If you ain’t about this life then you ain’t about shit.” – From the Track ‘Mud Money’ on the Moonshine Bandits latest release ‘Gold Rush”’
Since their formation in Los Banos California in 2003 the Moonshine Bandits have continued a campaign of crossover genre-bending musical mayhem that appeals to the eclectic, color-outside-the-lines tastes of listeners, aka The Shiners, and they fiercely refuse to have their tastes confined and filed into categories. “Our musical style has always been full throttle and in your face,” says Moonshine Bandit Tex. Just like the rumrunners, bootleggers, smugglers and outlaws of old – the Moonshine Bandits provide a supply of the goods for the demand, defying the mandates and trends of mainstream pop culture.
The course of their career has seen ups and downs, hard partying and self-reflection. The Moonshine Bandits have crisscrossed the country performing hundreds of shows a year, ventured into branding their own beef jerky and moonshine, collaborated with some of the music business’s most prolific artists, outshined in the face of record industry roadblocks, earned a fiercely loyal fan following, and embrace the unconventional. Hell, they’ve even had the honor of friend and adult film legend Tera Patrick spicing up a music video! It’s all part of a journey filled with good, bad and even some ugly, but ultimately the Moonshine Bandit philosophy is summed up by Tex and Bird’s joint statement – “We always felt there aren’t stops or boundaries if you pave your own lane.”
And now the Moonshine Bandits have hit the proverbial motherlode with the release of Gold Rush on their very own record label MSB. Taking its inspiration from all that embodied the struggles and successes of America’s extraordinary era when dreams were being made while hunting for that elusive precious gem. It wasn’t entirely about the dollar sign though. The Gold Rush was far more dynamic in terms of the greater meaning and effect it had on all those who took part. Big or small, bust or windfall, for many people the Gold Rush ultimately provided the experience of building a new life in a wild place that had a code of its own.
“Our Gold Rush wasn’t always about the glitter because we took the long haul,” Tex says, and just like many of the hopeful dreamers who panned the creeks of the old west’s badlands, the Moonshine Bandits encountered their share of setbacks but never quit. “We got in the trenches,” Tex continues, “learned and got burned.” The group’s Gold Rush reflects on a career that wasn’t about following some set of rules; this is about living by a code. Now with the debut of their own label, the group can fully exercise that code. “There’s a right way, a wrong way, and now there’s our way.” Characterize it as rebellion, call it anti-establishment, or perhaps it’s a little bit of symbolic of an elusive time when there actually was Honor among thieves, but the Bandits simply see it as lessons learned from experience.
Thematically, Tex and Bird describe the Gold Rush album as homage not only to the band’s career journey but also, and profoundly, “a journey about the people we have come in contact with. The people that inspire our songs.” This is especially true of the track “Two Bar Town” which speaks volumes of the brick and mortar, mom and pop’s, local friends and corner watering holes that truly provided the foundation of everyday life, culture and economics in America. Tex says the theme is all about the ‘small town’ and despite the fact that ‘small towns’ have naturally changed with time that “doesn’t mean you have to, you can still be proud of where you came from and keep those memories forever.”
Long before people figured out country and rap had a lot in common, the Moonshine Bandits released their genre-blending album, “Whiskey & Women,” and took the world of outlaw music by storm. The group’s blue-collar work ethic and unwavering persistence has led to over 60 million views on the ShinerTV YouTube channel – collectively over 80 million views on YouTube – while their video for “My Kind of Country” peaked at #1 on CMT Pure. The Bandits also charted Billboard simultaneously with a top 10 in Rap and a top 20 in Country Music and have been Recognized by Rolling Stone Magazine, CMT, Youtube Honors, MTV, AOL THE BOOT, YAHOO, and the list goes on. Connecting with fans on all levels, Moonshine Bandits have built a solid “Shiner Nation” of loyal fans, started their own 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization known as Operation Packing Company, Inc. that specializes in sending supplies to our Troops Overseas, Beef Jerky and legal Moonshine. The Bandits earned a 2018 Telly Award for their “Take This Job” music video featuring David Allan Coe.
Hometown
Moonshine Bandits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waves are gone, he has his days
As a lot oh his mind too bad
He's only happy in inside
Has his canons which he files
The only boy I know can't cry.
I can see the ground I can't see you
Leave the lights on when I'll go
So I can watch you down below.
How this loss been his loss
They all bridges he had to cross
We have bridges that we burn
And had so much we had to learn.
He has his canons which he files
The only boy I know can't cry
I can see the ground I can't see you
And see our hometown I can't see you
Leave the lights on when I'll go
So I can watch you down below.
The only boy I know can't cry
I can see the ground I can't see you
And see our hometown I can't see you
Leave the lights on when I'll go
So I can watch you down below.
The lyrics of Moonshine Bandits's song Hometown tell the story of a person who seems to be going through a tough time. The opening lines of the song describe him as someone who has built 'walls' around himself and has his own 'ways'. The 'waves' of life seem to have left him, and he spends most of his time lost in his own thoughts. Unfortunately, he can only find happiness within himself because he is unable to express his emotions or cry.
The lyrics then shift to describe the singer's own experiences. They seem to have lost touch with someone who was once an important part of their life. They can now only see their hometown without being able to see this person. They ask this person to leave the lights on when they leave so they can watch them from below. This creates a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past.
The final lines of the song shift back to the boy who can't cry. They talk about the "loss" he's experienced and the "bridges" he's had to cross. The singer compares this to their own experiences of burning bridges and learning their own lessons. In the end, the song seems to be about the pain of loss, the difficulty of expressing emotions and the emotions that come with looking back on the past.
Line by Line Meaning
He's got his walls and his ways
He is closed off and set in his own habits.
Waves are gone, he has his days
He feels stagnant and stuck in his routine.
As a lot oh his mind too bad
He is burdened with negative thoughts and emotions.
He's only happy in inside
His happiness is personal and internal, rather than derived from external factors.
Has his canons which he files
He has his own set of beliefs and principles that he defends and adheres to.
The only boy I know can't cry.
He is emotionally guarded and unable to express vulnerability.
I can see the ground I can't see you
It is hard to see the big picture when feeling weighed down or disconnected from someone important.
And see our hometown I can't see you
Although familiar surroundings are present, someone's absence can make them feel foreign.
Leave the lights on when I'll go
A gesture of connection and remembrance, even when apart from someone.
So I can watch you down below.
Desire to maintain a connection and keep a watchful eye over someone's well-being.
How this loss been his loss
Loss has affected him significantly.
They all bridges he had to cross
Overcoming past difficulties has shaped him into who he is today.
We have bridges that we burn
Sometimes, it is necessary to let go of the past in order to move forward.
And had so much we had to learn.
A recognition of personal growth and progress made through life's trials.
Contributed by Hunter Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@juggalojukebox
I'm a down ass juggalo from milenko days and these dudes right here work hard and put it down for MY HOMETOWN. I'm nuttin but proud of these guys right here.
@ScrewBinLaden
This is pretty killa. Pour another round for your hometown! Keep Burnin
@skinmomz88
Makes me miss home... =[ but brings back good memories thats what hometowns do....
@FabricatorShiner
We are different. Maybe not country like some. Just love what the country is about and live the life. California is not all the city life that it has the rep for. We get down home style like anyone else in some parts. Come on out to the Oakdale rodeo sometime. You will see. We have some of the most beautiful mountains and agriculture is huge here. Look it up. I guess my heart is in this a little too much. I am going to stop defending us and get to writing some more music. I hope Y'all like it.
@BroncoFan68
Grew up in Atwater, spent a lot of time in Los Banos. Just found out about these guys. Definitely be buying their CDs.
@DugTown1
Just run into these guys the other day, You guys Rock!!!
@rodeoclown5-038
ok i understand they aint from the south but damn country is a way of life and you aint gotta be from the south to be country so let em be they got good music so chill out
@suburbannoizerecords
you don't have to love everything.. but we love the Moonshine Bandits and are proud to welcome the Shiner Nation to the family!! we also love all of you so.. dont forget that and look past the negative and strive for those positive vibes... one love
@crpdtt209
I love these guys.
@juggalojukebox
None of you haters on here have an album comin out on subnoize. Moonshine bandits are some good guys. I'm a proud ass shinalo.