Last time the country-rock icon Pure Prairie League was in town for a run at the Egyptian Theatre was June 2024. At that time, longtime bassist and vocalist Michael Reilly couldn’t make the trip. “I was working on mixing our new album ‘Back on Track,’” he said last week during an in terview with The Park Record. “So that took me away.” This year, Reilly still won’t be on the bill when the band — pedal-steel guitarist John David Call, drummer Scott Thompson, keyboardist/vocalist Randy Harper, guitarist/vocalist Jeffrey Zona and bassist /vocalist Jared Camic — plays Aug. 28-30 at the Egyptian Theatre. But, he said, the musicians will play some new songs from the album, according to Reilly. “They’ll play five or six of the new songs mixed in with the hits everybody wants to hear,” he said. Those hits include the band’s 1975 breakthrough, “Aime,” as well as their No. 1 single, “Let Me Love You Tonight,” Reilly said. The new album, which features a cover painting of the band’s cowpoke mascot, Sad Luke, by artist Bill Brown, was released during the winter of 2024 and sports a tracklist that includes original songs written by vocalist and guitarist Jeff Zona and bassist and vocalist Jared Camic, as well as some covers, including the Lesley Duncan tune “Love Song,” Reilly said. “Leslie was a backup singer from England who sang with the Alan Parsons Project and Elton John,” he said. “And ‘Love Song’ is a song that I have loved for years.”Reilly first heard the song on John’s 1971 album, “Tumbleweed Connection.” “We decided to record it with just acoustic guitars and vocals,” he said.  The song sounds like a true Pure Prairie League tune, as does “Six Feet of Snow,” a country song track written by Little Feat guitarist Lowell George and the late Grateful Dead keyboardist, Keith Godchaux, Reilly said. “‘Six Feet of Snow’ comes from Little Feat’s ‘Down of the Farm’ album, and we used to play that song years ago,” he said. “So, we thought it would be a good one to include on the new album.” The album also includes two compositions — “Modern Problems” and “I Believe I can Fall in Love,” that the band has been playing on for years, written by Pure Prairie League’s former vocalist and guitarist Gary Burr, according to Reilly. “We’ve been working on ‘Modern Problems’ for a long time, and I’ve been able to arrange it the way it’s always been in my head,” he said. “Our drummer Scott Thompson sings on the song, and it sounds great.” Reilly knew how important producing and mixing the album was in the scheme of things. It’s not often a band from the early ’70s records an album full of new music. “I needed to listen to the past albums to find that thread that would link those songs to the new songs,” he said. “We are in that group of contemporaries that include the Eagles, Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco and Linda Ronstadt. And we were there at the right time.” With that pedigree, performing live has become a responsibility for the band members, Reilly said. “They need to perform the songs as faithful to the originals, but also add some of their own personalities,” he said. “It’s a little easy for the guys because they are fans of the music. When I hire musicians, I not only have to trust their musicianship. I also have to trust they will do a great job on these songs, which have become part of the soundtrack of our fans’ lives.” That soundtrack has even been passed on to fans’ kids and grandkids, Reilly said. “I give all the credit to parents and grandparents who have helped fulfill our job to educate new generations about our music,” he said. Some of those parents and grandparents live in Park City, Reilly said. “We love coming and performing there,” he said. “The staff at the Egyptian Theatre really treat us well, and we have many friends in Park City we have made over the years. So being able to stay for a few days in town is something we enjoy.”  Pure Prairie League When: Friday through Sunday Where: The Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St. Phone: 855-745-SHOW Web: parkcityshows.com and pureprairieleague.com The post Pure Prairie League gets ‘Back on Track’ with a new album appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less