When Levi Foster flew to Los Angeles carrying a 1966 Martin guitar and a stack of restless songs that didn’t quite fit Nashville’s modern mold, he wasn’t chasing polish, he was chasing freedom. The result is Foster’s second full-length album Appalachian Funk Tree (out October 9, 2026), produced by Shooter Jennings at the legendary Snake Mountain (Sunset Sound Studio 3) in Hollywood.

At a moment when mainstream country continues to lean sleek and radio-ready, Foster’s music digs into something stranger and more unpredictable. The 13 tracks on Appalachian Funk Tree blend mountain gospel spirit, Red Dirt attitude, new and traditional Country, and Americana storytelling that feels lived-in rather than manufactured. Jennings, known for championing artists who exist outside traditional boundaries, approached the project less as a producer chasing perfection and more as a collaborator helping Foster build a sonic world where humor, chaos, and hard-won truths could coexist.

Levi Foster writes songs that feel like tall tales told at the end of a long night - part humor, part hard truth, and always rooted in the storytelling traditions of American music. “Fat Elvis,” the first song released off the album, is a rowdy, cinematic introduction to Foster’s evolved sound. What began as a late-night joke among friends sparked by the line in the song “sweatin’ like fat Elvis on a postcard down in Memphis, Tennessee” quickly evolved into something larger. Set against the chaos of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, “Fat Elvis” unfolds like a hazy fever dream of American excess and hard-earned lessons, blending humor with a darker reflection on fading icons, bad decisions, and the strange mythology we build around ourselves.   The track signals a new chapter for an artist determined to push beyond genre lines without abandoning his roots. 

Foster’s songs wander through strange characters, human flaws, and the kind of moments that feel too real to be made up. As the Country and Americana landscape continues to evolve, Appalachian Funk Tree positions Foster among a new wave of artists willing to challenge genre expectations while staying rooted in the storytelling spirit that defines country music at its core.