Despite The Quality of “On The Rocks,” Midland Are Still Bullshitters
WARNING: Language
I can’t stand these Midland guys. I can’t stand their faces, I can’t stand their bullshit Tom Selleck circa 1985 mustaches, I can’t stand their stupid getups, or the fact that they’re making a mockery of the authenticity of scores of Austin-based country artists, and legions of traditional country performers across the globe with their false narrative about beating it down the highway for years and paying dues in dives bars and honky tonks.
We’ll get to the music in a second, but first I must say my piece.
The men of Midland are bullshitters, plain and simple. The first time I spoke about Midland, I attempted to coax these guys into slowing their roll on selling themselves as authentic Austin honky tonkers, and steeled in the hardscrabble existence of the dusty road, and I attempted to do so in a positive, constructive manner. While giving their EP a score of 8/10, I said,
The lingering concern with a band like Midland is if they have the real stuff to ingratiate themselves to grassroots fans, or if they’re more of the mainstream answer to a phenomenon that’s occurring outside of the industry’s influence that they wish to incorporate … There’s also fair concern about the attention to styling that seems to permeate everything about Midland—their sleek suite of band photos [which] seems to want to set a visual component to their music that precedes the music itself.
When that initial concern was met with consternation and rebuke by some of the band’s fans and surrogates, and as Midland ratcheted up their rhetoric on their Austin-bred authenticity even more, I felt an expose was in order, enumerating the multiple reasons why Midland was less than what they were selling, including the fact that any dues paying in Austin was fleeting at best, frontman Mark Wystrach was once an underwear model and soap opera star, Cameron Duddy was already a wealthy, successful member of the entertainment industry with MTV Video Music Awards on his mantle from working with “best friend” Bruno Mars, and how Duddy’s wedding where Midland was formed was covered in People Magazine. These guys, specifically Wystrach and Duddy, were part of the power elite of the entertainment world way before Midland even played a note.
But that hasn’t stopped them from attempting to sell themsleves otherwise. They’ve doubled, and now tripled down, aided by elements of mainstream country music media, especially Rolling Stone, which published yet another puff piece on the day of the release of the band’s debut album On The Rocks, all about how Midland is “rough and ready” to hit the big time after paying their dues in dive bars.
“Texas trio Midland knows a thing or two about dive bars – in fact, they just might be the biggest bar band in country music right now,” says the piece in Rolling Stone. “It’s appropriate, then, to meet them at one of Nashville’s best dives, Springwater Supper Club and Lounge … ‘We walked in here today and I immediately felt at peace in this place,’ Midland bassist Cameron Duddy says of Springwater. ‘Places like this all around the country, it’s where we got our 10,000 hours in.'”
Bullshit, Cameron Duddy. You didn’t put 10,000 hours into anything. You know it, and I know it. Everybody should know it, and it’s already been established as common knowledge that Midland’s embellishment of their time in dive bars is gratuitous. All you have to do is keep reading the Rolling Stone piece to confirm that.
“Springwater is not unlike the bar in Texas where Midland cut its teeth,” Rolling Stone says. “In fall of 2015, the trio held a month-long residency at Poodies Hilltop Roadhouse in Austin, a historic honky tonk just outside town where the band played hours-long sets on Tuesday afternoons to notoriously difficult-to-impress bar-goers.”
That means Midland played four fucking shows at Poodies. Four fucking shows, and somehow you’re going to equate that to getting your “10,000 hours” in? Sorry asshole, but you’re about 9,992 hours short. Hell I’ll even throw in a few more hours for Midland’s one-off shows at The White Horse and The Broken Spoke in Austin and make it an even 9,980. We’ve been hearing about this stupid fucking Poodie’s residency for the better part of a year as the sole justification for Midland’s “authenticity,” and it gets more ass chapping every time. Most Austin bands play four years of residencies, and still don’t get to hopscotch everyone in line because of their established connections in the industry.
I’ve had people up my ass for the last 72 hours asking, “Trig, where’s your Midland review dammit? You’re too slow these days!” I’ll tell you where it is, it got sifted to file 86. Five minutes before I was set to post my review of On The Rocks on the release day, this Rolling Stone piece can down the wires, and reading it made me so fit to be tied, I deleted the entire review, of which the upshot was, “Screw the worries of Midland’s authenticity. This is good music and you should enjoy it.”
But I can’t in good conscience sit here and allow the sainted Saving Country Music reader and the rest of the public to be lied to about these guys. Constructive criticism was tried. And when that didn’t work, it was elevated to stern warnings. But if anything, Midland’s increased the “hardscrabble bar band” rhetoric, even as they’re now the owners of a hit single on mainstream country radio in “Drinkin’ Problem.” They know it’s bullshit, but they’re banking on the bullhorn of Saving Country Music being too weak to be consequential, and when you have so many willing accomplices in mainstream country media who will never question Midland’s bullshit-ass “10,000 hours” claim, that’s probably a pretty smart bet to make.
Look, all artists lie, including independent and underground ones—or at least present a public persona that is not entirely true to their honest selves, for the purpose of marketing. I get that, and you should get that as a music fan, and always keep it in the back of your mind. But this Midland stuff is far and beyond. This is way more egregious than anything Sam Hunt does, because at least Sam Hunt is somewhat honest about himself and his influences and desires.
A guiding maxim of Saving Country Music from the very beginning has been to call into question the marketing of artists when it is presented in a discordant harmony with reality, but never let that affect the personal feelings about the music itself, which should be the most underlying concern. But I won’t lie, the flippant, audacious nature of Midland’s claims, along with their ostentatious posturing, has created an intellectual crisis within myself as a critic, and much soul searching as to how this should be handled.
The worst part about what Midland is doing is their exploiting the true authenticity that actually does exist in scores of Austin-based songwriters and performers who haven’t received an ounce of the assistance or attention from the industry that Midland has. It’s this poetic fancy in the minds of fans of the lowly, hardscrabble songwriter playing to a half-empty bar somewhere in Texas, hoping to be recognized by someone important in the industry so their dreams can finally come true that drives the public’s fascination with Midland. And Midland knows it. Texas is filled with these type of struggling performers, and that’s also where you’ll find reams of hatred for Midland, because they’re taking the sob story of every bar band and commercializing it.
Folks in Nashville think Midland is all hunky dory, and they could be the bridge between the independent and mainstream, the traditional and contemporary for country music, even more than Chris Stapleton. But in Texas, the Midland name is mud. The folks who actually have put in their 10,000 hours in dive bars in Austin, they know Midland never paid any dues. They know their names didn’t grace the crumbling marquee’s of Austin’s shitty venues more than once or twice. They know what a measly penance four shows at Poodie’s is compared to what most songwriters have put in. Folks in Nashville and L.A. say, “There’s somebody out there that don’t think these guys are cool?” Meanwhile you better not mention Midland’s name with anything sharp around when you talk to many true Texas songwriters and their fans.
And all of this is a crying shame, because the music of Midland and their debut album On The Rocks really is as good as advertised, is authentic honky tonk country at least in style, with steel guitar and superb arrangements. You want to find the best example of true traditional country that currently exists in the mainstream? Sonically speaking, it’s not Chris Stapleton, it’s not Eric Church, it’s not Miranda Lambert or even Jon Pardi. It’s Midland, with a hat tip to William Michael Morgan.
Give Midland credit for this: They figured out how to make traditional country cool again, and deliver it to the masses through Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine label. This is an incredible feat that should be celebrated, and without caveat. The Midland sound is truly dedicated to traditional country, and not the “Eagles-esque” or “Laurel Canyon” sound that idiotic, ill-informed music writers are attempting to couch it as. Perhaps there’s some fleeting moments in that vein, but the best way to describe the sound of Midland is pre Class of ’89 traditional jukebox country music.
Though frankly, a lot of folks are getting so blinded by their enchantment with seeing a project like this come out of the mainstream that they’re missing the fact that Midland does suffer from a substance issues in much of the songwriting. A line about “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men” in the chorus of “Out Of Sight” is just one of many examples of rehashed and hackneyed lines that leave much to be desired. A song like “Check Cashing Country” would be cool if it wasn’t such a play off of their bullshit, inauthentic media narrative.
And looking in the track list, many of the usual suspects of the Nashville machine appear in full force, including Shane McAnally with his seven songwriting credits and producer mark he accrued while fitting in Midland sessions between working with Sam Hunt and Old Dominion. Josh Osborne appears eight times in the songwriting credits, and is also credited as a producer. So as much as Midland is out there trying to make you believe this music is straight out of their rough and rocky honky tonk dive bar experience, these songs are actually straight off the Music Row songwriting conveyor belt, and produced in the belly of the beast. The only difference is the arrangement and instrumentation is traditional, though don’t sell that short as an important feat in itself.
That’s what makes the whole story of Midland that much more heartbreaking. These guys truly could have been the bridge between the independent and the mainstream, the contemporary and the traditional. The music is there, at least for the most part, and so are the opportunities to reach the masses. But they just couldn’t shut the hell up about how rough and seasoned they are from hard-earned years in Austin honky tonks to the point where they poisoned the well.
The point of criticism is not to vent anger, or enact some sort of revenge born from spite or jealously against artists. It is an attempt to share perspective to aid the creative process, and to see art thrive and succeed in the marketplace. Midland had a unique opportunity bestowed to them by Big Machine. And nobody would have given a shit how rich they were, what their background was, or where they’re from originally if they just would have let the music speak for itself, and would have stood on their own two feet as opposed to trying to bullshit their way into the hearts and minds of listeners. Cautious fans would have overlooked all the marketing and the ridiculous promo photos, or maybe even found them cool if the music had preceded it all as opposed to vice versa.
But Midland blew it. They bought into the idea that the music wasn’t enough—that traditional country can’t stand on its own, that they needed an interesting story to cover their tracks, and prove themselves to fans. Sturgill Simpson doesn’t say shit to the media, and comes out on stage in New Balance shoes. Chris Stapleton is a boring, puffy, bearded, soft-spoken introvert who brings his wife out on tour with him. And they’ve both been wildly successful. Not because they’re interesting individuals, or sexpots dressed up like Robert Redford in The Electric Horseman. It’s because they are who they are. And when the music is good, that’s all that should matter.
With Midland, they figured out how to screw that formula up.
– – – – – – – – –
One Gun Up for really good traditional country music, served boldly through the stuffy environment of the mainstream.
One Gun Down for attempting to bullshit the public, and exploiting the authenticity of true Texas songwriters and bar bands.
Midland Bullshit
October 2, 2017 @ 2:16 pm
I wouldn’t have cared if they were rich to begin with. I wouldn’t have cared if they didn’t play a single show before recording their first album. I wish they had just come out and said that and it would have been fine. The music is great.
But when you act like your hands are weathered and worn just as bad as mine are, and you tell me you know exactly what that feels like, just so you can make an extra buck….you make a joke out of me the all dues I have paid. You spit in the face of everyone that works hard for what they have. That’s the real tragedy here.
Kristine Powell
October 24, 2017 @ 7:14 pm
Now here I am again. Just read about the “Selleck” moustache. Try takin’ a look at Alan Jackson, who almost ALWAYS had the same moustache, you bunch of numbnuts. You are all rich fuckers who think your words are the bible!! Go to ducking he’ll.
Kristine Powell
October 24, 2017 @ 7:25 pm
Boo hoo. Don’t whine about your hard life. You’re not the only one who worked your ass off.
Eddie Thompson
February 8, 2019 @ 8:27 pm
I like Midland and Jon Pardi Luke Combs Josh ward Justin Moore Curtis Grimes Miranda Lambert Kasey Musgrave Carly Pierce ALOT of new Young talent…. But I AIN’T Saying they are GEORGE STRAIT or REBA
Lila Loveless
February 10, 2019 @ 12:51 pm
Do you think for a minute I play these songs over and over because of how much they played live? Apparently they have something you want or maybe you’re not able to make it like they have. If you knew anything about music you’d know we love what we love. Your comments strike me as sour grapes.
Sandra LaCour
March 18, 2019 @ 12:14 pm
I love them and I don’t care about the backstory or BS The critics are jealous and I love the look. Refreshing
Janacus
February 18, 2019 @ 2:28 pm
I think they are great!! And, I live in Texas!! More power to them!!..
Leo
December 27, 2022 @ 3:40 am
You’re jealous cause you wish you were at their level but you hide in the pussy-loving world of anonymity. Lol
John Deaux
October 6, 2017 @ 2:14 pm
So why can we criticize these guys, who actually have talent and are pretty good, but not the bitch Aldean ?
Shows favoritism on your part, not good for a music critic blog, nope not at all.
Trigger
October 6, 2017 @ 2:19 pm
I’ve never criticized Jason Aldean? You have 10 years of Saving Country Music to catch up with my friend. Search window in the top right. Have fun.
John Deaux
October 6, 2017 @ 3:49 pm
I’m not saying you have never criticized Aldean but you wrote an article basically saying hands off a couple days after writing this hit piece. I know, I know it was a whole different situation, but not really, he deserves being criticized for doing nothing to help his fans get out of danger, absolutely nothing, nada. Ok so I’ve heard a couple songs from these guys and they are pretty good, which i believe you also wrote an article about. I don’t know, it seems you’re trying to pick
and choose with this.
Hey it’s your blog do what you want but be honest about it.
Scott
October 6, 2017 @ 5:44 pm
You absolutely play favorites to further the narrative of this site and promote people who you’ve decided somehow pass the test while bashing others on the same grounds. If you want to use interview answers as evidence, here’s a quote from Mike and the Moonpies “When I started the band, I wanted this image of a hard-living guy.” If it appeals to your ego and makes you feel like a badass when you listen to it, fine. But then you can’t fault others for doing the same thing. Really the joke’s on anyone who buys into the real deal narrative. Great marketing scheme though, pitting two imaginary sides against each other. Worked to great success for the late 70s outlaw movement and is making people comment on this site.
Huh?
October 10, 2017 @ 11:40 am
You must’ve missed Midland out with Aaron Watson on tour in 2015. I saw them play Drinkin Problem at the 9:30 Club in DC on May 14, 2015. I’m not sure what you’re getting at with this article but they were clearly out on tour and were playing this song, dressed how they still are, long before they had a deal.
n.
January 19, 2018 @ 5:47 pm
just research it you’ll find out for yourself. They ARE on tour NOW! The Drinking song (its amazing)captured me at first until I just happened to connect the similarities with a great gone to soon groundbreaking artist. Reality!
LaurLee
December 10, 2017 @ 8:56 pm
I was recently introduced to Midland via Spotify. I’m not sure how because I don’t consider myself a country music fan. But, their music really got my attention. It reminds me of the classic country I grew up listening to with my mother. I really enjoy it! I have been suggesting my friends all give it a listen. I don’t need to know their history, criticize their marketing, their backgrounds, connections or financial status in order to do so. You said, “These guys truly could have been the bridge between the independent and the mainstream, the contemporary and the traditional.” I think they already have! Their music crossed the bridge to a woman who listens mostly to rock, metal, blues, pop and R&B.
I wish them much success!
Dale Faircloth
December 16, 2017 @ 7:27 am
\/ \/This below, Is how you start a Blog on a particular Band/Artist/s \/ \/ Very unprofessional !!
Right, wrong or indifferent, I will not bother visiting your blogs anymore,, BTW, where is your Recording contract? Sounds to me you may be a bit jealous,, GO MIDLAND!!!!!
(I can’t stand these Midland guys. I can’t stand their faces, I can’t stand their bullshit Tom Selleck circa 1985 mustaches, I can’t stand their stupid getups, or the fact that they’re making a mockery of the authenticity of scores of Austin-based country artists, and legions of traditional country performers across the globe with their false narrative about beating it down the highway for years and paying dues in dives bars and honky tonks.)
Mr. Wu
December 17, 2017 @ 12:38 pm
Since when was country music above image making. Authenticity went out with the likes Keith Whitley, Gene Clark, Waylon Jennings, and Hank Williams. Country music today is filled with more nonsense than good music than at any other point in its history. Midland’s songs are okay. They are neither terrible nor spectacular: the lyrics are cliched, the sound is trodden. Stand them up next to Dwight Yoakam at the height of his power and they simply crumble. Being compared to Alabama is faint praise as they suffered the same sort of criticism in their day. Maybe their success really speaks of yearnings for better music before the likes of Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, and their ilk squeezed the last bits of life from Country and made it the unrecognizable zombie it has become today.
Jay
December 27, 2017 @ 6:54 am
You sir, are my hero. Even if I disagreed with you, which I don’t, I’d still admire ya. Because you’ve got an opinion, and are not afraid of putting it out there. Sure there plenty of trolls in the world, but trolls risk nothing… they’re simply avatars…You’ve built some legitimate equity with this sight, and yet you risk expressing your true feelings in a complete way.
I tip my hat to ya.
This is especially important because Country music, hell ART OF ANY KIND, isn’t about costumes or gimmicks. Doesn’t matter where you’re from. Doesn’t matter what you wear. All that matters is that you’re sincere.
Ironically folks screw themselves by not being okay with that and creating an image, that falls into a tired mold, and distance themselves from any sincerity they had.
Folks need to be who they are and express THAT. But that is scary because… Maybe nobody gives a shit? And at the end of the day, most don’t have the sack to deal with that.
If folks want to play the game that’s fine… But if they go that route, they’d best not come back insisting they’re something they’re not, lest they look like assholes to anybody who knows anything.
We got distressed jeans, relic guitars, and now we have the band to fit. Just like the jeans and guitars, they can still be awesome, but there is absolutely a bullshit factor at play.
You can buy almost anything in this world with money, but you can’t buy struggle… And that’s where the REAL stuff is.. But not many are brave enough to go get it.
Garrett
January 9, 2018 @ 4:42 pm
Jesus people, can’t you just be happy that this band is making waves playing actual country music and stop worrying about their background? They’re doing better than most Texas bar bands because they can actually write good relatable radio songs and approach the business properly with a focus on a national scale instead of getting stuck in Texas like all these “red dirt” guys. Jess Carson is a monster of a songwriter and I think this is a great band. Can’t wait to see where they go. Also, the suits they wear are badass. I respect the fact that they dress for the show and take pride in the way they present themselves to their audience. Most people want to see a good show rather than watch some fat hairy guy sing depressing songs on a stool. That’s another reason these guys are on a roll. The bottom line is, they make good music and people like them. You can’t have success without fans, and Midland has them.
Tammy Koop
January 13, 2018 @ 5:43 pm
“A song like “Check Cashing Country” would be cool if it wasn’t such a play off of their bullshit, inauthentic media narrative.” Ya ok, every song an artist sings is true to their life. I think that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read.
Ashley Hoppen
January 26, 2018 @ 9:41 pm
I agree the 10,000 hours claim along with the narrative that they were a hard-up bar band needs to stop, but I find the criticism of their well-crafted aesthetic bizarre. Two out of three of these guys were professionals in the visual arts before being professional musicians– one a model immersed in the fashion world, and the other making music videos. How the hell are they not being true to themselves?! They are being perfectly true to themselves as both visual artists and musicians! Gasp- they have more than one talent. How dare they serve up an entire sight and sound experience to a traditional country-starved audience, one that is frantically searching for the dusty cassettes in a shoebox from their youth with a certain yearning…
Does anyone actually buy their story anyway??
Ashley Hoppen
January 26, 2018 @ 10:23 pm
…I mean, don’t we just know intuitively these guys are having a blast offering up a big steaming plate of nostalgia? And doing a damn good job of it, with the best country music we’ve heard with the Nashville stamp in over two, goin’ on three decades? Of course they’re pulling Austin into their arsenal of over-the-top embellishments, just like their Nudie suits. I’m shocked anyone would take them so literally.
MCullman
July 22, 2022 @ 8:00 pm
I recently saw Midland play a show at the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek, CO. It was hands down the worst concert I have ever seen! I was struck Mark Wystrach’s general passionless performance. I don’t even think he buys his own B.S. He seemed wholly uncomfortable performing. Midland is not a band filled with Artists and Performers, they are studio engineered bots perfectly coifed and groomed to look like Austin hipsters. Who know’s who the hell Mark Wystrach is underneath his stupid ankle jeans, Rolex watch, and dumb feather hat. He looked so uncomfortable dancing to his own music it was uncanny! I have to Midland as the worst live band I have beheld. I had high expectations because they sound so great on the radio but they were so disappointing in a live venue.
Overall, they seemed so inauthentic especially their front man Wystrach.
Jayne
February 22, 2018 @ 7:19 am
The problem is not the music, it’s the ridiculous costumes! Look at pics of Mark (lead singer) online and you’ll discover this isn’t his usual attire. The music is good the presentation is fake.
David Thompson
February 22, 2018 @ 9:53 pm
Just saw them on Late Night (Colbert) and after 1 minute, I thought “is this just another “formula” band?” Something real UN-authentic about this BS. Like jazz “Lee Ritenour” trying to play the blues…. Right Some BS going on here….
BFinchStrait
April 17, 2018 @ 8:51 pm
Fuck Off all of you. They sound amazing. If you’re “path” didn’t find you as fortunate it ain’t nobody’s fault.
BFinchStrait
April 17, 2018 @ 9:06 pm
I’d like to add something. These guys did not start as a group as dumb ass teenagers they found each other in their late 30s. They’re making it work.
Tina
May 5, 2018 @ 4:15 pm
Y’all are prejudice jerks! Every song on that EP is great! Great! And is way better than that Rap country that is playing in country radio.
sjodyw
May 7, 2018 @ 3:52 pm
Frankly who care about where they’d came from or the past successes, this style country music will save today’s country. Today’s country might as well be pop. It’s terrible. At least Midland goes back to country roots.
Two Stepper
August 12, 2018 @ 10:37 pm
This is the first time I’ve read this blog, but it will NOT be the last. You, sir, are a hero for this article alone! I only heard Midland for the first time Friday (08/10/2018), but within three frames of video I smelled something was up. It felt like an Almost Famous-Spinal Tap parody done country style. Then I read the Wikipedia page, that this is a soap opera actor / underwear model and his two buddies from L.A., and I knew I was looking at a contrived product. Too bad it sounds good! But I’ll be reading your blog for direction to people who’ve really done the work (p.s. Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton also annoy me).
Trigger
August 12, 2018 @ 11:24 pm
Glad you found the site, Two Stepper.
Matthew
August 22, 2018 @ 7:48 pm
The tl;dr of the post is that shiny bands with (A) a polished yet authentic sound and image, (B) professional marketing gimmicks, and (C) a bullshit backstory are manufactured to have mass appeal.
Wow. What a revelation!
You may as well cry and write whiny paragraph after whiney paragraph AFTER WHINEY PARAGRAPH about how water is wet. Not that your writing is bad, of course.
Get over yourself Trigger. Stop gatekeeping. Enjoy the music even if it is artificial and their image hokey. The music sounds great, which I see you acknowledge. Especially the song Fourteen Gears, which I think is _not_ ghostwritten, and not part of the released album.
Conway Titty
August 17, 2023 @ 7:35 am
Hear hear!
Stephen
December 3, 2018 @ 6:49 pm
Sounds better than the hip hop bullshit country music as most call themselves
Rich
December 13, 2018 @ 2:59 pm
If you don’t like it don’t listen. I will because I think they are great.
John
January 22, 2019 @ 10:13 pm
These dudes are clearly fake. As I mentioned in your previous article west coasters make believing Texan. Tin Horns, austin is full of them.
Nancy Wright
January 28, 2019 @ 10:43 am
I don’t care if they ever played at a bar or not. Just saw them in November in Knoxville and I am going on April to see them in Chattanooga. If they played nursery rhymes I would buy the CD because they are a fantastic group. Like they say (opinions are like ass holes, everybody has one). Even my black friends like them. You need to show a little respect when you write a article about someone.
BJ
January 29, 2019 @ 12:13 pm
Ok,
Do you like their non crossover music? Yes
Do you like their “it’s me” look? Yes
Are they decent people? Yes
Who cares about anything else ? NOT ME!
Barbara Macneil
February 9, 2019 @ 12:31 pm
I don’t give a CRAP sour weekday you say, even if it’s true. I love them!
Robert T Burns
February 20, 2019 @ 11:24 am
Stop being a little bitch….maybe you’re just a hater..maybe you just have a personal vendetta…idk .but, it sounds like it…
SMH….
The music is fantastic and is this new era “Pop Country”…is that why you’re pissed?
Get A Life
Paul
February 24, 2019 @ 1:22 pm
I like the blog but even I think you sound like a bitter asshole here. Their songs are memorable, the live performance is great and their album compiles some of the best mainstream country music I’ve heard in over a decade. Who gives a crap if they’re trying to market themselves this or that way? The music is great and that’s all that matters.
Kristi Carr
March 12, 2019 @ 6:25 pm
Who gives a crap! Leave them alone!I love this group!
Dusty
March 29, 2019 @ 9:05 am
Who cares if they put in their “time” or not. They are making better music than any of these shitty “bro” country artists out there.
What matters is that they make GOOD music, so get over the packaging.
Carole
April 26, 2019 @ 12:59 pm
I cannot believe someone wrote this LONG dissertation complaining about Midland. All I know, and really all I care about, is that I love Midland’s music. I bought their cd, On The Rocks, and play it over and over. There are more important things in this world to worry about than Midland’s previous life. They are talented, and making their way in the music world, so get over this nonsense criticism!
Maria
April 26, 2019 @ 1:29 pm
Come on man I enjoy there music..Way better than the cheese “country music now” Quit your belly aching!!
akus1985
May 3, 2019 @ 8:45 am
Whether or not Midland’s backstory is genuine is debatable, and if they did lie about their roots that’s unfortunate. But I’ll be honest, at the end of the day, it’s all about the music to me, and in my opinion, they’re better than 95% of their contemporaries. When I sit down to spin their record, I’m not thinking about their history or integrity, just what’s coming out of the speakers. And On the Rocks sounds pretty dang good to me.
gulfgal98
June 20, 2019 @ 5:29 pm
Here is where I am coming from. What the heck does it matter what the back story is or how many hours they spent playing bars? No one is playing their instruments for them or writing and singing their songs. In other words, it is all about the music. And Midland is making great and most of all, relatable music for country fans who have had pop and rap shoved down our throats under the guise of being country.
The bottom line, is this fan does not care if Duddy worked with bruno Mars and won awards. Did that suddenly make him be able to play multiple instruments? This fan does not care if Mark Weystrach was once a model or an aspiring actor. Did that suddenly make him able to sing so well or play a guitar? These guys had to have other jobs to pay their bills, if for nothing more. No one can begrudge them that.
And personally, I do not care. What I care about is the music and Midland makes great music. In addition, they have a sound that is reminiscent of country before it became the “new country,” or what we hear on the radio, countrified pop.
If the only result of their success is to introduce people to a more old style country sound, then I am all for it. But I believe Midland is more than that. They make great music and I love what they have been doing thus far.
DAVID D
July 28, 2019 @ 7:36 am
Music is Music and these guys have found a sound that works.
Doug Edwards
August 13, 2019 @ 12:14 pm
To me it’s all about the music. Virtually nothing in the music industry is real…it’s all made up stuff. Most singers and songwriters never lived the song, Conway Twitty’s real name was Harold Lloyd Jenkins. George Strait and Toby Keith were both millionaires before getting a record deal. Did Bruno Mars put in his 10,000 hours ? Kelly Clarkston and many other stars of today were discovered on reality TV. So put that in your pipe and toke it.
Midland’s music is terrific ! Singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen. Most never get a lot of attention or acclaim. They do it for the love of it or because they don’t want to work a real job. That said, the music business is one tough business and I have a great appreciation for anyone that loves it enough to give it a try…but I damn sure appreciate anyone that can actually make it work regardless of if they made it the hard way or not. A large part of success is having the talent knowing how to make it work.
Doug Edwards
August 13, 2019 @ 4:40 pm
One more comment…Willie Nelson wasn’t always the pot smoking “Country Outlaw” with a cowboy hat and beads. He started out very clean cut…not country at all. Once he changed his image, he became successful. Was it his new outlaw image or his hard work ethic that made him so successful ?
Nicki
January 1, 2020 @ 6:48 pm
I find this very strange. Go to YouTube and watch Kix Brooks interview with the Gator Boys. They literally toured in a pickup truck with equipment in the bed with a tarp to fairs, festivals, bars anywhere. Idk why this article is even published. Midland is real retro honkytonk country that myself and SO many others love including their outfits. They love country music Waylon is one of their favorites. #GatorBoysMidland
Curesmile
April 1, 2020 @ 4:03 pm
I agree, maybe they should’ve toned it down some about paying their dues in dive bars, but, they do have a good sound and if something makes you happy and feel good, why not? I grew up listening to country, i’m a native Texan. It is better than most country pop out there, frankly I have a hard time finding any music to buy these days, sure does save me money though! I did see them live in Phoenix. Great time!
Don Griffin
April 30, 2021 @ 8:16 pm
Midland is great with their “On The Rocks” CD. I just got the 3rd CD and I think they slid down a bit…but God, “On The Rocks” is the best their is.
CountryKnight
May 15, 2021 @ 2:26 pm
Lots of Midland stans here.
Tulsa Tommy in Cali
October 14, 2022 @ 2:54 pm
Too many country acts these days are all hat no cattle, whether in Texas, Tennessee, or elsewhere. No more of the great Bakersfield bands such as the LATE Merle Haggard and the LATE Buck Owens, great musicians who could play the hell out of country, rock, and gospel music. Waiting for some real talent to take back the country turf, in Austin or elsewhere.
Alan liverpool uk
April 18, 2022 @ 8:25 pm
It’s not about them, and what they have or haven’t done or didn’t achieve, or did achieve,
Its all about the music, and how it makes YOU feel,
YOU THE LISTENER,
DONT GET PERSONAL
Ashley Hoppen
July 23, 2022 @ 7:32 am
To a very real extent… isn’t anyone’s marketing BS? I live in Texas and don’t know too many people, to include actual full-time cattle ranchers, who walk around in their cowboy hats 100% of the time. If we’re going to condemn pictures of Midland wearing outfits other than their costuming and declare them fake because they also enjoy flip flops and tube socks, I mean… geez people.
Are the same as a grassroots band writing all their own stuff? Obviously not. Are they manufactured? Certainly. Are their performances lacking? Depends on the day and who you talk to I guess.
All I know is that *for a mainstream, Nashville product*, its great music.
bill
November 13, 2022 @ 8:17 pm
Haters gonna hate. What a d****bag. Thanks for making me like them more. Keep up the good work Midland and crew.
Mick
April 16, 2023 @ 4:20 am
Midland makes great music. All popular bands use marketing to elevate their brand. Let’s not get too hung up on that. Most of the people producing and creating Country these days wouldn’t know how to drive an 18 wheeler or milk a cow. All entertainment demands a suspension of disbelief let’s not take this too seriously. Congratulations to Midland for creating some music people like to listen to. Keep doing it. As for the Tom Selleck mustaches, if I could pull one off, I would be rocking one right now! Especially like that the lead singer is from Tucson. Go AZ Wildcats!
Chris Barren
April 14, 2024 @ 8:41 am
Some fair criticism here, but On the Rocks is a great record (well engineered, produced, great vocal, gtr, and pedal steel work)
How many Chris Stapleton fans know who Ray Price is?