The trio met separately around Los Angeles, where Jess Carson and Cameron Duddy were in a number of bands through a number of years. After Carson left L.A., Duddy and Mark Wystrach met and formed a country-rock band called The Young Whiskey. The trio met up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for Duddy's wedding in August 2013; both Wystrach and Carson acted as groomsmen. As Duddy recalls the story, Carson and Wystrach arrived in Jackson Hole for the wedding a week early. After playing songs together on the front porch of Carson's cabin, they proposed starting a project together. Six months later, in January 2014, Duddy called Carson and Wystrach to suggest that they record some songs, and they went to the Sonic Ranch recording studio in El Paso, TX to record for 10 days. As stated by Wystrach, "when we went to the Sonic Ranch, we became a band. We walked away believing in what had happened." Wystrach and Duddy then both moved with their families to Texas where Carson lived. They decided to name the band after a song by musician Dwight Yoakam called "Fair to Midland". The trio has a definitive sound.
Mark Wystrach grew up surrounded by music as his parents were both fans of live music. His parents owned a country music venue. In addition to being a singer, Wystrach is also an actor and model. Wystrach was signed to IMG Models as a model. Jess Carson grew up on a farm in Oregon where the main genre was country music. His sister and father were both musicians, so he started playing guitar. Cameron Duddy started playing music after a difficult situation in his family; he found that music helped to lessen the tension, saying, "Sometimes you don't get to talk about all the things that you maybe want to talk about and the ice breaker started to be music." He got his first guitar from his father; it helped him to find his identity. Duddy is also a music video director; he won an MTV Video Music Award for the video "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars.
Midland's first song, "Fourteen Gears", was around 2015. The song, according to Duddy, was "another one of the early moments that defined and solidified the band."
On March 9, 2016, the trio signed to Big Machine Records and released the Midland EP featuring their debut single, "Drinkin' Problem", which charted on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay. The band wrote the song with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, the former of whom also produced it. Duddy directed the song's music video. Their debut album On the Rocks was released in September 22, 2017, produced by Dann Huff, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally. Midland released "Make a Little" as the second single. "Burn Out" as the third single, it was released in late 2018.
Midland was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2018: Grammy Award for Best Country Song and Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, both for "Drinkin’ Problem". Midland won at the 2018 ACM Awards for best New Vocal Group of the year. Midland released the single "Mr. Lonely" in February 2019 as the leadoff single to their second album. Midland released "Cheatin' Songs" in August of 2019 as the second single to the album. The album, Let It Roll, was released on August 23, 2019. The band began a tour in June in support of the album. In February of 2020 Midland launched three expressions of their own brand of tequila, called "insõlito".
In March 2021, Midland released an album titled The Sonic Ranch, which served as the soundtrack for the documentary film on their origin story, focusing on their first recording session at The Sonic Ranch in 2014. On July 16, 2021, Midland released their latest EP, The Last Resort, which hit Number 47 on the Billboard Album Sales Chart. The band followed the EP with their third studio album titled The Last Resort: Greetings From, released on May 6, 2022. They released "Sunrise Tells the Story" as the first single, and the second single was released in late 2022 titled "Longneck Way to Go", with Jon Pardi.
Check Cashin' Country
Midland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drivin' band playin' country western
Drivin' all night trying to make the next gig
Sure ain't gettin' any rested
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'
This ain't check cashin' country
Ain't check cashin' country
Nights are gettin' long and the miles are showin'
Life of a country rock and roll band
Lookin' out for the highway patrolman
Love to stick around, we got to go man
Wake up to the sound of the tires on the highway
Pull into a truck stop, poured me a coffee
Lord knows the miles that have gone behind me
Sure I ain't in it for the money
This ain't check cashin' country
Ain't check cashin' country, naw-ha
I hear that tip jars got a jangle
'Cause we ain't got a single on the radio
We may go dancing wherever we go
Tryin' to turn a nickel, to solid country gold
It goes T for Texas and Tennessee
We got miles to cover and places to be
The highways' the only kind of life for me
Sure ain't in it for the money
This ain't check cashin' country
Ain't check cashin' country, naw-ha
No, it ain't
I hear that tip jars got a jangle
'Cause we ain't got a single on the radio
We may go dancing wherever we go
Tryin' to turn a nickel, to solid country gold
It goes T for Texas and Tennessee
We got miles to cover and places to be
If y'all don't two-step, then we don't eat
Sure ain't out here for the money
This ain't check cashin' country
Ain't check cashin' country
Country
Country, oh
This ain't check cashin' country
No, it ain't
Midland's "Check Cashin' Country" is a song that portrays the struggles and sacrifices of a country rock and roll band that is constantly on the road performing for their fans. The band members are seen driving down the road in Texas with their country western band playing in the background. They are trying to make it to their next gig and at the same time, they are not getting any rest. They depend on the highway to get them there and on the Lord above to keep them safe. The lead singer is on the phone with his honey, trying to reassure her not to worry about him.
The lyrics also depict the life of artists in the music industry, where they perform tirelessly just to make ends meet. The band members are not in it for the money, they are in it for the love of making music and making their fans happy. They play for tips and go dancing wherever they go just to get by. The song also highlights the struggles of not having a hit song on the radio and the importance of maintaining a solid fan base. They are determined to turn a nickel into solid country gold.
"Check Cashin' Country" is a song that portrays the harsh realities of the country music industry, where artists work tirelessly and sometimes underappreciated, just to make their fans happy. The song is an ode to the road warriors of country rock and roll.
Line by Line Meaning
Rollin' down the road in the heart of Texas
We're driving through Texas on our way to our next gig
Drivin' band playin' country western
Our band is playing country music as we drive
Drivin' all night trying to make the next gig
We're driving through the night to make it to our next performance on time
Sure ain't gettin' any rested
We're not getting any rest, but we're using all our energy to keep going
With the highway below and the Lord above me
We're on the road and hoping for divine protection during our travels
On the telephone sayin', "don't cry, honey"
Someone is calling to reassure their loved one worried about them being on the road for so long
Tryin' to make enough to keep the motor runnin'
We're trying to make enough money to keep our vehicle in good shape for touring
Sure I ain't in it for the money
We're doing this for the love of country music, not for financial gain
This ain't check cashin' country
We're not in a place where making money is easy, we're just playing music because we love it
Nights are gettin' long and the miles are showin'
We're fatigued from all the travelling and starting to show signs of exhaustion
Life of a country rock and roll band
Our life is consumed by touring as a country rock band
Lookin' out for the highway patrolman
We're always watchful for any law enforcement, knowing we have to obey traffic laws
Love to stick around, we got to go man
We'd love to stay put, but we have places to be
Wake up to the sound of the tires on the highway
We're sleeping in a vehicle as we travel, and wake up to the sound of the road
Pull into a truck stop, poured me a coffee
We're stopping at a truck stop to get coffee before continuing our journey
Lord knows the miles that have gone behind me
We've travelled many miles on this journey
I hear that tip jars got a jangle
People are tossing money into the band's tip jar as they play at bars or other venues
'Cause we ain't got a single on the radio
Our music isn't being played on popular radio stations, so we're relying on live performances for income
We may go dancing wherever we go
We're having fun wherever we travel to, even if it's just dancing at a venue after we finish playing
Tryin' to turn a nickel, to solid country gold
We're trying to turn modest earnings into more lucrative opportunities as a country band
It goes T for Texas and Tennessee
We're travelling through the southern United States, from Texas to Tennessee
We got miles to cover and places to be
We still have a lot of ground to cover before our journey is over
If y'all don't two-step, then we don't eat
If people don't come out to dance at our shows, we don't make enough money to survive
Sure ain't out here for the money
We're not touring for the money, but more for the pleasure of playing music
This ain't check cashin' country
We're not making big bucks out here, but we're doing what we love anyway
Country
The life of a country rock band is a unique one, with a lot of ups and downs
Country, oh
We love this country music life, despite the hardships
This ain't check cashin' country
We're out here touring and playing our music, not for the money, but for the joy of it
No, it ain't
Despite the difficulties, we'll keep on touring and playing music, because we love it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jess Parker Carson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hannah Clark
Rolling down the road in the heart of Texas
Driving band playing, country western
Driving all night trying to make the next gig
Sure ain't getting any rested
With the highway below and the Lord above me
On the telephone saying, don't cry honey
Trying to make enough to keep the motor running
Sure ain't in it for the money
This ain't check cashin' country
Ain't check cashin' country
Nights are getting long and the miles are showing
Life of a country rock and roll band
Looking out for the highway patrol man
Love to stick around, we got to go man
Wake up to the sound of the tires on the highway
Pull into a truck stop, poured me a coffee
Lord knows the miles that have gone behind me
Sure ain't in it for the money
This ain't check cashin' country
Ain't check cashin' country, naw-ha
I hear that tip jars got a jingle
Cause we ain't got a single, on the radio
We may go dancing around wherever we go
Trying to turn a nickel, to solid country gold
It goes T for Texas and Tennessee
We got miles to cover and places to be
The highways the only kind of life for me
Sure ain't in it for the money
This ain't check cashin' country
Ain't check cashin' country, naw-ha (no it ain't)
I hear that tip jars got a jingle
Cause we ain't got a single, on the radio
We may go dancing around wherever we go
Trying to turn a nickel, to solid country gold
It goes T for Texas and Tennessee
We got miles to cover and places to be
If y'all don't two-step, then we don't eat
Sure ain't out here for the money
This ain't check cashin' country
Ain't check cashin' country
Country
Country, ohh
Ain't check cashin' country
No it ain't
SimpliKate
these guys are def gonna stand the test of time and still be just as awesome and listened to 20 years from now, just like Alabama!!
cryinonthedancefloor
This should be playing on the radio already
Duncan Fullerton
you boys are a breath of fresh air when it comes to traditional country! ! keep it coming for us all and enjoy the journey of your lives as super stars in our hearts! !
Charles Kincaid
First time hearing them, listened for about 2 hours, best I've heard in years
SmallTownSurvival
Finally someone who understands what country should sound like
Upon The Level
SmallTownSurvival no doubt they are good. but there is no steel and no fiddle so it aint country and western. looking forward to more music from these boys
Connor M.
country enough for me
Mark Stillwell
Shannon Crowson Better listen a little closer, there's a steel in this song. The mix has it pulled low but I can hear it on a cell phone.
I do agree with you about the fiddle.
Heidi Smalley
I’m addicted to Midland!!! I can’t stop listening to them!!!! Fantastic!! Can’t wait to see them next week in Memphis!!!! Possibly the best country band ever!!!!
Kirk Callanta
@Mark Stillwell most of Midland songs don't have fiddle in it but steel guitars is always present