Years before Rolling Stone was praising Carson McHone's rule-breaking roots music, the Austin, TX native played weeknights in local bars like The White Horse, keeping dancers dancing and drinkers drinking. With her 21st birthday still in the distance, McHone entertained late-night crowds bearing witness to the good times and bad decisions that fill a busy bar. It was a rare, raw education. She pumped her music full of details from an early adulthood spent in the company of the heartbroken and high-toleranced. Then she hit the road, touring with acts like Shakey Graves, Gary Clark Jr and Joe Pug. Her writing style widened and her music evolved.