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8 Days in Savannah: 49 Winchester's 'Change of Plans' Is the Castlewood, Virginia Band's Lucille Records / MCA Debut
The six-piece named for a Castlewood street cut an album executive produced by Dave Cobb, covered Black Sabbath and landed an ACM nomination.
Castlewood, Virginia's 49 Winchester released Change of Plans on May 15, 2026, their debut on Lucille Records / MCA. Dave Cobb executive produced the 10-song album at his Savannah, Georgia studio, where the band recorded it in eight days.
A street name that stuck
The band is named for the Winchester Street address in Castlewood, in Russell County, where frontman Isaac Gibson grew up, Cardinal News reported in 2022. Gibson spotted it on his parents' mailbox when the teenage band still had no name. The outlet said the street sign has been stolen about six times.
Gibson and bassist Chase Chafin are childhood friends who started the group in high school. The first gig was a Heritage Days festival in nearby St. Paul, and the self-titled debut arrived in 2014. For years, members held day jobs; Gibson worked in his family's masonry and building business.
Today's six-piece adds Bus Shelton on lead guitar, Noah Patrick on pedal steel, Tim Hall on keys, and Justin Louthian on drums.
Inside Change of Plans
Saving Country Music called it the band's sixth album and its major-label debut. The headline-grabber is a cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes," which the outlet said began as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne before taking on a life of its own.
"Oh Savannah," written by Gibson with Jessie Jo Dillon and Chris Tompkins, was inspired by the Savannah sessions. The label also singled out "Slowly" and "Pardon Me" as standout tracks. MCA collaborated with New West Records on the project, and all subsequent releases will be issued exclusively under the MCA banner.
A big year on the road
The band sold out two nights at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium in fall 2025, per the label, and was booked for the Grand Ole Opry on May 12, 2026. They were nominated for Group of the Year at the ACM Awards, and MusicRow named them a 2026 Group/Duo Artist of the Year nominee.
The summer calendar included supporting Eric Church at Red Rocks on July 7, then dates with Tim McGraw, including Virginia Beach on Aug. 6 and Bristow on Aug. 15. A Nov. 13 date in The Woodlands, Texas, with Treaty Oak Revival is also on the books.
"We started this thing from the smallest seed possible," Gibson said in the album announcement, adding that "it finally feels like now is our time to come up."
49 Winchester has 146K Instagram followers as of October 2026.
Where to listen and follow
Signed vinyl of Change of Plans is listed at New West Records. The album is on Lucille Records/MCA.
Sources
Universal Music Canada — "49 Winchester Release New Album Change of Plans"
Universal Music Canada — "49 Winchester Release “Oh Savannah” from Forthcoming Album Change of Plans Out May 15"
Saving Country Music — "49 Winchester Reveals New Dave Cobb-Produced Album “Change Of Plans”"
Cardinal News — "Hometown heroes 49 Winchester: ‘There’s no place like Appalachia’"
MusicRow — "2026 MusicRow Awards Nominees For Group/Duo Artist Of The Year"