Erik Vincent Huey Unleashes 'The Hatfield Action' Ahead of Forthcoming LP Fort Defiance

Erik Vincent Huey is charging into 2026 with fierce momentum as he announces the release of “The Hatfield Action,” the electrifying new single from his forthcoming solo album Fort Defiance, set to drop on February 13, 2026. With its swagger, grit, and irresistible backbeat, the single offers a tantalizing preview of what promises to be Huey’s most fully realized work to date.

Fort Defiance marks a bold new chapter for the West Virginia–born songwriter. Produced by none other than Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, widely hailed as The Godfather of Americana, the album brings together a formidable lineup of musicians whose reputations stretch across multiple eras of rock, roots, and Americana. Ambel, known for his iconic guitar work with Joan Jett, Del-Lords, and Steve Earle & The Dukes, as well as his production credits with Bottle Rockets, Jimbo Mathus, Yayhoos, and Sarah Borges, steers the project with the same punch and clarity that have made him a legend in the genre.

The album features notable guest vocal appearances by:

• Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns N’ Roses)

• Sarah Borges (critically acclaimed singer-songwriter)

  
  

And once again, Huey is joined by Baltimore’s power-pop tour de force Starbelly, who backed him on the road after his previous release. This time around, the band plays an even more central role, providing the album’s backbone:

• Bryan Ewald – guitar & organ

• Cliff Hillis – guitar

• Dennis Schocket – bass

• Greg Schroeder – drums

  
  

Additional firepower comes from a stacked roster of seasoned players:

• Keith Christopher (Lynyrd Skynyrd) – bass

• Tim Smith (The Surreal McCoys) – guitar

• Phil Cimino – drums

Fort Defiance was recorded at Ambel’s own Cowboy Technical Services in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, long respected as a creative hub for authentic, analog-rich American rock ’n’ roll.

The album follows Huey’s critically acclaimed 2023 solo debut Appalachian Gothic, a record that earned him widespread praise.

The lead single is a barn-burning, foot-stomping slice of rock ’n’ roll with a hook that begs for a repeat spin. But the title itself? That’s where the mystery, and charm, lies.

Huey laughs when asked...

“Truth is, I have no earthly idea what the phrase means, other than the Surreal McCoys were on an extended hiatus and Hatfield Action seemed like the opposite of McCoy Inaction. But I’ll tell you one damn thing, every time we play it live, the crowd starts dancing.”

The song’s lyrics paint the scene with high-octane swagger:

“Hit the backbeat hard Shake it way down South It’ll put a pretty song In a sad girl’s mouth Goin’ all night long, Psychotic reaction Everybody goin’ crazy For ‘The Hatfield Action.’”

From the first beat to the last, this is a track engineered for wild nights, sweaty dance floors, and the unfiltered joy of live music.

To understand Huey’s music is to understand where he comes from. The son of four generations of coal miners, Erik Vincent Huey grew up along the Monongahela River, between West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania. His youth was soundtracked equally by the fierce rebellion of The Clash, X, and The Sex Pistols, and by the deep, aching ballads of Johnny Cash and George Jones—music he recalls hearing in the cab of his Uncle Jack’s 18-wheeler.

Those blended influences eventually pointed Huey toward the cowpunk trail carved by The Blasters, The Beat Farmers, Jason & The Scorchers, and Dwight Yoakam. It’s a lineage that would shape his longtime role as frontman for The Surreal McCoys—a band Mojo Nixon once affectionately dubbed a “hipster doofus band.”

Under the name Cletus McCoy, Huey led the group to underground success with two albums and a breakout mashup single, “Whole Lotta Folsom,” which earned steady rotation on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel. The band now enjoys more than 50,000 monthly listeners and over 3.5 million streams on Spotify.

If Appalachian Gothic was an introspective excavation of Huey’s roots, Fort Defiance is something entirely different. It’s a road map out, an album driven by movement, momentum, and the desire to break free.

As Huey puts it:

“After the introspective, geographic deep dive of Appalachian Gothic, I wanted to make a record that was simply a collection of songs, without a unifying narrative theme. This record is about achieving escape velocity out of Appalachia and into the larger world. Kinda like my own journey.”

With “The Hatfield Action” setting the pace, listeners can expect an album brimming with punchy riffs, sharp storytelling, and Huey’s unmistakable Appalachian lilt, now fused with the confidence of an artist stepping into his prime.

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