"Where has 500 Miles To Memphis been all my life? This Cincinnati-based band's debut full-length Sunshine In A Shot Glass is simply fucking amazing. Review over. But seriously, this album is filled with the sort of bittersweet country punk that both punks and rednecks can't help but love. Seriously. It's instrumentally ambitious but never approaches wankery as fiddles, slide guitar, pedal steel, organs, and banjos sit alongside churning guitar-bass-drums arrangements. Now when an album is this good (and Sunshine In A Shot Glass is) I hesitate to make easy comparisons but just to give you an idea 500 Miles To Memphis sounds sorta like Lucero but with a little more twang, bigger breakdowns, and less gravelly vocals; maybe like Lucero vs. Attack In Black vs. Bill Monroe. Intrigued yet? It is whiskey-soaked, twangy bluegrass, punk-infused country rock. Honestly, Sunshine In A Shot Glass is instantly captivating and needs no time to grow; tender at times and boiling lava hot at others. It is rare (if not almost impossible) that an album can be well-suited for both line-dancing and mosh pits, but somehow this one is. Near perfect." - Can You See The Sunset

"Editor's Pick! With summer coming to a close, it's almost time to put away those sunshine jams and break out music to get me through another Canadian winter. 500 Miles To Memphis is the perfect band to help us through that transition. Sunshine In A Shotglass goes just as well with an open window drive through the country as it does with a glass of stout by the wood stove. The band's combination of punk grit and attitude combined with country staples such as a vocal drawl and tales of remorse make the band appeal to Social Distortion's fans as much as Lucero's." - Punknews

"500 Miles To Memphis' debut Sunshine In A Shot Glass is everything I hoped it would be after I glanced at its cover featuring a guitar toting cowboy riding a bone horse: A booze-soaked conglomeration of distortion-driven punk rock, Southern twang, and country-fried Western-tinged folk like what you'd expect to hear if you stumbled into an old-timey saloon. And if this band happened to be playing said saloon, they'd be rocking the damn house. Sunshine In A Shot Glass serves equally well as a soundtrack to a wild night on the town as it does an introspective evening alone, dousing your broken heart in alcohol. The band never sinks to the level of being whiny though, and every cut on here is infused with an upbeat and life-affirming spirit. 500 Miles To Memphis plays tuneful country-infused punk with undeniable spirit and style. Put this on the next time you go bar hopping and scream along with your arm around your drinking buddy's shoulder." - Mammoth Press

"I'm a very discriminating listener of pop-punk. I'm also not a huge fan of country music. Despite these hurdles, 500 Miles To Memphis have won my heart with their country-punk amalgam. Sunshine In A Shotglass is awesome. The music is varied, from straight-ahead chargers to hoe-downs to weepers to just rock songs. Each track boasts a melody that is hummable and dangerously hooky, whether it be the vocals, the fiddle, the guitar or the bass. The band works together absolutely perfectly, conceding individual glory for the good of the group. I'm not the type of guy who would search out a country-punk band, but Sunshine In A Shotglass is easily one of my favorite releases of the year. I've been humming standout The Regret for about a week solid. I honestly can't think of anything wrong with Sunshine; it's perfectly paced, superbly written and performed, honest, passionate and fun. You need this if you like country or punk. If you don't like one of the two, even better...I'm convinced that you will love 500 Miles To Memphis anyway." - Independent Clauses

"500 Miles To Memphis are almost a full on country band but with just a few too many chunky riffs to be quite that easy to categorize. Think Johnny Cash's rockier moments or Willie Nelson at his peak crossed with Social Distortion and maybe Down by Law. If you've heard Drag the River then you'll have a fair idea; kind of like if Uncle Tupelo had been middle class, or Lucero if they cheered up a bit. Sunshine In A Shotglass is really good too. There are some proper foot stomping bar room brawl kinda songs, as well as campfire sing alongs and wistful tales of loves once lost. These are the kind of songs that make you want to throw a stool across the room in the midst of a brawl before exiting the honky tonk bar upside down through the swinging doors. There's something indescribably American about the band, in exactly the right way. You could listen to this album in a Nissan Micra on the M62 and it'd still make you feel like Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit. What more could you want from a record?" - Die Shellsuit, Die

"These five cowpokes from Cincinnati wail out a mix of hefty riffs with a sorrowful soul. The sounds emitted from 500 Miles To Memphis may get them classified as alt-country, but there's a stronger rock-n-roll vibe and a punky backbeat that will separate them from many of their contemporaries. A few of the songs are slow and bring to mind contemporary and classic folk while many are fast as pure punk rock fury. Altogether it's a true separation from your bland honky-tonk, I assure you. Sunshine In A Shotglass is the CD for those that are into Drive By Truckers, Social Distortion or Lucero, but still want something a little different at the same time." - Feast of Hate and Fear

"Sunshine In A Shotglass opens with the squealing jig of a fiddle over the swelling bass drum thud of a punk anthem. Welcome to country-punk, a mixture of two genres that is less fusion than simple collision and seems almost paradoxical in its intent, but nonetheless works surprising well for Cincinnati, OH-based quartet 500 Miles to Memphis. It's appealing in a novel sort of way. The album has similarities to bands like the Mahones or Rum Runner, except instead of incorporating the working-class folk influences of Olde Guard England, 500 Miles to Memphis have decided instead upon the American Midwest for their source of ethno-inspiration." - Spill Magazine

"Cincinnati-based quintet 500 Miles To Memphis plays the kind of unaffected, country-tinged rock I heard practically every weekend during college in Lexington, Kentucky. Recorded across the Ohio River in Highland Heights, the band's first album, Sunshine In A Shot Glass, is far more self-assured than most debut albums. From the whiskey-soaked drawl of Ryan Malott (echoing Mike Ness in his rootsier moments) to the rock solid rhythm section and David Rhodes Brown on lap steel and Paul Patterson on fiddle, the band has obviously been playing together for a while. Not exactly country, not quite punk, 500 Miles To Memphis just rocks, leavening the mix with instruments traditionally associated with country music‹usually fiddle or pedal steel guitar. Ultimately a bit tough to categorize, the band sounds like nothing more than a country-western version of the Dropkick Murphys and has produced a promising debut." - Pop Matters

"Cincinnati's favorite sons, 500 Miles To Memphis, obviously have their share of Willie and Waylon CDs in constant rotation on their tour bus.  Probably best described as country punk, the band blends the noise and energy of Social Distortion with the song writing of the Highwaymen.  Think power chords with plenty of lap steel guitar.  Sunshine in a Shot Glass is a solid take on the genre, showcasing a band that could hold its own against groups like Lucero or Drive-By Truckers. The songs take enough influence from punk and classic country that you can almost hear anyone from Johnny Cash to Rancid singing a song like Broken, Busted, Bloody. There are a dozen tracks here, and each is nearly as strong as the next." - Insite Atlanta

"Sunshine In A Shotglass starts with a hoe-down style fiddle before introducing the electric guitar. Sometimes songs pit the two instruments against each other in some battle for space; other times it integrates them in a melding of alt-country and pop punk. That's kind of what the whole album is like. There's several foot-stomping, slide guitar-tastic songs, full of country twang and lub-dub bass lines. Darlin' mixes things up with some female vocals. Don't Mislead builds to a nice crescendo before falling into a chipper guitar / fiddle breakdown. I'll Miss You Whatever and Cheers utilize saloon-style piano, which brings the western into the country and western sound. The heart of the album is really in Ryan Malott's personal lyrics. He writes about nights filled with booze and regret. The lyrics are sorrowful without whining and have that hint of humor necessary with this kind of subject matter. 500 Miles to Memphis is best for punks with a penchant for classic country." - Punkbands.com

"Sunshine In A Shotglass is equal parts Green Day and Hank Williams, though much better than that sounds. Call it alt-country, call it country-punk, call it punk-a-billy...it is what it is. I'm digging the lap steel on Broken, Busted, Bloody and there's nothing not to like about Annalyse McCoy's guest vocal on Darlin." - Ear Candy

"An entertaining blood-and-broken bottle country punk combo, on first listen 500 Miles To Memphis sound like the Old 97s fronted by Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day. On paper, it really doesn't sound like a good idea, but when you give Sunshine In A Shotglass a go it's actually rather tasty. Other current alt country brethren come into the picture now and then, with similarities to Patty Hurst Shifter, Lucero and Drive By Truckers. The combination of a punk derived vocal style over a broken bottle, blood spitting, barroom country band makes for a rousing listen. These boys must be well worth seeing live!" - Americana UK

"Knowing Deep Elm, you know you will always get something original and pleasant to the ears. With that being said comes a very unique group called 500 Miles to Memphis who plays rowdy, insanely catchy country punk on Sunshine In A Shotglass. Yes, this band gives you a very original pop punk flavor of Green Day if they were from Nashville. These boys incorporate all the features of country and mix it up with punk rock. Let me just say it's awesome! I think every fan of rock should check out 500 Miles To Memphis. They are really refreshing to the ears. Overall Sunshine In A Shotglass really surprised me. Go pick it up" - Melodic.net

"Some 20 years ago, there was this L.A. band called The Unforgiven. They wore cowboy hats, had three guitarists (way before Bad Religion made it cool) and sang songs about lyin, cheatin', rustlin' and roamin' in the key of hard rock. 500 Miles To Memphis add the accouterments of Americana to a thick, perky emo core. The lyrics are fairly representative of the genre, but the fiddle, lap steel and such do lend these songs a real distinctive sound. Sunshine In A Shotglass is worth exploring further." - Aiding & Abetting

"500 Miles To Memphis is half country twang, half raucous punk, wholly innovative. Having set up camp in Cincinnati, the band is technically less than 500 miles from Memphis, but who's counting when you have as good an album as this. Sunshine In A Shotglass is a unique collection of songs awaiting those who feel adventurous enough to step out of the ordinary and in to the sunset perfectly lit for old-timey roots and contemporary punk to shine together for once. Ryan Malott has the necessary farmer's tanned vocal composure to make it authentically Southern, leaving the early Green Day influence to shine through at just the right time. Songs like All My Friends Are Crazy show the concoction 500 Miles To Memphis have put together works towards the benefit of two genres naturally thought to be completely opposite in ideals." - AbsolutePunk

"It starts with some fine fiddle work in the best bluegrass tradition, then quickly switches to a thrashy, punky twang. It is as great an intro tune as you'll find, setting the rowdy mood for this wonderfully demented rock 'n' roll hoedown. Welcome to Sunshine In A Shot Glass from 500 Miles To Memphis, the Cincinnati band that has truly mastered the punk-country vibe. A lot of bands have been experimenting with merging traditional hard country sounds with the alt-rock sound, but few do it as seamlessly as 500 Miles with their piercing soaring guitars, organ, fiddle and pedal steel. What really sets the album apart is Malott's deeply personal songwriting. He takes us on a debauched journey from alcohol and cocaine abuse to lost loves and finally a sort of peaceful resolution. It's not pretty, but somehow never depressing. The songs are 'whiskey-soaked,' begging to be played loud with a playful anger, waiting for a bar fight to break out. 500 Miles To Memphis has managed that rarity: a satisfying and complete work that is rowdy, heart-wrenching and full of wonderful roadhouse twangy thrashing rock." - Cincinnati Post

"500 Miles to Memphis is the Deep South's answer to Flogging Molly. Catchy country tunes mixed with the bounciest of pop-punk, smoothed over with emotional lyrics about drinking and the heartache of living life. Powerful rhythmic guitars conjure up thoughts of Green Day; having Mr. Billie-Joe himself on here would not seem that amiss. Other stand outs include the epic Fireflies and Keep It Together, the latter of which could rest easy in the collections of every Jimmy Eat World fan. This is a wonderfully impressive and refreshing debut; tear-jerking yet upbeat and insidiously catchy. Get down to your nearest watering hole; grab your belt buckle in one hand, bottle of Jack in the other. Then drink, dance, laugh and cry the night away to this little gem. Great stuff." - Subba-Cultcha

"Whiskey drenched lyricism that's brilliantly dank, Sunshine In A Shotglass laments and stews about in a solid pop-punk fortress that's solidified that much more with back porch instrumentals and honky tonk. Using a fiddle and lap steel guitar to cement their place in punk rock, 500 Miles To Memphis primarily will be known as 'that band that just ripped your heart out' due to the heart-wrenching vocals and melancholic visionary lyrics. Good stuff that'll make you tug at your heart strings a bit." - Smother

"I was quite impressed when I popped Sunshine in a Shotglass into the stereo as a very loud and punk sound came out that reminded me of Flogging Molly or Dropkick Murphys. However, as soon as All My Friends Are Crazy started, I realized how 500 Miles To Memphis is more inspired by indie rock and roll than Irish punk. The band plays fast rock and and is a cross between Lucero and Against Me! with a more pop attitude. Sunshine in a Shotglass is a strong rock and roll album that does not want to be labeled, so let's leave it that way." - Truepunk

"If you ever wondered what Green Day would sound like if they decided to do a Neil Young tribute album, then look no further. Mixing sing along punk with bold, raw honky tonk blues, 500 Miles To Memphis manage to mask their cynical lyrics in their no holds barred enthusiasm." - New Noise

"500 Miles To Memphis certainly deserve to have Sunshine In A Shotglass heard by many, many people. Lead vocalist Ryan Malott has a wonderful southern-style drawl to his voice, making the band sound gruff in an absolutely non threatening way. There's a country-esque feel to various tracks while others have a bit of a bluesy influence. The upshot is an album with a number of cracking songs which will have you breaking out a bottle of whiskey, sitting around a camp-fire and wistfully reminiscing about the good old days. Top stuff." - Punktastic

"One more reason to be proud of Ohio. 500 Miles To Memphis have a sound similar to Lucero and Old Crow Medicine Show. These boys play their banjos well. Sunshine In A Shotglass is indubitably a campfire sing along for all ages and walks of musical life. The overall southern rock influence is so convincing I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the band roll their own cigarettes. Defiantly another step toward the ever-growing Southern rock movement within punk circuits. We at Diatribe Inc. approve. And with a rating of 99%, you should be ecstatic." - Diatribe

All My Friends Are Crazy all my friends are crazy, but that just ain't me. i never listen to what they say. they're all good hearted with good intentions, but that don't matter much when i am here. pointless advice to ease my pain, i take it with a grain, because there's no way i'll be sleeping tonight. it's alright. and i wait for the new year. they'll be breaking some hearts my dear. i can't say that i'm not the same. another year and another heartache. i hope it gets better than this. i learn the hard way. what's a lesson if i can't live it and walk away? until then i'll retire to the same place i've been trying leave all this time. hey bartender i'll have another Broken, Busted, Bloody sitting in a mustang she does a line of cocaine, not thinking about the future, just thinking about the past. the letter says invited and we would be delighted to throw back a few with you. tonight it's on. baby's gone. well she's been spending all her time thinking about the love she lost many years ago, but she aught to know that she can pass the next eight bars and find nothing but booze and pain and heartache on the way. got a broken car with a busted wheel, got a bloody hand that won't heal. that's my best excuse. well i didn't say i'm past that point of caring about you anymore, but something's got to give if you're going to live up to the good times that you promised me. i know that i'm not going to be around for very long. i get tired of sitting on this barstool thinking about you Don't Mislead held back by circumstances, i ain't good with romances. i never was much of a looker. all night we'll drive until we hit texas and maybe stop in dallas and have ourselves a drink. don't mislead. don't mislead. you can shoot it straight with me. i believe. i believe that god is lost at sea. hold on to what this life is giving. i do a lot of sinning. i always was a drinker. who knows where we go when this chapter is over? are we pushing up clover or are there footnotes to be read? Darlin' going to go out tonight. going to get into a little bit of trouble. the way things are going that sounds about right, because now i'm drunk and wired. by the time i make it to bed i've thirty voices stuck in my head, and i can't answer all these calls. the way you dial a phone babe, you've got a lot of gull. darlin' darlin'. get up off my back. i'm going nowhere and i ain't looking back. you're nagging me out of my mind. you're helping my habit one day at a time. i know you're not going to take the blame, but darlin' i think that's a shame. when i get home i ain't going to bed. i'm going to dial your phone thirty times instead. and you're not going to answer my calls. oh boy you sure got balls. darlin' darlin'. there's something here i lack. i'm going i'm going. i ain't got much to pack. darlin' darlin'. hold that ashtray tight. you're nervous i'm leaving, i think you'll be alright My Time Is Up i was born in a mining town by the name of bluefield, wv. now i'm sixty-seven and i lived a good life. i got about an hour left in me. been comatose for the past six months. i've had plenty of time to think. i can hear my family talking to me. i'd give anything to speak. i need a miracle tonight. please god give me that right. just three little words. one last hug and one more kiss. i got to tell my baby that she's going to be missed, and i'll be watching up above. i met a redhead at the age of twenty-one. i knew i had to make her mine. had a loving marriage of fourty-five. still proud to call her my wife. i can hear her crying over me. her tears are falling on my cheeks. now don't you worry everything will be fine. you know i hate to see you cry. i can't make it through the night. at least i put up a fight. this is not the end. one goodbye for now so long. i'm not here, but i won't be gone. i'll be watching from afar. my time is up. i'm heading home. my love and memories? well there coming with me, and they're staying with you Keep It Together why do i fuck up and lie? because i'm not scared of what you think about my decisions. i know it's hard to make a living, but it'll be alright. why would you be scared? i'm right here i'm alive. and you. you know me. i'll be on my feet. that's what you're going to think, but at night i fall apart. oh it ain't supposed to be this way. i think about it night and day. soon something has got to change. i'll keep it together just for today. my plans work out in my head, but they don't pull through enough, it shows. i tried to get educated, but that didn't work that year, and now i'm still in debt I'll Miss You (Whatever) i miss you more than i can show. why we haven't talked i don't know. this separation's going to kill me in the end. i guess i'll let you go. probably got something to do with the fact that you don't care now. you don't care anymore. probably got something to do with the fact that i miss you now. i'll miss you forever. been nursing that beer for about an hour. i can tell something's wrong. is it me? has our love gone sour? i thought we were going strong Cheers i'm better being gone. there's plenty other places i belong. i'll take another tease and i'll be gone. i'm packing for a while. ain't no way to tell when i'll be heading back. not that it would matter to anyone. cheers lets finish our beer, and get out of this town tonight. pop that clutch and put her gear, because any place is better than here. i've got no friend to name. i seem to recall a point in time where that wasn't the case, but that memory's so far gone it's been misplaced. can you just pretend that you give a damn and want to be my friend? just for a little while and then i'll go. i don't want to be alone. i guess that this is the life i chose. oh it's so sweet. these memory's are killing me. i'm better on my own. that's just another lie to help me along. then i hear those guitars whine and it takes me home Fireflies it's quite a night. i watch the headlights as they drive by. their brightness pierces the night sky. they float away and then they die, and so do i. so many times i wanted time alone. so many times i wanted time to think and, a placebo to keep me sane i'll be just fine. at times like this i can not miss just how you loved me. just look around the fireflies have speckled the ground. the locusts chirp their loving sound. i'm not alone i'm just not around. i'm not down Let It Rain lets get stoned, ripped and drunk. lets set fire to everything in our lives. start at noon and go all night. we ain't stopping Œtil we see the morning light. let it rain. let it rain. let it rain whiskey and beer, and maybe a little cocaine. you can find me on the floor passed out from the long night before. hair of the dog, i'll be alright. we're going to do the same thing again tonight Sunshine In a Shotglass i got back early. no one was home. the place is so empty here all alone. i bet you're out tonight living it up. i wish i could. it would do me no good. i sat in the kitchen. i finished the booze. i took all the pills sitting on the shelf. i'm ready to drown. ready to drown. ready to drown, but there's one more thing i've got left to say. i've got nothing left now. i risked out everything to spend my time with you. and now that she's leaving i'm here dying. i'll be raising up a shot glass tonight. when this life's over remember me sober. at one point in time we were doing alright. i can't blame you for leaving. i'd have done the same, because you don't deserve to get mixed up in this game. i'll praying with a shot glass tonight. i'll be buried in a shot glass tonight The Regret i ain't ready. i ain't ready. don't put me in that pine box yet. this here whiskey kept me busy Œtil i could get my mind off of you. it's been hazy. yeah real hazy. the past eight months have been a bitch. now i'm ready. yeah i'm ready to start all over without you. i'll get up up up. i might be bloody. i've got more regrets than anybody should. the good times we had are gone and they ain't coming back. well i'm sorry. yeah i'm sorry. i never meant to do wrong by you. now i'm sober. yeah i'm sober. there ain't much else that i can do. all my bridges. all my bridges have long ago gone up in flames. well i'm trying. yeah i'm trying to get it together despite you. why should i care? why do i care? i've been taking all the blame for everything that's been going wrong with you. i could have been a better son and a better man