Country Music Politics and Cultural Shifts

When I scraped my car in their parking garage, I was worried that it could be a long process to take care of it. likeike a landscaper's first day trimming a hedge maz I have definitely already been here. Now is it left, right or right, left Well mayaybe I'll cut a path out and find my way back later. But it wasn't like that. I filed a claim in under two minutes on the Gaiko app, and they handled it from there. It was taken care of almost as quickly as it happened. It feels good to get help, quick. It feels good to GaiCo Pandora jewelry brings the sparkle to your summer, now with even better prices. Enjoy up to fifty percent off select styles, from personalized pieces to must have favorites made for the summer, timeless designs that shine with you through every moment, wherever the summer takes you. Shop in store or online, now through july sixth, terms and addeditions apply Visit Pandora. net for details Charlie, where were you in August of twenty fifteen? Do you remember I'm a late summer birthday, so I was probably preparing a celebration by myself of the end of my twenties. I can tell you exactly where you were. Really because we were recording the eighteenth episode of our podcast. It was called Transgressing Country. It featured Our friend, the brilliant New Yorker, author, Andrew Morance, and we were dissing for the first time. an artist who is making waves in the country music scene named Tasey Muskrapves You know I love Casey Musgraves But the only thing I love more than Casey Musbraves is proving you wrong because we talked about her on our very first episode titled Heartbreak played the song, I Miss you. off of her first album, sameame trarail or D different Park. Oh, is that the one that uses the chords from radioheads creep? Yes, sir. Okay. Now I'm remembering we talked about, Casey, Okaykay, here's I miss you Well by. God it see you and N See. Man, she was great from the get go. That's her first album. So Casey has been with us since literally the first episode of our podcast. Yeah You may love proven me wrong, but actually This just deepens the point I want to make, which is Casey Musgrapes has a new album And it is a return to the sound that we explored. wayay back in What I was going to say twenty fifteen maybe even earlier, twenty fourteen. Yeah October twenty fourteen. So Charlie we get to go in time a little bit in today's episode. I get to be young again Welome to Switt D Pop I'ong writer Chlie Hard, and I'musicologist Nate Sloane Do you remember the name of that album we were discussing, Charlie, Casey's debut same trailer different park Yes, such a great title. Great album titles of the twenty first century and it introduced a kind of figure that we hadn't really seen before Smoking queer celebrating outlaw country throwback. who at that time was really going against the grain of the mainstream country sound and look with songs like Mry Go Round O of my favorites of all time Mamas hooked on Mary K, Brothers hooked on Mary Jane, Daddies hooked on Mary twoers down. Merary, Mry, quack and sware Wick get bores a w get mary. Just like dust we settle in this town This broke again It's so beautiful All the wordplay of from children's nursery rhymes about the feeling of going nowhere stuck in a rut when you're from a small town in Texas and It's so good. It's hard almost to remember how radical this felt at the time. Every other country's song seemed to be crazing small town rural life. and Casey was stepping back and saying, hey, there's actually a lot of struggles that are very specific to this rural reality that I experienced and grew up with. I feel like her music is kind of like that saying conservatively and speak radically becausecause the music is very restrained, right? Very traditional. Very traditional, trraditional instrumentation, banjo, pedal steel, that's sort of like Sreen like snare drum than what she's saying Very powerful. Nakes you leadan in from STDP S Traila D different Parts She released a series of ambitious concept albums that pushed the envelope on what country could be Golden hour melded country with Disco to Exress her joy in entering a new relationship. Wan a Grammy for album of the Year S see not Why don't you get up get up Stit at it still. C ool Disco Tot. So good. Her next album, Star Crossed delved into styles like folk and even Psychedelia. to mourn the end of that same relationship. fact that you should have treated me right and I'm more than just a little justified Those ambiances really earn her the title Spacey Casey That song was justified and I think at this point in her discography, listeners are prepared to hear something a little different, an exploration of her internal journey, which continues with Deper Well from twenty twenty four, her most recent album, which settled into maybe a soft rock groove to narrate a journey of healing and finding peace. Take care of Mo Sound emty That's the title track, Deper Well I saw this tour, it blew me away. She is such a talented songwriter and performer And I just got to say, I see where you're going. You're going through the discography here. I want to let you knowate that I am a Casey complepletist. You did skip over. Album two Pageant material That's right. And it is pageant material. It's fantastic, but let's go to today because she's got a new album. It's called Middle of nowhere. and I feel like it's taking a break from the theme that we saw emerge in those last three albums, which was looking inward This album looks outward. It looks to her home, her roots and to different regional Texas musical styles that Her growth as a musician Casey said the title was inspired by a sign she saw when she was visiting her hometown. Golden, Texas Somewhere in the middle of nowhere That's a great self aware sign. Nice small town. We have styles like Nortanio, Mariachi oututlaw country, Tehano We have Willie Nelson And We have That return I was talking about I want to go back to something Andrew Morant said when we were talking about songs like Mary Go Round, which you listened to earlier He said something that I always think about when we heard Casey sing that line, just like dust, we settle in this town. It sounds like a cliche, but then you realize you've never actually heard it before. It sounds like a cliche, but then you realize you've never actually heard it before. I mean, that is the crap of songwriting is sayinging you've definitely absolutely heard that just feels like you've known it your entire life And in fact, it's a new way of expressing that universal emotion. She's so good at that. She's such a clever wordsmith. Also a moment for us to appreciate how far our audio quality has come I' go back to episodes eighteen or episode one, please No, no, you should. they I was I was pleasantly surprised by how cogent we sounded. But yeah, this feels like she's trying to recover some of the songwriting techniques from those early albums. and for me, it's a really welcome return dig into some of the lyrics and songwriting styles on Middle of nowhere and see how Casey Musgraves is reasserting herself as one of the key voices in country music And let's start with a song that embodies so much of what made us kind of fall for this artist in the first place It's called Dry Spell. It long threeree hundred and thirty five days in li So It wasn't good anyway. I' soone only. Only with a capital A if you know what I mean It's my favorite part of the show where I make Charlie feel un comfortable Charlie, what does Lonely withith a Capital H mean? I definitely in the first time I heard the song, I had to think it through for a second. It did not hit. N only that it was like not that it's a bad punchline, but it took me a second. Lonely with a Capital H. I was like like h honely. Is there a Sanish word? Is there What am I missing here? And it really becomes clear when she follows it up with I've been sitting on the washing machine and the chorus that she's going through a dry spell Yes, But I need you to say it, Charlie. I need you to say it Uh, horned up Yes So there's some great Casey turns of phrases And then we get to the pre chorus. Ain't nobody's toool up in my shed, Ain't nobody's boots under my bed. Ain't nobody's truck up in my drive for a late night call for a real good time Aintobbody's boots under my bed.'s she has such a knack for always toeing the line of like kind of a traditional country sound And whenever she like strays too far into something that feels a little risque, like sitting on the washing machine I feel like she'll just slide back into that like comfortable country territory. You need a kind of one metaphoric image. Yeah, like loooops under the bed. She's like she she always walks that line really well where you're like, oh yeah, this song will still get played on country radio. Yeah, right. This is the thing that is wonderful about Casey is that she is great at wordplay. There's so much humor in her music It's not just a joke. underlying deep emotion in it as well I love that we have this minor chord progression And it does feel like it's yearning for something. It's like it's going somewhere. off course, what we're yearning for is human touch. The blend of those two is very satisfying. mininor chords, humorous lyrics Won't somebody just love me? I one want officially a cry for help You' going to dve she just give us a y'all We got a y'all on there. We got a yall and a yp. Y'all on the y. This is a real country return. none of that spacey Casey disco stuff We' firmly in Texas right now, aren't we? We are with these lyrics that feel very twenty twenty six at the same time, right? Totally. I read the studies. I know we're under sexed as a population right now. So it's a tongue in cheek song, but it's also addressing a very real loneliness epidemic Thank you for taking it there Well, I did know. I like what you said earlier about There's comedy in the lyrics, but there's also kind of a serious kernel of truth as well. I feel like that is perfectly exemplified by another track on this album Faturing the guitar virtuoso Billy Strings. love Billy Sts Everybody wants to be a cowboy Be c So it's five in the morning's cold as hell and the work ain't going to do itself Everybody wants to be a cowboy these days. So Song s Another song where you see the title and you hear her sing these barbed lyrics like, I bet most of these boots have probably never seen any dirt Then you get to the chorus Everybody wants to be a cowgirl tntil it's five in the morning and it ass cold as hell in the work ain't gonna do itself This is more than a song about just poking fun at want to be cowboys who look the part. It's like Really a song about what it takes to be Cowboy? I mean, what does that mean? I mean someone who who actually shows up who sticks around who does the work, like that's a more powerful message than I was expecting at the start of this song. Yeah, it's a great double meaning. That's good song wrriting It feels like also a mantra for the sound of this album. We're hearing like very raw stick instruments throughout teelecaster guitars with that. Classic foramLo and Overdrive Pedal steel arcing ethereally through the mix And of course, I know you've been waiting withith baited breath for this. a ripping Billy String's flat pick acoustic guitar solo. He's so good He's such a tasteful guitar player for someone who is such a virtuoso. Nothing in this record ever rises above the power of her voice and the song. All the players are excellent Every single time they're featured, it's just to like create a little lift of the atmosphere. And I feel like that's what Billy's doing right there. so beautifully. Lots of dissonance clashing strings that are a second apart from each other Oo. Yeah, like a Those kinds of things? Yeah. so Oh give us some more try to give you an interval. Ites be a little bit of like a see a Rallin's playing? anyyway. When I got a new car, I thought my insurance premium would increase and empty my bank account. Like if Fetween won the lottery. I've invested most of my winnings in chicken tenders because they're bone. But bro, I bought a house and it's sick, bro. I'm thinking the floor is gonna be all trampoline, bro. With a hellipad on the roof. The contractor said it's structurally unsound. They're just being babies. But switching to Geico saved me hundreds, so my bank account is safe. It feels good to save some hard earned cash. It feels good to Geico This summer, serve up the cookout classics, Oscar Meyer Hot doogs, and Heinz mustard. Grill up a dog, add classic yellow mustard, or loaded Chicago style We all know it's not a cookout without Oscar Meyer and Heines Heat up your fourourth of July at the Home Depot with our wide variety of grills under three hundred dollars and make every gathering one to remember. Give your outdoor space a glow up. Whatever your budget is, with savings on seasonal plants starting at five dollars. With the grill fired up and your backyard set to perfection, you'll be able to invite friends and family over to kick off the party Start celebrating with low prices guaranteed at the Home Depot.rices may vary by stor exions a price, Home deepot com sl priceash for details. I gave you that quote about this album title coming from the idea of being in the middle of nowhere. Yeah. something, you know, I've never been to rural Texas. I have. but you know, I certainly have an imagination that it's like wide open, expansive Horizon stretching to the edge of your vision This feeling of being in the middle of nowhere is definitely captured in the song, Uncertain Texas The place I currently live at is barely even on map. It's in a great state of confusion. Shake my head and wonder why? Hesitations all arizes love, just a form of delusion Txas. There's a way that this album wants to explore the in between the liminal states in a way that I find really compelling. And this particular track is giving us a music that is kind of in between Teihano music, teext MeX music that is this border music that literally exists in the in between places where does the USN and Mexico begin? borders are kind of fictitious at the end of the day. and I feel like this musical style that blends the sound of Southern countountry and rock with traditional Mexican instrumentation of accordion and cowbell is like the musical representation of that Yeah, you know, she's from Golden, Texas, which is due east of Dallas Eastern Texas and Texas is enormous with just so many different subcultures and variations. I have been down to a border area of Texas west of San Antonio right near the Rio Grand and you really do feel the blending of many different cultures and musics You walk into a saloon there and you're going to get more of that Tahano sound that she's giving us here. So that she's taking us on a tour around the great state of Texas. And if we're taking a tour of Texas, there's one voice we want to hear. It's the poet laaureate of Texas music, it's Willie Nelson. Texas Don't know anymore You think you really know somebody The nean walk ced out the door Nothing better than Willie Nelson and a whole lot of cowbell. It's an acccordion. It's a great track. We talked about this last year when we did a series on countountry We did an episode about Americana, but I think Willie Nelson is one of the greatest voices we have right now, ninety three years old and it's cracking. It's rough. He's dealing with lung issues and Yet, I feel like that just makes his voice more powerful in this way. It's more human And he spans the history of contemporary recorded music. I mean, you know, from writing Patsy Klein's crazy to launching outlaw country music Releasing an album basically every single year of his life, yeah And importantly, operating in country music like an outlaw, outside the world of country music, meaning not in Nashville, but near Austin, Texas. I gott to prove myself here that I've done my research. This is not the first time he and Casey have worked together. That album you mentioned that I neglected to earlier, Pageant material features a duet with Willie Nelson. And I've mentioned this song is representative of the album's themes of being in between interstitial That means we should probably talk about the title track, middle of nowhere, which is actually the first song we get on this album. It's a transporting song It's the Dairy Qeen the County line where there ain't any fansces. Just count it with me Two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two. Th check it out. You see what I mean? The song transports you. like the song is about going into the middle of nowhere, leaving the grided nature of urban society and going to the middle of nowhere in the middle of nowhere actually feels different. It's slower time. We literally slow down into this compound feel When we arrive into the middle of nowhere And it's so satisfying. The pedal seal comes in whining sound that just greets us like any great country song does Her ingredients are always simple, but they're treated so perfectly. The guitar, the pedal seal, the drums, the bass they merge together so delicately, so sweetly. It's a good moment to shout out some of the collaborators on the album, many of whom have been working with Casey since twenty thirteen same trailer, different park. In fact, when we listen to this song, the very first thing we hear is Casey singing with a male harmony voice below her. That must be Daniel an interesting move. I think it's Daniel Tashin, exactly who has co written and co produced many of Casey's albums, Ian Fitchick, Switch on popcest, obbligatory shhout out also appearing as a producer songwriter and many for tracks. Plus real country everyry Stalwarts. Yeah, like Shane McNally, Luke Lair, Josh Osborne, Steph Jones. These are stalwarts of Nashville songwriting sessions. Also Rick Nowellless, Scottty Emrick really great writers on this record. And then there's a songwriter we haven't mentioned. notot just a songwriter. country star in their own right, Miranda Lambert Oh yeah. She is a songwriter and the featured artist on a song called Horses and Divorces You know that I've said some things about you I' done my fair share of shit talking to both sides of the fences. I've gotten the fensive. There's always two sides of the truth. Okay, this requires a little bit of backstory. Help me out here because this is a fun back and forth duet It's based in reality It's the country equivalent of the Charlie XCX Lord. Let's work it out on the remix. You know, girl so confusing. but ye Casey and Miranda had some issues I go way back to a song from twenty thirteen that was a huge hit for Miranda Lambert called Mama's Broken Heart It's a fun one. Such a great track. Yeah. And who wrote it Any guesses? I'm gonna guess it was a Kasey Musgraves song. It was. Okay Now Casey apparently wanted to feature this song on her debut album. Oh because she was still kind of a newcomer, because she was working on the track with more experienced songwriters like Shane McCNally, who we just mentioned. I think she felt like she was obligated to give it up to this, you know country star Miranda Lambert and she then had to sit back and watch her J just go platinum with this thing. Oh man So this resulted in a kind of very memeable moment that I only just discovered, which was at the Country Music Awards when Miranda Lambert accepted her award, she gave a little shhout out to Casey Musgraves who had just won Best new artist in the same ceremony And Charlie, I actually want to show you this and maybe you can describe what's happening for our listeners. Casey, congratulations on new artists. That was awesome East Texas girls gotta stick together Okay, so kind of looked like the equivalent of a false apology where Miranda's like not givven the biggest smile when she's saying congratulations to Casey who is basically giving Death stare back Yes at Randa. notot looking happy. She is not even pretending to smile for the camera. She wither ring. She wanted that song. So fast forward, we now have the remix, so to speak with Miranda and Casey coming together and burying their differences. H that's fun. And Casey introduces Miranda Lambert at a recent live show Like this. I these sexas girls gota stick together byy referencing that meme, Casey is saying, Hey, whatever beef we had, it's over. And actually, check out the chorus of our new song together. Hell just fz over. Let's were both at the bottom of the bottle and'unda Got a few things in common We like horses and horses and we both like to drink Maybe're more like them. That's how you do a trial. You don't release a disc track You release a track where you sing in harmony about your common experience of horses and ofivorses. This is such a cool track. shhared woes. That's how you bond. Now there's a number of other songs that we haven't discussed on the middle of nowhere that I highly encourage everyone to go check out. I'm gonna to give a special shout out to Rhineestoned. M of that track. Can you think of the central wordplay around Rhineestoned If not, just go spin it for yourself. It's an Apple bon That was unintentional, I swear that cough. What you what are you hiding under that desk But I want to zoom out from Casey's middle nowhere And think about the meaning of this album in the current landscape of country music And actually I want to Crast Casey to another figure who has been making waves within the genre recently I don't think we've actually talked about on the podcast up to this point. Kid Rck? It's it is Ella Langley Oh yeah. the artist hailing from Alabama. whose song Choosing Texas has broken records. It's the longest running number one hit by a female country artist spending eight weeks in the number one spot at the Billboard Hot one hundred. They' even been kicked off of the top and then gone back to the top, which is impressive And if we listen to a little bit of the song I think it's clear who's influencing Ella Langley. Oh yeah, wait, is this not a Kasey Mosrace track Just when I thought I got in fall Melo vocal Hold on a second All right. Casey Musgraves is gonna have a new feud. I didn't realize because the town of Avilinee, Yes is featured on Casey Musgrave's new album. Yes, she does have a song called Abelaine. now I mean, I don't know, try I don't want to overstate it. I'm sure we could find two hundred country songs that mention Abeline. It's good ryme. I apologize, it's not a to a small city and She's certainly not the only country artist to use this palette of soft rock and Disco and Psychedelia. I mean, we could find other artists, including probably a huge influence on Casey. Dolly Parton has used many of these sounds. Bother is Cheild b. I me It's hard also after we just listened to all these Casey Musgraves tracks, it's hard not to see that Ella Langley was influenced by her. and why wouldn't she be? I mean, Casey is like an icon. She pointed a new way for artists of all genders to approach country And Ella Langley's latest single Be herer feels like it's going even deeper into that Casey Lane You for real He drinks one bot of co. Not by the She ain't stuck on the past, I ain't worried about tomorrow. Does this remind me of Rhinestone from Casey's new album? It' gonna do its best to get you down Get you dressed makeake you feel like a cl G all dressed up Both of these kind of have that Neil Young Harvest moon vibe that uses these very soft major seventh chords. Because I'm still in love with you I want to see you dance again because I'm still in love with you A thisiss foreest Her song Heart of the Woods from a Deper Well also uses a lot of those kind of sounds. Turns out a Canadian Imposter or cowboys can also have major influence on country music. Now I want to be very clear. I think what Ella Langley is doing is awesome. I love to see her using the sounds and the wit and the wordplay of artists like Casey Muskgraves and translating them into these massive country crossover hits, but it's also kind of an interesting moment because There are so many political lines in the world of country right now. So I want to compare what these two artists have done this summer because Ella Langley headlined Stagecooach, the premier country music festival which I think has increasingly gently associated itself with sort of right wing politics. That might not be a fair assessment, but She brought out a special guest during her set who was the podcaster Theo Vaugh He did a part that's done by Riley Green on one of her songs Theo Vongh, I mean, I don't he's a quasi political figure. Hes certainly expressed a number of diverse views, but I would say he tends to lean right. He certainly associates with a lot of right wing figures. She's collaborated with Morgan Wallen, another artist who is constantly skirting with the political right though, He's never necessarily come out and expressed any overt political opinions And on the other hand, Kasey Musgraves has kind of gone in the opposite direction She's associated herself more with progressive causes She didn't perform at Stagecooach. She performed a surprise set at Coachella after she announced that a Mariachci band. made up of family members who had been detained by Iice were going to be her opening act for a series of concerts in Texas. And these musicians even joined Casey on stage for a few of her songs So But Let me be clear, countountry music is becoming politicized even when the music itself is not. I think the music is kind of more expansive than it's ever been and Yet when it comes to the performance and the positioning of these artists You increasingly have to take a stand, which I think is just a really interesting moment for these artists to find themselves in When you're asked to choose Texas, it can be a very loaded idea. Yeah. Texas can represent an independent mindset. It can represent a place of great cultural and Eethnic diversity. It can be a place also of extreme conservatism and the conversation around immigration and border patrol Ice tactics has risen to a fever pitch in this year When you're choosing Texas, you might be choosing two very different sides. Recent political battles in Texas have down reproductive rights for women, healthcare access for LGBTQ folks audiences that matter a lot to Casey Choosing Texas can be very loaded from Abiline. to Golden El Paso There is no monolithic Texas. Yeah. I think you're absolutely right. And this album Middle of nowhere really kind of puts that into words and into music. And I'll be curious to see how these two artists continue to develop these ideas Ella Langley clearly indebted to Casey Musgraves for her musical lyrical palette. country continue to be divided or will it maybe start to recognize that These sounds are actually part of the common fabric of the south. We'll have to keep tuning in me I'm happy to go find myself in the middle of nowhere. Okay, so I told you about how I spent some time in the rural areas of South Texas. Yeah. I'm so clearly a northerner because at one point I was with my pal and we were hunting boar and I was given a rifle and there was no way that I could take a life. It was not in neat. But one thing I did take away from the experience is we had the best breakfast tacos of my entire life. part of Texas, I had to leave behind and some I've taken with me everywhere I go You are the definition of of a Yankee, Charlie. and we wouldn't have it any other way That story I'm going to attempt to make a very awkward plug here. Your story about hunting boar, themes of violence and the vast unknown My friend Sean Wen just made an amazing podcast. Doesn't have anything to do with music to be clear, which is why I'm sort of struggling to make this connection. but I do think it's really brilliant. It's called Foundering, the killing of Bobli. It's an investigation into really controversial case that happened in San Francisco where this tech CEO, the founder of Cash app was killed in a stabbing And everyone thought it was kind of a symptom of like, you, unfettered crime and homelessness in San Francisco. When you listen to this podcast, you discover that's not the whole story. So anyway, recommend people check it out. It's really fun Or maybe fun isn't the right word. But yeah, it kind of is. It's an amazing ride, honestly. So there's probably some kind of connection murder ballad country wasing I was racking myrain. Is there a murder ballad on middle of nowhere? but there's not. No, okay. It's like a found. Yeah fun. Switch Tr pop is produced by Randa Crz, edited by Lessissa Soap, engineered by Bra McFarlan, illustrations by R S Gottly, video by Nick Rrips St music is by Zach Tanario and Joss Ads from Ar Iris, remember the Vox Mediaodcast Network, production Vult, which part of New Yor Magazine And subscribe and myag dot com slash pod Find us on social media at swwitched on pop Whre you buying our Llla Langley Casey Muskgves connection? What other tracks on Middle of nowhere? Are you loving? Are you gonna go see her on tour we want to know. Hit us up. Are you buying the connections or are you buying our merch? Be we don't have cowboy hats, but we got mugs We got board shorts, I still don't think we've so a pair of board shorts. I don't know I think they're really beautif We got your teas and we've got all kinds of hats, fun stuff there. so please buy the merch. We'll be back next Tuesday with a brand new episode and until then, thanks for listening. Thanks for listening When I scraped my car in the parking garage, I was worried that it could be a long process to take care of. ike a landscaper's first day trimming a hedge made. I have definitely already been here