Who Is Midland?
Midland are a band to keep on the radar for fans of traditional country music. The trio of friends currently call Dripping Springs, Texas, home and their forming was rather serendipitous. Longtime friends from the Los Angeles music scene, the idea to start a band came together at bassist Cameron Duddy's wedding.
As lead singer/guitarist Mark Wystrach recalls, Duddy asked he and guitarist Jess Carson to be groomsmen at his wedding.
“Jess and Cam used to have a band and after Jess left L.A., Cameron and I formed a band,” explains Wystrach to Man of Metropolis. “Midland came about when Cameron asked Jess and I to be groomsmen in his wedding for a week up in Jackson Hole over three years ago. That was the first time the three of us had played music together as a trio and the result was pure magic. The commonality was our love for country music and for the harmonies which were such a huge part of it in the ’70s and ’80s… it took off from there.”
Midland take their name from a Dwight Yoakam song, and Yoakam's influence is apparent throughout much of their music, as is that of the Eagles, George Strait and Brooks & Dunn.
“All of our music is an amalgamation of our musical influences,” Duddy tells the magazine. “Throw in some rock 'n' roll, some soul, and a heavy dose of country music and your got yourself a Midland stew.”
Midland Made the Top 10 Songs of 2017!
"Drinkin' Problem" is Midland's debut country single. The band recently inked themselves a record deal with Big Machine, and their harmonies and classic country storytelling was showcased at a performance their label hosted last month during the 2017 Country Radio Seminar.
"We write with a very visual storytelling approach. We paint that big picture and go to that place," Wystrach explains. "Where is this story going? Let's paint it."
This vivid description can be heard in their debut single "Drinkin' Problem" and comes to life in the music video for the song, which Duddy directed. This isn't his first foray into directing as he has spent the past decade directing music videos for Bruno Mars ("24K Magic," "Locked Out of Heaven"), Jennifer Lopez ("Ain't Your Mama") and Fifth Harmony ("Worth It").
Midland released a self-titled five-song EP last year and are readying their first full-length project.
Watch Midland's "Drinkin' Problem" Video