See Classic Country Trio Midland Lament Life on the Road in New Song
Texas trio Midland has released a stripped-down version of their song “Check Cashin’ Country.” Featuring a grungy Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy and Jess Carson, the song’s two guitars and three-part harmony nails the exhaustion inherent in the working musician’s tour schedule.
Originally released on their eponymous 2016 five-song EP through Big Machine Records, “Check Cashin’ Country” is a unglamorous account of the nonstop road life of so many artists: long drives through empty country, phone calls with lonesome loved ones and mediocre pay.
Named one of Rolling Stone Country’s 10 New Country Artists You Need to Know in November 2016, Midland’s roots go back to a jam session at Duddy’s star-studded wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in August 2013. Duddy, who directed the video for Bruno Mars’ 2012 smash “Locked Out of Heaven,” joined actor-slash-model Wystrach and Carson for some porch-pickin’ and the dynamic was undeniable. The three quickly booked studio time to cut 15 songs. Signed to Big Machine in March 2016, Midland recently released their first single “Drinkin’ Problem,” co-written with hit songwriter-producer Shane McAnally.
While mum on plans for a full-length in 2017, the band will join Faith Hill and Tim McGraw in late May and early June for a four-show Canadian run as part of the couple’s Soul2Soul World Tour.