New band, Midland, is doing it right
If you miss the days when bands were still about traditional country music and performed with distinctive harmonies, there’s a new band that will appeal to you. The fact that their first single went No. 1 as fast as it did is a positive indicator that there is a need for modern traditional or neo-traditional country music.
Well, now meet Midland, a country music trio consisting of Mark Wystrach (lead vocals), Jess Carson (lead guitar, background vocals), and Cameron Duddy (bass guitar, background vocals). The group is heavily inspired by the music and styles of the late 70s, 80s and early 90s.
Although the band met in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, they are now based in Dripping Springs, Texas. Their name is taken from a Dwight Yoakam song ‘Fair to Midland.’ After recording several songs together at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, Texas, they were picked up by and signed with Big Machine Records.
The band describes themselves as “the embodiment of seventies California country, all smooth Eagles harmonies and heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics.” Despite their influences, the trio has its own style and a lot of talent.
Their debut single, ‘Drinkin’ Problem,’ caught everyone’s attention when we first heard it on the radio, with its smooth melody and its sing-along style. The band wrote the song with Shane Mcanally and Josh Osborne, the former of whom also produced it, and Duddy directed the song’s music video.
Midland delivers pure country music with catchy melodies and lyrics, and does their part to keep the “Bakersfield Sound” alive and well, especially on ‘Make a Little.’ The album’s second single, ‘Make a Little’ was released to country radio on September 25. It looks like this single will also be a favourite with country music fans.
Before the band’s founding, lead singer Mark Wystrach was an actor and underwear model, while bass player Cameron Duddy worked as a music video director, and won an MTV Video Music Award for directing the video for ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ by Bruno Mars.
The band members met at a wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Billboard describes the band’s sound as “a definite George Strait ‘80s New Traditionalist feel to it, combined with the rich California harmonies that made The Eagles legendary.” This description of who they are and what the band has to offer is very accurate.
Members Wystrach, Cameron Duddy, and Jess Carson harmonize on all of their songs and this is something you don’t hear that much these days. Their voices do blend together in a way that makes you stop and think just how great they are.
This album titled On the Rocks is packed with great, infectious honky- tonk tunes complete with rich harmonies and beautiful instrumental accents, including some soaring pedal steel guitar and the kind of piano work reminiscent of Ray Price’s album.
You might not hear on country radio that kind of numbers about being lonely in a bar and looking at the world through the bottom of a glass, but they’re certainly present on this record.
From the first track, ‘Lonely for You Only,’ you know that this is a country album, the kind of country music that we are always hoping for. The rest of the album is consistently good, and the omnipresence of fiddle and pedal steel guitar is a delight to any true country fan.
The album also offers songs such as ‘Altitude Adjustment,’ ‘Electric Rodeo,’ ‘Somewhere on the Wind,’ and all of them are great numbers. This new album steers away from the insipid trends and lame pop music that has been coming out of Nashville these last ten years. Thankfully, Midland is doing it right.
It is Country music with a traditional sound. This is the kind of music that works well with a cold beer and good friends. This is also one of those albums where you don’t want to skip any songs, as each one is just as good as the one before it.
In 2017, Midland was signed as an opening act for Tim Mcgraw’s and Faith Hill’s tours. The band will also accompany Little Big Town on tour in 2018. Hope we get to see them live.
A new release for Shelton Blake Shelton kicked this year off with the release of the single ‘Doing It To Country Songs,’ and he will start 2018 with his fellow “Country Music Freaks” on his just announced headlining tour. Fans have been expecting this tour for a while.
Shelton will hit the road alongside Brett Eldredge, Carly Pearce, and very special guest Trace Adkins on February 15 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The upcoming tour will showcase fan favourites along with music from Shelton’s latest project, Texoma Shore.
The new album hits the market today (Friday, November 3), while the lead single ‘I’ll Name The Dogs’ is quickly rising on the charts. The romantic tune is approaching Top 10 this week at country radio.