The guys in Midland all reside in Texas now, but they’re originally from Arizona, Oregon and California.  Some people might think that doesn’t sound like the countriest of upbringings, but Jess, who is from rural Oregon says, “If we could be magically transported to where I grew up, it’s as country as any place in Texas. And there are elements of it that are much more Southern than Texas.”

And country music is king in the part of Pregon Jess is from.  He says, “That’s what people listen to, it’s pickup trucks. So Texas has a large reach in its culture of ‘westerness’. But it’s interesting that people in rural Oregon speak with what you would consider a southern accent. And I guess the culture came from here maybe it spread to up there or I don’t know, but that’s what I grew up around.”

So while Oregon and Arizona and California might not sound like where three guys who look like Midland and sound as traditionally country as they do on “Drinkin’ Problem,” they come by their country roots honestly.

Midland – Jess Texas in Oregon  :49

Jess Carson – “Where I grew up, if we could be magically transported to where I grew up, it’s as country as any place in Texas. And there are elements of it that are much more Southern than Texas. Rural Oregon is very, very poor and it can be a very scary place to get lost in and to drive around in. Where I grew up, country music is the genre that envelops everything. It’s just, that’s what people listen to, it’s pickup trucks. So Texas has a large reach in its culture of ‘westerness’. But it’s interesting that people in rural Oregon speak with what you would consider a southern accent. And I guess the culture came from here maybe it spread to up there or I don’t know, but that’s what I grew up around.”