The Acoustic Union on “Last of the Highway Troubadours” and Playing Through the Feedback

Your official video for “Last of the Highway Troubadours” came out in November 2026. Where did the song first begin, and what does that title mean to you?

The Acoustic Union: “Last of the Highway Troubadours” is a tribute to all the hardworking musicians who don’t play and sing to become famous, but because they genuinely love the music and the people they meet along the way.

The song started taking shape after a show in Pittsburgh. Joe Birch brought some lyrics and an idea to the group, and we began working together on the chords and harmonies.

The inspiration came from something every working musician can relate to. Depending on the venue, we occasionally run into sound issues. “We played through the feedback” is a phrase every musician knows and has experienced at one time or another. It’s part of the job. The show must go on!

The Acoustic Union has spent years traveling the backroads, playing pubs and bars along the way. The reference to “the haze” is a nod to those smoky venues we’ve played over the years. Joe still says that when he opens his guitar case, he can smell the smoke from some of those past gigs.

To us, the title represents a generation of hardworking musicians who keep showing up, playing the music they love, and connecting with people along the way. We’re not chasing fame. We’re doing what we love.

How did the visual story for the video come together, and what did you want viewers to see that the song alone couldn’t show them?

The Acoustic Union: The video tells the story of what fans don’t always see when they come to watch a performance. The long hours of practice, the miles traveled, and all the time spent setting up and tearing down equipment. There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes before the first note is ever played.

We wanted to give viewers a glimpse into that side of being a working musician. There’s much more to it than just getting on stage and playing a few songs. You really have to love it to do it!

Walk us through how the track itself was recorded: the arrangement, the instruments, the room you were in, and any moment in the sessions that changed the song.

The Acoustic Union: We went to Tonic Recording Studio in McKeesport, PA, to record the track. Doug Kasper guided us through different recording options, experimenting with structures and tempos to find what worked best for the song.

By that point, we had already been performing the song live and had developed much of the arrangement along the way. The combination of acoustic guitars, percussion, and our vocal harmonies helped bring the song together.

In fact, the first time we played it in front of an audience was when The Acoustic Union opened for Gino Vannelli. That live experience helped shape the song before we ever stepped into the studio.

Recording it gave us the opportunity to explore some different ideas and bring everything together in its final form.

How did Acoustic Union first come together, and what does the name say about the way you make music as a group?

The Acoustic Union: The Acoustic Union is a Pittsburgh-based acoustic group that originally came together under the name Vento, Ziggy, Hawk & McCarthy (VZHM).

Founding members John Vento, Bob Zigerelli, Cherylann Hawk, and Kevin McCarthy assembled in August 2023. In January 2025, Joe Birch transitioned from special guest to full member following Ziggy’s departure due to health reasons. With that change, a new name was born: The Acoustic Union.

The name reflects what we bring together as a group: different musical backgrounds, voices, and experiences, all united by a love of music.

With four-part harmonies floating over acoustic guitars and percussion, we create fresh yet familiar renditions of our own original material, along with songs audiences know and love.

Where do you come from, musically and geographically, and how does that place find its way into your songs?

The Acoustic Union: The members of The Acoustic Union come from different places, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. We each bring our own musical backgrounds and experiences to the group, which helps create the sound that makes us who we are.

As a group, we’ve traveled thousands of miles and performed for thousands of fans. Every place we’ve visited, every band we’ve played with, and every experience we’ve shared has helped shape us musically. Those years on the road and the people we’ve met along the way find their way into the songs we write and perform today.

A troubadour lives on the road and on stories. What keeps you writing and playing, and what does that life actually look like for you right now?

The Acoustic Union: With an average of two to three shows per month, The Acoustic Union stays pretty busy, and there’s definitely a demand for what we do.

What keeps us writing and playing is the same thing that brought us together in the first place: our love of music, performing, and connecting with people through a song.

We try to find time between shows to get together for practice, work on new material, and continue developing our sound. There’s always something new to learn or a different way to approach a song.

Even though life looks a little different today than it did during the years when some of us were playing night after night in bars, the passion is still there. As long as we’re having fun, making music, and people want to hear it, there’s plenty of reason to keep going.

What are you working on next, and where can listeners hear you live in the coming months?

The Acoustic Union: We’re always working on something new, whether it’s writing fresh original material, tightening up our harmonies, or adding songs to the lineup that we know audiences will enjoy. We want to keep things fresh while staying true to the sound people have come to expect from The Acoustic Union.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone out there. For our latest performance schedule and upcoming shows, visit our website at: https://theacousticunion.com