Midland’s Mark Wystrach On Vintage Style, The Perfect Martini & The Band’s New Album
The “Drinkin’ Problem” singer opens up about the trio’s new album, “Stages.”
These days, Texas country rock trio Midland appreciate the finer things in life. Across more than a decade on the road, the Grammy-nominated retro rockers take a great deal of perspective to heart, especially as they trot out a tour behind just-released album Stages.
Maxim caught up with uber-stylish frontman Mark Wystrach ahead of the release of the trio’s fifth studio album, an LP that deepens a body of work that already feels like it’s been around for some time. 2017 smash hit single “Drinkin’ Problem” helped put the hard-working Texas group on the map, a theme explored once more in jangly, raucous fashion on new tracks like “Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey” (the band’s debut album was fittingly titled On the Rocks).
Debuting a new record and then performing it on the road, as the band did on July 4th at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, feels “chaotic, cathartic, anxious,” the lead singer told Maxim during a recent phone interview. And yet, there’s a spirit of richly crafted joy that courses through new album Stages, rather than nerves. As Wystrach said, “it’s another stage, it’s the next stage,” recalling the band’s journey from down-home Texas bars to increasingly bigger venues across America.
Midland (featuring Wystrach, Jess Carson and Cameron Duddy) never seems to stray too far from the band’s roots in Dripping Springs, Texas, even as the group has stacked up accolades to the tune of a five-times platinum showing for “Drinkin’ Problem” over the years. “From the first time we sang together, we had the same influences, the same sense of what mattered. That’s never wavered, only gotten stronger – and you can hear it on these songs,” Wystrach said in a statement on the band’s latest release on Blue Highway Records.
The cover of Stages evokes a retro-tinged Polaroid, or perhaps a throwback Marlboro ad. For Midland, looking forward can also mean glancing backwards and then riding on ahead.
The trio even worked in recent years on a fitting accompaniment to its touring lifestyle and body of work, INSÓLITO Tequila, and Wystrach said the globetrotting band are “huge fans” of the end product. The trio is conscious of the work ethic and drive needed to hit the road though, and these days, hit the tarmac as they tour the globe, Wystrach said. “The trick is learning how to tour….you eventually mature and learn,” he said. “As you continue on, it’s about the sustainability. It’s about not taking it for granted.” Songs like fan-favorite “Shooting Memories With Tequila” embrace a nostalgic twang and drive home the point that Midland is certainly here for a long time, not merely a good time.
On its latest record, the trio embraces the perils and pitfalls of the open road and the rigorous journey ahead in songs off Stages like “Vaquero,” which chronicles the dusty journey of an aging cowboy. When the route feels overly long, Wystrach said Midland tends to think of home while on the road. As the band brings its new record across the pond to Europe, Wystrach recalled the feeling of discovery in exploring parts unknown, often looking for watering holes that evoke a sense of timelessness. “Very often, you go to places you’ve never been before,” he said. “It’s the same aesthetics we’re seeking out. It feels like you’re going home…especially far from home.”
When the band returns stateside, they seek out all-American classics like St. Elmo’s in Indianapolis, in addition to a strong roster of favorite Texas bars and touring spots. “I’d say our favorite thing in the world is to find a great steak and martini,” Wystrach said. “Anywhere you can get a great cut of meat and the perfect martini,” he adds with a laugh. The singer and occasional actor has also developed a taste for any luxury Scotch that he says tastes like “licking a rock in Scotland,” a clever turn of phrase from a lyricist and band known for having a way with words.
The trio continues to write and test out new material from soundcheck to the tour bus and back while on the road, Wystrach said, a reflection of the group’s many creative interests, from painting to poetry and photography. And when it comes to getting onstage, a healthy dose of Western and Americana, vintage-inspired fashion is what Wystrach seeks out, he said.
“I usually just kind of get up and grab my favorite pair of jeans and a shirt I found eight years ago at a favorite vintage spot,” he said with a chuckle. But when it comes to footwear, the band looks to one cardinal rule, Wystrach said. “Boots are somethin’ you’ve gotta think about,” he told Maxim. “They’re kind of a marquee piece. You should invest in a nice pair of boots.” In keeping with a strong sense of personal style, Midland even worked with retailer Huckberry on an exclusive Flint and Tinder denim shirt that sold out remarkably fast. “Each one of us has a unique individual kind of style, and I think we’ll kind of influence each other,” Wystrach said of the close-knit group.
With 10 sepia-tinged songs and a distinctive sense of swagger, Stages has already arrived to great fanfare, as Whiskey Riff proclaims that “Midland has remained the best country band in the mainstream over the past decade.”
In each crowd and with each ever-evolving show, Wystrach recognizes the foundation built by the Texas trio. “I feel like there’s a whole new group of people that are starting to discover Midland,” he said. “It seems like that’s what we were working on 12 years ago … and now, here we are. I think the cool thing is that it’s come full circle. Stages is for them.” Score your tickets to see Midland online now.