Micky & The Motorcars

For a handful of summers about 30 years ago, tourists who wandered into a large dancehall in Stanley, Idaho, witnessed a family tradition finding new life. Young and old sat shoulder-to-shoulder, taking a break from the town’s mountain hikes and river campgrounds to take in Muzzie Braun and the Boys — a local family band who’d made it to the Grand Ole Opry, effortlessly spouted cowboy poetry and Western swing, and featured Muzzie’s four young sons.

"There were kids running around, people dancing," says Micky Braun, the youngest brother who first climbed on stage to join the family when he was about five years-old. "Gary and I’d get up and play a couple of songs, then we’d get off and the older brothers would stay up and play a couple more. It’s pretty funny, looking back on it." He laughs a little, then adds, still smiling, "That’s how we got started playing."

The Braun brothers never stopped. Big brothers Cody and Willy started Reckless Kelly, and Micky and Gary left Idaho for Austin and started Micky and the Motorcars. The Motorcars’ nonstop touring for the last 17 years has defined not just the lives of the brothers, but also helped shape Austin’s roots-rock scene. With their anticipated new album Long Time Comin’, the Motorcars cement their place as elder statesmen of that alt-country scene.

"I hope people take the time to hear the album as a whole, and I hope they like it," Gary says from his home in Austin. "I think this one is a little bit better." He pauses and laughs as he drawls, "So I hope they like it a little more."

Gary — who handles guitar, mandolin, harmonica, harmonies, and occasionally lead vocals — and Micky, lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist, are joined in the Motorcars by Andy Carrell on bass, Bobby Paugh on drums and percussion, and new bandmate Pablo Trujillo on guitar. The mix of familiar and fresh players has reinvigorated the band’s live show, which buzzes through a low-key rock-and-roll rapture built on grooves and the Brauns’ signature harmonies.

Produced by Keith Gattis, Long Time Comin' is an 11-song album that relied in part on Gattis’ go-to Nashville studio players — a first for the Motorcars. "It still sounds like Micky and the Motorcars, but it was fun working with different guys who we’d never worked with before," Micky says.

Gary wrote or co-wrote six of the album’s tracks and sings every tune he penned. "I don’t think I decided to really write more — I think I just got better at it and worked a little harder at it the past couple of years," Gary says. "In the past, I just let Micky do it because he was good at it. It was easy for me not to do it." Micky: "It’s almost a split album between the two of us on lead vocal — very different from our normal. I think our fans will enjoy it. They always love the songs Gary sings live. They always want him to sing more."

The album opens with the ambling "Road to You," written by Micky and Courtney Patton. Other tracks include the sauntering "Rodeo Girl," Gary’s "Alone Again Tonight" (written with Gattis), and "Stranger Tonight," which captures an evening’s quest for no-strings companionship.

"Break My Heart," written by Gary with Jeff Crosby, looks back after the end of a relationship. Quiet and sparse, Gary’s "Run into You" details longing to cross paths with an ex who’s moved on. Anchored by crying B-3 organ, "Hold This Town Together" — written by Micky and Jeff Crosby — explores the struggle to enjoy what once was easy after the loss of someone who’ll never come back; Micky wrote the song for Mark, a friend and the Motorcars’ first bassist, who passed away. Another Crosby-Micky collaboration, "Thank My Mother’s God," pays tribute to moms and their devotion to their black sheep.

Two standouts: "Lions of Kandahar," written by Gary alone, explores a deployment from a first-person perspective and took five years to complete; and the title track "Long Time Comin'," penned by Micky with Bruce Robison, is an ode to patience and perseverance.

Guitars and songs at the ready, Micky and Gary hope their cross-continental fanbase connects with Long Time Comin', a collection four years in the making. "If you can put your heart on your sleeve and say it, it’s the best medicine for people," Micky says. "They can lock into it and enjoy the ride."

Born and raised in Idaho, Jeff Crosby has been sharing his perspective of Americana throughout the US and Europe for the past decade. After moving to Los Angeles in 2012, Crosby landed two songs ("This old town" and "Oh love oh lord") on the FX series Sons of Anarchy, which led to playing clubs, festivals, and biker rallies across the country. He performed over 200 shows a year for five years, then spent 2015–16 playing guitar for Widespread Panic songwriter Jerry Joseph and played with Reckless Kelly in 2019.

Crosby has co-written songs featured on Micky & The Motorcars' Long Time Comin' and Reckless Kelly’s American Girls/American Jackpot. After spending three years in Nashville, Crosby has returned to Idaho and is touring full time in support of his release NORTHSTAR (APRIL 2020) and the single "Runnin’ Free" (MAY 2021) featuring Cody Braun. The single was produced and engineered by Gregg Williams and Jonathan Tyler.