Break Out the Accordions: DIRT ROAD is here!

James Kelman’s new novel is on sale today, and we have the perfect music to go along with it.

Booker Prize-winning author James Kelman’s new novel Dirt Road goes on sale today, and to celebrate, we’re blasting music all through the office. It’s the final book of Catapult’s Spring/Summer season, and it’s a knockout. Following sixteen-year-old Murdo, a “21st-century, Scottish, working-class, Leopold Bloomian Holden Caulfield” (Boston Globe), Dirt Road is a powerful novel about the strength of family ties, the consolation of music, and one unforgettable journey from darkness to light.

We’re deeply proud to have Kelman and this new book on our list. And with three starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist, we’re not the only ones enamored with it.

Drawing on Kelman’s expertise, one of our fabulous interns created a special playlist to honor the music of Dirt Road. You can listen to it on Spotify or check it out on your own with the tracklist below. Happy reading, and happy listening!

1. “Last Dance Waltz” by Boozoo Chavis

2. “Paradise” by John Prine

3. “The Fate of Talmedge Osborn” by Ernest V. Stoneman

4. “Whistling Song” by James Bryan & Carl Jones

5. “The Bluebell Polka” by Jimmy Shand

6. “Je me suis marillie” by The Balfa Brothers

7. “Ay Te Dejo En San Antonio” by Flaco Jimenez

8. “Hasta La Vista” by Flaco Jiminez

9. “Tus Mentiras” by Texas Tornados

10. “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone (Instrumental)” by Texas Tornados, Freddy Fender

11. “El Pescador” by Los Super Seven

12. “Creole Farmer’s Stomp” by Creole Zydeco Stomp

13. “Fighting ‘59’” by Mary Hibbs

14. “Mary of the Wild Moor” by Harry Hibbs

15. “Heliotrope Bouquet” by Jim McLennan

16. “I’m Coming Home (To See My Mother)” by Clifton Chenier

17. “Shake Em Up Baby” by Clifton Chenier

18. “As I Went out A’ Walkin’” by Dirk Powell

19. “Prettiest Little Girl in The Country” by Dirk Powell

20. “Oh! What Can I Do” by Queen Ida

21. “Louisiana” by Queen Isa

22. “Went to the Dance Last Night” by Preston Frank

23. “La Muerta” by Santiago Jimenez, Jr.

24. “Margarita Margarita” by Santiago Jimenez, Jr.

25. “Danse de Mardi Gras” by The Balfa Freres