The new album was recorded at Boot Hill Studio in Corinth, TX and Valve Studios in Dallas, TX with producer Sterling Winfield (Pantera, Hellyeah, Damageplan).

Big Dad Ritch had this to say about the effort,t "Dark Side of Black is our heaviest album to date for sure. We've learned a lot having made four full-length albums prior. We're trying to use that knowledge we learned to make an album that can maintain what Ride On and Peacemaker bring to the table, yet we wanted it to lend itself more to the power that is the RED DIRT METAL of Rollin and Pride of Texas. So it feels like Pride meets Peacemaker. Top shelf THC meets bottom shelf liquor..."

Drummer Timmy Braun reflects on the challenges he faced recording the album, "About Dark Side of Black, I have never had such a difficult time completing an album in my life," begins Braun. "I say that because my first session I had just got out of the hospital. It was difficult for me to walk let alone play a drum kit. After being in bed for literally two weeks I felt a bit out of shape. Then for the second session my hand was swollen to almost twice its size because of an injury! I couldn't make a fist let alone play a drum kit. However, I'm hoping the vibe I was able to create will have a special flavor that I wouldn't have been able to offer had my life been in order, per say. In other words, tough times make for better art!"

Guitarist Cord Pool adds, "Between tweaking our writing style and being influenced by personal things, Dark Side of Black leads the listener a step closer to the darker and heavier side of what we have to offer."

Texas Hippie Coalition will kick off their "Dark Side of Black" tour, will with support from Sons of Texas, on April 29th in Shreveport, LA and visit a total of 26 cities before ending at River City Rockfest on May 29th.

The tour will include five spring festival stops (these will not include Sons of Texas). Before the tour, the band will perform two headline dates, one of which will act as their official album release party.

"Dark Side of Black" Tour w/ Sons of Texas:
*Festival appearances in bold - NO Sons of Texas on festival dates
29-Apr - Shreveport, LA - Riverside Warehouse
30-Apr - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade - Hell
1-May - Jacksonville, FL - Metropolitan Park - Welcome to Rockville
3-May - Knoxville, TN - The Concourse at The International
4-May - Richmond, VA - The Broadberry
5-May - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
6-May - Winchester, VA - Blue Fox Billiards
7-May - Concord, NC - Rock City Campgrounds @ Charlotte Motor Speedway - Carolina Rebellion
8-May - Virginia Beach, VA - Shaka's
10-May - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs (NO Sons of Texas)
11-May - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
12-May - Manchester, NH - Jewel Nightclub
13-May - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
14-May - Flint, MI - The Machine Shop
15-May - Louisville, KY - Trixie's Tiger Room
18-May - Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock Cafe
19-May - Fort Wayne, IN - Piere's Entertainment Center
20-May - Battle Creek, MI - The Music Factory
21-May - Columbus, OH - MAPFRE Stadium - Rock On The Range
22-May - Libertyville, IL - Austin's Fuel Room
24-May - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird
25-May - Omaha, NE - Chrome Lounge
26-May - Des Moines, IA - Wooly's
27-May - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
28-May - Pryor, OK - Catch The Fever Festival Grounds - Rocklahoma
29-May - San Antonio, TX - One AT&T Center Parkway - River City Rockfest