“Every time we collaborate, there’s this feeling of newness and possibility, even though it’s all a part of this same story we’ve been telling since the very beginning.”įor The Flatlanders, that story began back in the early 1970s, when Ely, Gilmore, and Hancock first came together for a string of performances and recording sessions that would go on to become the stuff of legend.

“Whenever the three of us get together, it all feels so fresh and exciting and unpredictable,” says Hancock.

These days, you may be more likely to find avowed fans like the Coen Brothers or David Byrne in the crowd, but the spirit of The Flatlanders remains the same: everything’s better with friends. While a few of the songs here are never-before-heard originals, the vast majority of the tracklist consists of vintage tunes the band picked up during their 50-year career, some stretching as far back as the group’s earliest performances in the honkytonks around Lubbock, TX, where you might have spotted Willie Nelson or Townes Van Zandt in the audience on any given night. Completed during COVID-19 lockdowns with the help of longtime friend and collaborator Lloyd Maines, the record finds the iconic Texas trio of Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock in classic form, serving up a rollicking collection of twang-fueled, harmony-laden performances full of wry humor and raw heartbreak. Take a listen to Treasure of Love, The Flatlanders’ first new album in more than a decade, and it’s clear that those bonds are deeper and stronger now than ever before. Beyond the music, we just connect with each other in these deep and personal ways, and that’s been a lifelong treasure.” “We’ve all been fans of each other from the start,” says Jimmie Dale Gilmore, “but the thing that’s always struck me about The Flatlanders is that, first and foremost, it’s a band rooted in friendship.

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