Midland in many ways is the hottest band in America right now, at least in country music. The trio, made up of Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy and Jess Carson, released their freshman On the Rocks record last September, which included the hit single, “Drinkin’ Problem,” earning the guys their first Grammy nomination, for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
They’ve also earned a coveted spot as the opening act, along with Kacey Musgraves, on Little Big Town’s upcoming The Breakers Tour, after spending part of last year opening for Jon Pardi, as well as a few shows for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul World Tour.
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Just don’t expect any of the guys to be picking up the tab at a swanky restaurant or driving luxury cars anytime soon.
“For the first time in our careers — and as artists — we’re going to be in a place where, we’re finally making money,” Wystrach tells AllAccess.com. “We’ve been doing all this and just trying to figure it out. Like, holy sh–, I can’t tell you how many times my landlord has come to me like, ‘Hey, man, it’s December 14th.’ And, I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s three days to my birthday!’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, you haven’t paid rent yet.’”
Although Midland will soon finally see the financial rewards for all of their hard work, they acknowledge that they still have to budget carefully.
“The great thing about the success is that it eases that side of things,” Wystrach continues. “But, then, as you know, the demands get even higher and bigger. So, we’re going to just do what we’ve always done and lean back into the music and what this band is about — writing about our life and writing about the experiences between relationships, the experience with the road, the struggle, and kind of the landscape that we know.”
Their early struggle inspired the song, “Check Cashin’ Country,” written by Carson, on On the Rocks, which says, “With the highway below and the Lord above me /On the telephone sayin’, ‘Don’t cry, honey’ / Tryin’ to make enough to keep the motor runnin’ / Sure I ain’t in it for the money / This ain’t check cashin’ country.”
“The reason that song is relevant is because ‘Check Cashin’ Country’ really explains why you do it,” says Wystrach. “When we started this band, we did it not to get rich and famous, but we started it to collaborate and to create music amongst three best friends and collectively tell our story, sonically and lyrically. That’s what we’re going to continue to do. And, you know, money doesn’t take away problems, but it buys a whole different kind of sorrow, right?”
Find a list of all of Midland’s upcoming shows on their website. Purchase On the Rocks on Amazon and iTunes.
Photo Credit: Instagram/MidlandOfficial
