Midland Are Old-School Cool in New ‘Fourteen Gears’ Performance Video [Exclusive Premiere]
Midland exude old-school swagger in a new performance of "Fourteen Gears," a song from their 2019 album Let It Roll. The "Adobe House Version" of the fan favorite leads the soundtrack for a new documentary from the country trio.
"Fourteen Gears (Adobe House Version)" keeps the smooth, retro stylings of the studio version of the song -- written by Midland's Jess Carson and Mark Wystrach with David Garza -- but strips its melody back to its bare essentials. It highlights the trio's signature harmonies, as well as the contributions of two backup singers who are also Midland member Cameron Duddy's cousins.
"This video was a labor of love. All our friends showed up to throw in," Duddy shares with Taste of Country for the clip's official premiere. "You’d be surprised what you can get done with a case of Pacifico and a bottle of tequila. Also sorry about your car, Collin."
"Fourteen Gears (Adobe House Version)" is one of 12 tracks on a soundtrack that accompanies Midland: The Sonic Ranch, a documentary that aims to share the trio's "origin story," in superhero-story parlance. Carson and Wystrach had each played music with Duddy separately before they connected at his 2013 wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyo., but it was there that Carson and Wystrach decided they should work together.
When Carson and Wystrach booked time at El Paso's Sonic Ranch studio, they were technically only a duo, a press release explains. Duddy -- who is also a director known for, among others, Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" and Mars and Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" music videos -- decided to tag along to film for fun. By the time the three friends left, they were Midland, and Duddy, specifically, was their bassist.
“Midland was not so much a band as an experiment fueled by an assortment of spirits, but mostly tequila, and the possibilities painted in our imaginations. We had no record label or manager, and we had never played a show together," Wystrach shares. "These recordings capture three friends, at a live-in studio in the desert, trying to make a dream come true."
Midland signed with Big Machine Label Group in 2016. Their debut single, "Drinkin' Problem," became a Top 5 country radio hit, and their first album, 2017's On the Rocks, peaked at No. 2 on the country album charts.
Midland: The Sonic Ranch, directed by Duddy and Brian Loschiavo, will premiere on Friday (March 19) via CMT Music, PlutoTV's CMT Equal Play and MTV Live at 8PM ET, and on CMT Australia on Sunday (March 21) at 9PM Australia time. Its soundtrack, also due out on Friday, is available to pre-order now.
Though they've been off the road for the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Midland have several shows scheduled in late March and early April: Their cheekily named Back to the Minors tour will take them to five Texas baseball stadiums, and they'll follow it with three shows at Fort Worth's famous honky-tonk Billy Bob's Texas. More information is available at MidlandOfficial.com.
50 Great Modern Traditional Country Songs (and Artists!):