“Last Man Standin” is definitely the album’s gem. The record features 20-plus friends and incredible musicians, including Anthony Dopsie, members of the Red Stick Ramblers and Andrew Duplantis of Son Volt. “There is always somebody you haven’t met and something else you can do. “For me it’s just getting out of Louisiana, getting out of your comfort zone, trying to reach more people,” says Landry. Landry spent the summer in Los Angeles, playing the Roxy and the Mint as he worked with a manager in hopes of getting a distribution deal for the October re-release of Sharecropper’s Whine. Though he sounds like he just ate a large, greasy meal and washed it down with a whiskey soaked night on the town, his slightly nasal voice has its own unique appeal. Part good ole boy, part conspiracy-minded, politically incorrect pundit, he draws comparisons to Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Woody Guthrie.
Landry is a legit old school balladeer who weaves down home and ultra honest songs (even if they are completely fictional). However, Landry’s appeal is more than just hustle. His Tailgaten Relief & Hurricane Companion and this year’s Sharecropper’s Whine landed on the Euro-Americana Chart. He’s hobbled around Austin on crutches during SXSW and mailed CDs to anyone with an address, and he has seen the results. In grass roots marketing terms, Landry is a weed-ever-present and relentless in his efforts to get his music into the right hands. The incident is par for Landry’s course: incredible luck coupled with unstoppable hustle. “It’s just like, well, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” “I figured that would be one of those things in life that would be a real cool confidence builder nobody ever knows about,” says Landry. The only problem was Landry missed the whole thing because he was in the bathroom. Afterwards, Kristofferson called him out, repeating his praise to the crowd. Landry impressed the legend by playing him his “Last Man Standin” backstage at a Kristofferson concert.
Probably because of the way the story ends, Drew Landry doesn’t often brag about how Kris Kristofferson called him the best songwriter he’s heard in 30 years. Offbeat Magazine/ Nick Pittman Still Standin