On April 7, 1862, the morning after the first day of the battle of Shiloh in West Tennessee, it frosted. The peach trees that were on the fields where the battle took place had recently blossomed and fell with the frost, covering the dead bodies of the young soldiers like pink snow. As a child growing up in the 1970s, Mic Harrison had no idea of the significance that Shiloh held in history. He only knew that it was his family’s favorite place for picnics and reunions.

Those memories make up “Picnic at Shiloh,” the final track on Harrison’s new album, “Peach Blossom Youth.” Now a noted singer-songwriter and amateur historian, Harrison feels the full irony of the sweet memories contrasted with the area’s bloody past.

Harrison has been writing songs since he was a high school student in Bradford, Tenn.

“Even early on I hardly ever wrote songs about girls and all that,” says Harrison. “I wrote about life, history… that stuff.”

Harrison moved to Knoxville in the 1990s to join proto-Americana act The V-Roys, and later joined power pop favorites Superdrag before recording his solo album “Pallbearer’s Shoes.” When he teamed up with The High Score early in the new millennium he found the perfect collaborators. The band now consists of guitarists Robbie Trosper and Kevin Abernathy, bassist Vance Hillard and drummer Mark T. Dunn. Harrison’s 20-year collaboration with The High Score has resulted in a stack of albums as well featured spots in music festivals, including Bonnaroo, Rhythm N’ Blooms, and Easyriders Rodeo, and national tours in elegant concert halls, sweaty bars, and listening rooms across America.

To make sure the recording of these new songs were as good as possible, Harrison brought in famed producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, whose credits include producing albums for The Bottle Rockets, Nils Lofgren, The Backsliders, and many others, co-leading the Del-Lords and The Yayhoos, as well as playing guitar with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Steve Earle.

“Sonically, this is the best record we’ve ever done,” says Harrison.

Nearly all of the songs are about real people – from a West Tennessee character named Bobby Jack, who inspired “Scrap Iron Man” to a Mexican American War soldier in the song “Dallas Sutton.”

“A lot of these songs are very personal,” says Harrison. “It could be a book.”

“Lose You Over This” was written after a family member’s suicide attempt. “Keep Drivin’” was inspired by a beloved niece being kicked out of church because she is gay. “Old Man” is about Harrison’s late father, who died of Alzheimer’s disease.

With their upbeat melodies and energetic delivery, it would be easy to miss the sometimes-dark subject matter of Harrison’s new songs. Yet, that’s what makes this and all of Harrison’s work special. It draws you in and delivers a good time, but if you care to dig a little deeper, there’s plenty more to discover.

– Wayne Bledsoe