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"Rusted Regrets" Without Regrets 

March 12, 2021 is a big day for Roadkill Rodeo. Big debut of the new single, "I Will Not Apologize" and the release of a full-length, 11-song album called "Rusted Regrets". So excited to share this project with the world and so thankful to all the talented people who joined the Rodeo and either played on the record or played a role in bringing it all to life.

I'd especially like to thank my wife for putting up with me through this. This album has been a journey with lots of starts and stops, ups and downs, great steps forward and then major set-backs. It has to be hard being married to a songwriter because pieces of my life and our life together become interwoven with imagination and storytelling - fact and fiction, present and past - inside the songs and throughout an album. I'm sure that's unnerving, so I appreciate her strength in letting me be me...for allowing me to write authentically and explore thoughts, feelings, ideas, dreams, and memories - some happy and some not so easy, but all part of the human experience that binds us all together.

Growing up in a Texas small town called Angleton about 45 miles out of Houston, country music was engrained in my brain and on my soul. Glen Campbell, George Strait, Mickey Gilley, Alabama and so many others imprinted melodies and memories. And while my first go-around as a musician was in pop rock with a band called Boys Next Door, the pull of country never left and only got stronger. Over the past decade, country music has proven to be a bit of a sanctuary for me from other genres. I'm drawn to the complexity of powerfully simple musical hooks. I'm amazed by the sincerity and songcraft of artists like Eric Church and Morgan Wallen, who specialize in unexpected twists of stories and gifted turns of phrase. And I'm blown away by the musicianship and talent present on so many recordings. People who don't appreciate country music have never truly listened to it. But that's fine - to each their own.

As I've written in recent years, the main thing that wants to come out is country - and that's what has led to the new album "Rusted Regrets". I love writing songs that explore a feeling or a moment deeply, like on "Ain't Over Getting Over" or "I Remember the Way". I love being able to be a little silly on other songs like 'Can't Fix You" or "Your Side of the Bed". Or being tender on songs like "Don't Leave Before You're Gone" or "Raining in London". Or nostalgic songs like "Younger Days" and "Time Slow Down". And I am especially grateful for the opportunity to state my beliefs and love of rugged individualism, country and God-given rights in a song like "I Will Not Apologize".

I remember when I first started touring as a teenager way back when. A major entertainment lawyer said, "You guys are good but you'll never be great because you haven't lived enough yet to write anything meaningful." That was a painful critique that made me very defensive at time. We were getting airplay and drawing good crowds - what did he know? But looking back now, he was insightful...and he was right. Great songs (especially country songs) come from hard earned experiences - victories, defeats, and downright heartaches. Well, by this point in my life, I have been through a lot - so I hope the gift of years and experience has led to a body of work that is actually meaningful and does touch hearts and minds. If it does, I hope you'll help support me in getting the word out to your friends, neighbors, networks, and co-workers.

I am honored that you took time out of your busy life to spend some time with Roadkill Rodeo and I hope it's time well spent - without any regrets.

All the best,

Mark Zembal
Roadkill Rodeo