Steeped in the country music that is ostensibly his birthright, while also heavily influenced by the Nashville DIY house show punk scene that gave him a home during adolescence, IV and the Strange Band leader Coleman Williams blends styles that, on paper, shouldn’t really work. But in his more than capable hands, fiddle, acoustic guitar, banjo, and Williams aching, twang-infused vocals mesh with heavier sounds that allow the band to tour with acts like Eyehategod.

“Shooter Jennings is an innovator and a musician who has always strived to make his own sound but still keep a respect for the classics,” says Williams. “Based upon his style and creativity, he is exactly the type of person who I would want to have sign my band. From the beginning when Shooter flew across the country to hear us play, I knew he was someone the band could trust and grow with. The years of our families’ ties are wonderful but to just naturally gel like we have is something I believe is really special.”

“Coleman and I have a lot of mutual friends, and until now we’d never met before,” explains Jennings. “When one of those friends connected us and I had a chance to hear the music, I flipped out and became one of his biggest fans. I immediately saw the importance in his story and point of view, told in conjunction with a fresh take on where country music could go from here. He’s the fourth in line of men who have done things their way, blending and bending genres and keeping the story going for generations to come. I’m proud to announce my label, Black Country Rock, will be working with the extremely talented IV and the Strange Band to release their debut album. I’m very proud to continue the tradition of our families coming together to help each other and forge the way into the future of country music.”