Coxey’s Army debut album is filled with all sorts of Celtic punk and Americana goodness with a dash of street punk thrown in, the kinds of songs that resonate across time.
Going a little bit into history, one finds that Coxey’s Army refers to the protest march Jacob Coxey led from Ohio to the White House in the late 1890’s seeking help for the working class, and that certainly seems fitting as the name for a punk band. While band history is a bit sparse (also very punk rock), some sources have the band forming in 2019 and there certainly is record of them playing shows in Ohio and other parts of the midwest starting about that time, so we’ll go with that. If we fast-forward to 2023, the band was recognized as a “Top Central Ohio Band to Watch” and they’ve shared stages with some well-known punk bands, the likes of the Casualties, The Rumjacks, Sloppy Seconds, and The Dreadnoughts, all of which add to the credibility. Based on Spotify, the band has been releasing singles since 2022, so this pieced together history all checks out, even though bass/vocalist Nate Rising has mentioned some of the songs on the album date back to 2009. If anything that just points to the timeless nature of good music, so now in 2025, the band has released their debut album, Stand Together, Keep the Faith.
“Blue Collar Pilgrim” was the first single off the album and may have been an introduction to the band for some, but for me the actual first track on the album, “Vagabond Son” is a great opening track and introduction to the band and actually, according to Nate Rising, is how they open shows as well. To be entirely fair, I didn’t listen much to “Blue Collar Pilgrim” before getting the album, so I had a vague idea of an Americana/Celtic punk blend similar to later Flatfoot 56, 6’10”, Street Dogs, and others in the genre, but was wondering if that was just a song or two on the album. “Vagabond Son” opens up with some fast strumming acoustic guitars, joined in by the rest of the band and then the song gets off to a rollicking start. Nate Rising’s gravelly vocals work well with the music and the gang vocal chorus adds to a general picture of a band playing in a small, packed sweaty club. Bring in some traditional instruments for the Celtic sounds and you have an energetic, fun song to sing along to as the chorus goes “I’ll find a way to survive”.
After “Vagabond Son” and “Blue Collar Pilgrim” I could see the Americana/folk influence was going to be a strong theme for the album and it did turn out that way. From a production standpoint, the mixing is spot on, with every instrument being heard in the mix and the vocals at the right level. I’ve heard many similar projects get this part wrong with traditional instruments dominating or hardly heard but credit is due for the work on this album. A couple things that did stand out for me overall was the drum work by Ryan Evans as it’s simple and straight ahead punk drumming when it should be but there are some fills and rolls in parts of some songs that really add subtly to the overall sound. Similarly bass guitar work, especially by a singer tends to be somewhat understated (don’t tell Tom Araya I said that), but Nate does a great job with both vocals and bass lines anchoring the songs, keeping things moving, making the rhythm section of Nate and Ryan something special in these tracks.
“Til the End of the Line” is more of the same but with some great gang vocals and a really cool drum rhythm anchoring the song, and this is all a good thing. Then “G5C” comes in and forgets all the Americana/Celtic influences going for straight ahead street punk of driving guitars and another great bass line supporting the shouted vocals. “Send Em Packing” and “You’re Gonna Make It” were earlier singles by the band and keep more of the street punk guitar influence but lean increasingly toward the more melodic Americana/folk punk mix driving most of the songs on Stand Together, Keep the Faith, suggesting this is a way to see the evolution of the band and their songwriting and influences. Either way, solid songs that work in the context of the album.
“Run Away” is like a major plot twist in terms of sound in some ways, but then again, it does fit in this collection of tracks. The guitars get to stretch their legs a bit on this track that ranges from almost a jazz lounge feel to something ska-like. Vocals are a switch here with founding guitarist Ben Marshall handling them and are very smooth, leading to an overall catchy song that is not like the others (Ben left the band shortly after recording). “Ballad of a Prideful Man” and “Fairwell, Godspeed”, which also features guest vocals by Tobin Bawinkel (Flatfoot 56), return us to the Americana/folk sound and “Clarion Call”, which was also featured on Rock Against Trump compilation from Punkerton Records, brings back some of the guitar-driven street punk. The album closes with “Take Heart” which musically is largely traditional instruments including Irish bouzouki with some Irish tenor banjo and tin whistle and fittingly is a song about “standing arm and arm and giving it all we got, take heart”.
Coxey’s Army have released a collection of tracks fitting to the history of their name. Songs of unity, resilience, hope, and brotherhood dominate the themes, working perfectly with both the Americana/folk/Celtic punk influences as well as with the more aggressive street punk.
Rating: 8/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- Vagabond Son
- Blue Collar Pilgrim
- Faithful
- Til the End of the Line
- The G5C
- Send Them Packing
- Run Away
- Ballad of a Prideful Man
- Fairwell, Godspeed
- Clarion Call
- You’re Gonna Make It
- Take Heart
Release Date: 6 October 2025
Label: Independent
Band Members
Nate Rising – vocals/bass
AJ Hutchinson – guitar
Dan Larson – guitar
Ryan Evans – drums
Links
Bandcamp: https://coxeysarmy.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/495RugouUcDe3GlEnyyYmJ?si=Slfa-xWQQSaol5S6-_pInA
Website: www.coxeysarmy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coxeysarmy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coxeysarmy