Dougie Poole isn't the country crooner of your grandad's day. He brings a modern approach to a time-honored genre in a way that makes it feel new again, without losing the soul of what people love about country music.
Poole was raised in midtown Manhattan, and studied piano as a child. One day, he saw a commercial for the Beatles' 1 compilation on Comedy Central, and decided to take up guitar. He dove head-first into classic rock, becoming obsessed with The Grateful Dead, which led him to discovering Merle Haggard.
The singer-songwriter toured early on in the experimental music scene with Jerry Paper, and appeared on the 2019 Drugdealer album Raw Honey on the song "Wild Motion." His foray into his version of country music came with the 2017 debut of his solo album, Wideass Highway. His critically-acclaimed album The Freelancer's Blues followed in 2020, and the project saw him graduate from the bedroom country of his debut to a full band with a more defined sound and sardonic wit.
Now rooted in the Brooklyn indie underground scene, Poole's third album, The Rainbow Wheel of Death, was released in 2023 and features the single "Nothing on This Earth Can Make Me Smile." The album title refers to the spinning wheel seen on a Mac when an app freezes, as well as the challenges of re-entering life post-pandemic. Across all of his albums, Poole's music is steeped in personal storytelling, and his lyrics detail real-life struggles, work and relationships.
Dubbed the "patron saint of millennial malaise" by Aquarium Drunkard, Dougie Poole will head out on tour in 2023, performing concerts in the United States and Europe.
