Media One-Sheet | 2026
The Wes Herndon Band
Better Late — A Southern Blues-Rock Second Act Recorded at Capricorn Studios
After nearly three decades away from music, Georgia-born, Florida-based songwriter Wes Herndon returned to make Better Late—an 11-song original album blending Southern blues-rock, swamp-soaked grooves, soulful songwriting and guitar-forward arrangements, recorded at historic Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia.
The title track, “Better Late,” is out now, released September 29, 2026. The complete 11-song original album has been pressed on vinyl, with the remaining songs rolling out individually to streaming services.
The Story
The music never really left.
Wes Herndon played music earlier in life, stepped away for nearly three decades, built a career, raised a family and kept moving. Eventually, he realized the music was still sitting there—making noise in the corner like an unpaid bar tab.
Returning later gave the songs a different weight. Wes was no longer trying to invent a point of view; he had lived long enough to have one. That return eventually led to The Wes Herndon Band and to Better Late.
The title is more than a joke about timing. It is the entire story: an artist returning after the expected window had supposedly closed, bringing hard-earned perspective instead of pretending the years never happened.
“It is not just a clever album title. It is the story.”
Capricorn Studios
Not a museum visit. A proving ground.
In April 2026, The Wes Herndon Band carried an album of original songs into Capricorn Studios in Macon. For a Georgia-rooted Southern blues-rock artist, the history was impossible to ignore—but the purpose was never to recreate the past.
The band went there to work inside the values that made that musical world matter: feel, musicianship, songs, groove, soul and risk. The goal was to make something alive now.
Better Late was engineered and co-produced by Rob Evans and recorded with Wes Herndon on lead vocals and guitars, Andy Gray on drums, Tommy Pituch on bass, Jeff Silvey on keys and Chris Damiano on guitars.
Polished, not plastic. Real songs with a little dirt on them.
The Album
Better Late
Better Late is the first full-band original album from The Wes Herndon Band. Its songs carry Southern roots, regret, humor, family, hard-earned perspective and the strange blessing of getting another shot later in life.
The album is rooted in Southern blues-rock, with swamp-soaked grooves, Southern soul and guitar-forward arrangements moving through the eleven songs without forcing them into the same mold. It is new music made by players who still believe songs should have blood in them.
Release: The title track, “Better Late,” was released September 29, 2026. The complete eleven-song album has been pressed on vinyl, and the remaining originals are rolling out individually to streaming services.
View the 11-song track list
- Getting High at Low Tide
- Little More Time
- Slip Slide Dance
- Angels Envy V2
- Southern Storm
- Better Late
- Barstool Saints
- Back to Macon
- Blues for a Wife
- Best of Me
- Brand New Day
Hear Three Sides of Better Late
The story. The darker edge. The songwriter.
Start with the released title track, then hear two short original studio previews chosen to show media, radio and podcast listeners the record’s range.
“Better Late”
The second-act idea in song form: concise Southern blues-rock built around returning later without pretending the years in between never happened.
“Angels Envy V2”
A slow-burn blues side of the record, with expressive guitar, organ and the space and tension behind the band’s swampier sound.
“Little More Time”
A warmer, more soulful turn that puts the writing, vocal and emotional range ahead of volume without leaving the band identity behind.
Additional Listening · Cover Recording
“Melissa”
Released June 23, 2026 | Better Late Records | Recorded at Capricorn Studios
Why this song?
The band recorded The Allman Brothers Band’s “Melissa” during the Capricorn sessions as something special for the people who backed Better Late. After those backers encouraged a public release, the song became a natural doorway for listeners—a familiar song leading into the band’s original musical world.
The purpose was never to replace or improve upon a recording people already love. It is a respectful nod to the musical road that helped bring the band to Capricorn.
“Melissa” is not the destination. It is the doorway. Better Late is where it leads.
For Podcasts, Radio & Editorial
Conversation angles with somewhere to go
These are not talking points to memorize. They are the parts of the story most likely to produce a worthwhile conversation.
Coming Back Later
What changes when an artist returns to music after nearly three decades—and why the intervening life matters to the songs.
Recording at Capricorn
How a Georgia-rooted artist enters a historically loaded studio without turning the session into an exercise in imitation.
Why “Melissa”
The backer-first origin of the recording, the responsibility of covering a beloved song and its role as a bridge to new originals.
Real Players, Modern Record
Why feel, interaction, tone and human decision-making still matter without romanticizing mistakes or rejecting modern tools.
Southern Rock in 2026
Treating Southern Rock as living music rather than a costume, a stereotype or a museum piece.
Full Album, Singles Over Time
Why supporters receive the complete 11-song digital album while each original song gets its own public streaming release window.
Suggested starter questions
Media Assets
Artwork and session photography
Open the full-resolution file, then save it from your browser. Please credit Capricorn session photography to Wes Herndon/The Wes Herndon Band unless another photographer credit is provided separately.
Media, Podcast & Radio Contact
Wes Herndon
The Wes Herndon Band | Better Late Records
