Lost Immigrants

From a tradition of music rooted in heritage and home, honesty and hurt, sorrow and sunsets, emerge Lost Immigrants.

They are country music. They are rock.
They are pop. They are blues.
They are saints. They are sinners.
They are idiots, and they are fools.
They are Texas music.

Lost Immigrants formed in fall 2004, when longtime friends Craig Hinkle and James Dunning agreed to work on small collection of songs and an American music project. That collaboration led to weekly rehearsals, monthly gigs and frequent trips down Texas highways.

Hinkle and Dunning met in college, played in a band that went on to evolve and emerge as a noted performance and songwriting powerhouse of the late 1990s and early ’00s. A move to Nashville, Tenn., secured a record deal, but also lead to several original members parting ways to pursue new interests. After several years and even more miles, two of these original members have been reunited.

And the musical powerhouse is once again lighting the collective souls of everyone who listens.

“The Immigrants joined together on a journey,” writes Craig Hinkle, “a journey that, without knowing, would take them through nearly every stage of life and places in between. And somewhere along they way, they lost themselves.”

The journey would also lead to new recruits and soon-to-be dear friends. Sean Isbell (lead guitar) joined the band to help round out the sound, bringing a unique musical ear and phrasing to the group's instrumentation. Many others would come and go as the band sought a foothold in the Texas country music circuit.

Pulling a little from a variety of genres, the music of Lost Immigrants spans the entire Americana spectrum. So much so, the band seeks only to be known as a “American music”: the very best of country, Southern rock, blues and pop melodies. Their influences are as wide-reaching as their aspirations -- Tom Petty, Skynyrd, Charlie Robison, George Jones, Counting Crows and U2, to name a few. But instead of emulating these famous acts, the members of Lost Immigrants seek to join their ranks and create their own unique sound for the world to enjoy.

So take a moment to introduce yourself to Lost Immigrants. The music is memorable; the songwriting, sublime. Chances are, you won’t be disappointed.

Read an exclusive interview on Lost Immigrants.

Meet Lost Immigrants...

CRAIG HINKLE (2004- ): Born in Texas and raised on chicken fried steaks and burning sunsets, Craig is one of the founding members of Lost Immigrants and one of the principle songwriters. Craig has known music was his calling since the age of three when he first heard “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glenn Campbell. All he lacks now are the rhinestones and boots and a hat... and people believing he is really a cowboy.

JAMES DUNNING (2004- ): Born on the West Coast and raised on lonesome Texan tunes, James is a founding member of LI and one of the principle songwriters. James loves to add a touch of rock and roll and old-school snarl to the LI catalog. In his spare time, he enjoys the cinema and taking naive friends for a tour of Dallas freeways.

SEAN ISBELL (2005- ): A native of the Big D (and I do mean Dallas), Sean is a rookie in the "American" music scene but no stranger to a guitar or a microphone. His first guitar came at the age of 14, his first performance four months later, and at the age of 24, he's lending his creative abilities to some truly great Texas songwriting. The only question he would ask of his bandmates, "Will I still have time for Hold 'Em on the weekends...?" That answer will likely be no.

CHRIS MASHBURN (2006- ): Fort Worth-born and bred, Chris starting playing the drums when he was five years old and started his formal training as a "percussionist" at 10. He has played all over Texas and the South with such notables as Chuck Rainey (Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin), Buddy Whittington (John Mayal), Johnny Red (Johnny Red and The Roosters), and Joe Ely. Chris endorses Promark Sticks and Dynasty Percussion USA.

MIKE McBROOM (2006- ): The frontman and lead guitar slinger for Push Rod, Mike has joined LI in a variety of shows, rarely playing the same instrument twice: Hammond organ, steel dobro, mandolin, bass and electric guitar. Versatile and talent, Mike continues to be the band's "ace in the hole", the official fifth member, as well as giving the guys that "cool" element they've been lacking all their lives.