I AM a Country Boy Yankee

It’s time to set the record straight. I do a lot of shows, and I get a chance to play in front of a lot of different people. At almost every show I do, inevitably someone asks me where I am from. I hold my head up, puff out my chest and say “I’m fromWisconsin.” The typical response is “Bullshit,” or “Seriously?” or “What?” Regardless of the response, it always ends with me pulling out my driver’s license and proving it (yes, I still have a Wisconsin license though I have lived here 2 years- it is a matter of pride.) It seems that people can’t seem to connect ‘country music singer’ and ‘Wisconsin’ in their minds. As if it is east L.A. So, yes, I am country and yes I am from Wisconsin. Here’s just 3 reasons why Wisconsin (and the entire Midwest for that matter) is the most logical place for a country singer to be from.

Rednecks and Dairy Farms
My home state is known for dairy farming, beer drinking, and a mythical sport called ‘cow tipping.’ Our beloved Packers are not based in he largest city in the state, but in Green Bay- a city with slightly more than 100,000 people. A drive across Wisconsin will likely include truck stops, pristine hilly landscapes, and more deer crossing signs than you could count. What the hell kind of music do you expect us to listen to?

Hometown Pride
Mo matter where you’re from in Wisconsin, if you were born and raised there, you are damn proud. Sparta to Sun Prairie, Rice Lake to Racine, Milwaukee to Mondovi, Luck to La Crosse, Baraboo to Beloit. Like anyone, we bitch about our hometowns from time to time (the nearest Wal-Mart is 20 miles away, or the bar scene sucks, etc.). But it’s home and we don’t forget it. And that’s what country music is all about.

There’s Country Music in them there Hills
Country Jam, Country Fest, Country USA, Hodag Country Music Festival, Star Spangled Celebration, Country Thunder. What do those 6 events have in common? They’re all huge, multi-day country music events and they all happen between the months of May and September in the state of Wisconsin. These festivals draw as many as 35,000 people for a weekend of country music- local acts, national acts, they’re all there. To my knowledge, there is no other state in the union that can rival this.

Is Wisconsin the best state in the USA? Well that depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re out to find a moca choca latte, probably not. I can’t even say for sure where the nearest Starbucks is to my hometown. If you’re looking for an expensive home in a gated community, this probably isn’t your place. I can’t think of any gated communities in my hometown- we use gates to keep trespassers off of our hunting property. But if you are looking for the best country music fans in the country- my vote is for Wisconsin.

But before I go, for my friends in St. Louis, I have to tell Wisconsin people this. You think of Missouri as a southern state. I used to too. They don’t. Basically, south of St. Louis everyone talks with a southern accent. From St. Louis to the north, they’re Midwesterners like us. And there are some pretty darn good country fans here too.

So, home is where the heart is. Where are you from, and what makes your hometown ‘country?’ In my opinion, there’s something country to find in every place, whether that be New York or Nairobi. So show your hometown pride, and tell us what’s shakin’ in your neck of the woods…