American songwriter, novelist and educator Thom Bishop is set to release his new album Train Leaving Dallas on July 31st, 2026, marking a significant new chapter in a career shaped by music, literature, teaching and personal reinvention. The twelve-track record brings together six original songs and six reimagined classics, led by the single “Here Comes The Night,” Bishop’s fresh interpretation of the Van Morrison favourite.
Created with longtime collaborator Billy Panda, Train Leaving Dallas reflects a partnership built over many years of writing, recording and performing together. The album’s original songs were written while Bishop and Panda were both living in Nashville, while the cover selections grew out of material they had performed in clubs, concerts and festivals. Bishop has described the creative aim simply: to make the originals sound timeless and the covers feel newly alive.
The recording process took place across several locations. The original songs were tracked at Panda’s Studio P in Sarasota, Florida, while the covers began as intimate live-style performances recorded by Bishop with his Gibson L4 archtop guitar at Brian Shey’s home studio in Lyons, Colorado. Panda later expanded the arrangements, producing, engineering and performing additional instrumentation, with Executive Producer Grace McKay helping guide the finished album.
Ireland plays an important emotional role in the project. Bishop, who is based in Colorado, has been spending more time in Ireland with his wife Michele while their daughter Simone studies at the University of Galway. The country’s music culture, from street buskers to traditional songs in pubs, has become a powerful source of inspiration for him.
With Train Leaving Dallas, Bishop offers a record rooted in craft, memory and renewal. From the title track, previously recorded by Crystal Sands and Megon McDonough, to the lead single “Here Comes The Night,” the album honours the past while pointing toward a vibrant new creative future.