Austin-based country rock band Reckless Kelly are on the road to retirement — at least from touring. The band tell Rolling Stone that beginning in 2023, they will begin to reduce the number of tour dates they commit to, and they intend to retire from the road entirely come 2025.

Band members and brothers Willy and Cody Braun tell the publication that their decision stems from the desire to simply slow down after playing roughly 200 shows per year for the majority of their career.

“In a nutshell, I’ve been playing music professionally and touring since I was 7 or 8," Willy Braun explains. “I still love playing, I still love traveling, and I still love all the guys in the band. What it comes down to, really, is I’m ready to do something different."

"By the time we hang it up in three years, I will have been on the road playing music for over 40 years," he continues. "I’ve been at this so long, there’s not a lot of surprises anymore, and I’m ready to not have to be somewhere every weekend for a bit."

The process of slowing down will begin with their 2023 tour, which only consists of about 35 shows. Their touring schedule includes stops at MusicFest in Steamboat, Colo., the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Billy Bob's Texas and a co-headlining show with Jason Boland and the Stragglers at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

Cody Braun says their goal over the next three years is to play the venues that are important to them and give fans plenty of chances to see them before they say goodbye to the road.

“We’re trying to play larger venues, festivals and places that we love," he says. "We want to get back to those old haunts that we love and have played forever one more time. We’re going to try to get as close to people as we can, but people will probably have to drive a little further than they’re used to if they want to see us now."

Reckless Kelly also have plans to release new music, including a follow-up to their 2020 double album, American Jackpot/American Girls. 

Willy and Cody Braun grew up in Stanley, Idaho, and released Reckless Kelly's debut album, Millican, in July 1998.

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