Backroads is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, with money by the vote of the people, November 4th, 2008.

When I was just a dear young boy I had nowhere to go.

I dreamt of living out my life on the trains like a hobo.

Oh, the places that I'd see and the friends that I would make, would make it all worthwhile no matter what I had at stake.

My mother told me "Son you do the best you can and when you shall return I know you'll be a better man."

So I made my way out West in search for those train tracks, with nothing but my old guitar and the clothes that were on my back.

Western winds guide me through, I'll travel night and day living my life on this lonely train.

I stopped in South Dakota where I met an old cowboy who needed a hand upon his land, and me he would employ.

So I got up with the sun and set out to milk the cows.

He worked me like a dog until the sweat dripped from my brow.

This went on for a while, but I felt my time was nigh to get right back onto those tracks so I said my goodbyes.

Well he thought I was a fool but I know he bit his tongue, when he shook my hand and thanked me for the work that I had done.

Western winds guide me through, I'll travel night and day living my life on this lonely train.

I traveled from the Black Hills and kept going till Yellowstone.

I set up camp and soon found that I was not alone.

Slowly approaching me through the darkness and the smoke was a fine young man, a contraband who escaped from the Red Oaks.

He told me what was done to him and by this I was sick.

He said that he could not stay long, for his movement must be quick.

He dreamed of heading North where he would live long and free, and he'd settle down in a small town with a beautiful lady.

And he looked up at that night sky and he said "Western winds guide me through, I'll travel night and day living my life on this lonely train.

Well I woke up late one morning when I had made it to the coast.

I walked around this little town with a note to send through the post.

I'd wrote it for my mom, for I was just checking in.

I didn't know when I would be able to write again.

Dear mother I'm alive.

I've never felt so free.

I wish that I could write to you about all these things I've seen for I'm just checking in.

No my travels are not through.

Until we meet again I'm sending all my love to you.

The western winds guide me through, I'll travel night and day.

Living my life on this lonely train.

Western winds guide me through, I'll travel night and day, living my life on this lonely train.

My name is Zander, I play folk Americana music with a little bit of bluegrass and punk rock influences.

Right now I'm a full-time musician, I quit my job.

I was working at a brewery for the last 5 years while also playing about 100 to 120 shows a year and it just got to that point where I was kind of like at the edge of the cliff and I either needed to step back or jump off and I decided to dive in.

So as of February 2024 I've been a full-time musician.

Oh take a little piece of my heart, I hope it comforts you.

Take a little piece of my heart in all of the things you do.

Take a little piece of my heart, I hope it serves you well.

Take a little piece of my heart, baby only time will tell.

Hold it closely little darlin' for it breaks so easily.

It ain't makeshift, one of a kind, and it's just to you from me.

The last time I gave it away it just blew up in my face and it got damned anyway.

So take a little piece of my heart, I hope it comforts you.

Take a little piece of my heart in all of the things you do.

Oh take a little piece of my heart, I hope it serves you well.

And take a little piece of my heart, baby only time will tell.

Like a puzzle, thousand pieces.

Well it's gonna take some time to repair.

Buyer beware, but in the end I hope you'll find you're not gonna want to throw it away.

You can keep it in a safe.

Bring it out on rainy days.

So take a little piece of my heart, I hope it comforts you.

Take a little piece of my heart in all of the things you do.

Take a little piece of my heart, I hope it serves you well, and take a little piece of my heart, baby, only time will tell.

Oh, oh, oh, oh.

Self-medicated in the morning I like to have myself a little smoke.

Throwing my life away, or so they say, well it's wearing me down to the bones.

It doesn't matter how long it's been, these ghosts hold on so dang tight.

It's never letting me go, it holds on like a flesh eating parasite.

Take all the blame.

You can put that on me.

My tab is long overdue.

I can never repay, I ain't got the money.

I don't know what I'm going to do, don't know what I'm going to do.

I wake up in the morning I still find myself all alone.

There's too many skeletons falling from the closet and I'm tripping on the bones.

I'm searching for a way to go back in time and take back all those things I said.

I tried to mend the wounds to stop the blood but it seems I've lost my tourniquet.

Seems I've lost my tourniquet.

Take all the blame.

You can put that all on me.

My tab is long overdue.

I can never repay, I ain't got the money, I don't know what I'm going to do.

Don't know what I'm going to do.

Don't know what I'm going to do.

My songwriting process varies a lot, my process is kind of all over the place.

Sometimes I just wake up and I'm inspired, something strikes and I jump on it while I can, and sometimes I have an idea and maybe it's just one line that I sit on for a while and it will eventually become a complete song later.

There was one song where I started it, when I started it I thought it was going to be one idea, I was able to take the song and turn it around and turn it into more of a real life experience because I had lost some family members and so it went from just like oh, everybody loves the little things in life, to like here are the little things in my life that really had a lot of effect.

And yeah.

I love being able to turn on a record and have an emotional feeling or even a physical feeling and I'm trying to capture that in my own songwriting as well.

I don't know if I'm doing it quite right but that's what I'm striking for at least.

Well I put in my two weeks at that soul sucking job today.

I'll let my old boss sleep in that messy mis-happed bed that he's made.

My friends think I'm a fool and I'm a little bit nervous to say the least.

There ain't nobody else I'd rather put all my chips down on than me.

So come on darlin', let's go and see the world with this guitar.

With a little hope and a lot of love we can make this thing go far.

And I'm telling you right now it's going to take some work to say the least.

But we've got the hope and we've got the love baby let's turn this dream into reality.

My wife she supports me.

She said I need to follow my dreams.

I couldn't go on without her and I can say most certainly.

So I'm shooting for the stars starting with dive bars and cute cafes.

It might be a long road ahead honey, but I've got the keys and my car's got a full tank.

So come on darling let's go and see the world with this guitar.

With a little hope and a lot of love we can make this thing go far.

And I'm telling you right now it's going to take some work to say the least.

But we've got the hope and we've got the love baby let's turn this dream into reality.

So I've been working with Clayton Ryan for the last year.

I booked him for a show right after Christmas of 2023 and we just struck a friendship.

We started talking for a little while and after a couple of months he asked if I would be interested in managing him which I had done before covid I had done some management for different artists in the Twin Cities.

I really enjoy Clayton's work ethic.

He's very hungry to make a career for himself and he's one of the first musicians that I've ever met where he's so much of a yes man.

He's willing to put in the long miles and the long nights and just drive and make something of himself and that's a passion that I've had for a long time and so it's been a good time man, so doing some management with him, doing some sightseeing around the country and making this music life happen.

Sometimes I find that I hold on just a little longer than I should sometimes.

Sentimental mood on overdrive, and I don't know what it is about it.

I'm trying to find my peace of mind.

I like to ride, cruising down the street, things on my mind late at night through the neighborhood just passing time, and I don't know what it is about it.

I'm trying to find my peace of mind.

Can you recall back in the day we used to talk along the way, nothing to do nowhere to go.

And I find myself revisiting like a ghost in a distant memory, walking the trails that we call home.

Life carries on, we live the lyrics to our own song, so sing out your melody.

Well sometimes I find the biggest smiles come from all those small moments in life.

Well there is always a good time just open your eyes, and now I know what it is about it.

It's there I find my peace of mind.

Or can you recall back in the day we used to talk along the way, nothing to do nowhere to go.

And I find myself revisiting like a ghost in a distant memory, walking the trails that we call home.

Life carries on.

We live the lyrics to our old song, so sing out your melody.

Oh can you recall back in the day we used to talk along the way, nothing to do nowhere to go and I find myself revisiting like a ghost in a distant memory walking the trails that we call home.

Life carries on, we live the lyrics to our whole song.

So sing out your melody.

Life carries on, we live the lyrics to our own song, so sing out your melody.

I currently have one single out right now called Can't Go to Northeast (MPLS) and it's a silly song about a silly situation with a friend of mine where we had a little bit of a falling out and that was one of those songs I wrote in one sitting where the melody came to mind and I was just like let's get as goofy as we can and so that song just kind of flowed right out of me.

So you can hear that on Spotify, Apple Music, and anywhere that you can stream music right now.

It's called Can't Go to Northeast (MPLS).

Otherwise I'm really hoping to release something early 2025.

Tina says I can't go to Northeast no I ain't welcome there no more claiming that I stopped her heartbeat when I told her that she's got to go.

Tina doesn't know she's the reason I even had to say goodbye.

Self-destruction via self pleasing, some things can change in the blink of an eye.

Well Tina says I can't go to Northeast, no she can't stand to see my face.

Claiming she'll knock the wind out of me but it didn't have to be this way.

I couldn't handle all of the drinking, way past the limit, baby, and then some.

I'd always ask her what was she thinking, she could go until the sun came up.

Slurring her words.

Gave me the bird.

Rushed right out the front door.

Naming my crime and the ticket and fine is I'm not allowed in Northeast no more.

But I still have drinks down at Grumpy's every now and then in-between.

I hate to break it to you, baby, you'll never kick me out of Northeast.

Let me tell you all about a typical Thursday.

I used to hang out at the Palace after some glizzies at the 1029.

Tina's making me give up all this, I'm gonna miss my favorite dives.

I think I'm safe here at the CC because Tina doesn't come around.

She used to be part of the family till she cursed my name into the ground.

Throwing her curse, crashed and burned, kicked me out the front door.

Naming my crime and the ticket and fine is I'm not allowed in Northeast no more.

Maybe one day Tina will wake up make a point to go and change her tune.

Cuz if she don't change her ways up her reputation's going to get black and blue.

Clayton why don't you tell them how we do it in Northeast, baby.

Got a burger over at Stanley's where Tina used to work at night.

Forgetting now I can't be in Northeast but the bark is worse than the bite.

Slurring her words.

Gave me the bird.

Rushed right out the front door.

Naming my crime and the ticket and fine is I'm not allowed in Northeast no more.

I still have drinks down at Grumpy's every now and then in-between.

I hate to break it to you baby you'll never kick me out of Northeast.

No you'll never kick me out of Northeast.

I said you'll never kick me out of Northeast.

Backroads is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, with money by the vote of the people, November 4th, 2008.