that included drummer Don Heffington, formerly of Lone Justice; pedal steel guitarist JayDee Mannes, who had worked with Buck Owens, Eric Clapton, and the Byrds; and keyboardist Skip Edwards, whose sessions encompassed Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, and Michelle Shocked. Though Graham Harris stepped away from full-time membership after the debut, he still performed on the 2008 follow-up True Freedom, which reassembled the same studio personnel responsible for the initial album.