Country music trio Midland understands patience is a virtue, and consistency is the key to success.
Midland’s bass guitarist, Cameron Duddy recently (March 28) sat down with Big Machine Label Group to discuss how specific lessons he learned early on, have positively impacted his music career.
During the conversation with BMLG, the successful music video director turned country hitmaker recalled a bright yellow tennis ball. The instrumentalist revealed that the tiny ball held significance and encouraged him to alter his outlook on life. At the time – Duddy was playing high school level baseball, and the coach required him to incorporate a tedious task into his everyday routine.
“Part of my off-the-field practice was to stand in the driveway and throw a tennis ball against the garage door and catch it with my mitt,” shared the musician. “Do 500 of those, and then you’re done. And then lay on the ground and throw the baseball up and catch it with your bare hand and do that a hundred times,” the coach demanded.
Duddy told the label that he would dread practice, because the drill was repetitive and challenging. However, he knew that his coach had an underlining motive and best interest at heart.
“What I learned from doing that is the art of repetition and focus and understanding that if you do something enough, you’ll hopefully get good at it,” he said while explaining that the vital lesson went beyond his time on the field. “I’ve applied that technique to music, and it’s served me well.”
The entertainer behind the hit, “Drinkin’ Problems” hopes that he can pass along what he has learned during his childhood and throughout his prosperous career to his 6-year-old son, Kitt.
The award-winning group recently threw fans a curveball and announced that their third studio album, “The Last Resort: Greetings From” is coming in full force. The 12-piece project is expected to drop on May 6 and will include melodies that they carefully created during the height of the pandemic.
The men of Midland took their artistry to the next level when honing in on their forthcoming record. The trio worked alongside critically acclaimed songsmiths such as Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Rhett Akins, Ashley Gorley, and more to pen the thought-provoking track list. Fans can get a small taste of what to expect by listening to their harmony-driven single, “The Last Resort.”
“We wanted ‘The Last Resort’ to be a track released before the album arrives,” Duddy explains, “because it’s kind of a manifesto for everything else. You know, sometimes the last resort doesn’t mean you’ve run out of options, but more that you’ve decided you’re going for the place or the thing that’s going to set you free. That freedom of letting go and falling into space, giving it over to fate? That’s where real living begins…”
Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, and Jess Carson are currently on The Last Resort Tour, but will be taking a break to perform at the Grand Ole Opry on April 12. Tickets to see the two-time GRAMMY nominees live are available for purchase, and fans can pre-order their full-length collection now.