...maybe he wouldn't be trying to rewrite cheesy rock songs...but seriously, what the hell?
“I am proud of Texas, and I’m proud of growing up here. But I really stress to people that I’m not a ‘Texas artist,’ ” says Bowen, calling from a tour stop in Lake Charles, La. “I’m an artist from Texas.
“I really want my music to be beyond that realm. So many people want to draw boundary lines. I think there’s a way to do it all and to stay true to yourself and to reach the entire country, the entire world, eventually. That’s the goal.
“We shouldn’t limit that by saying it’s just ‘Texas’ or ‘Red Dirt.’ It should be way bigger than that. I think everybody in this scene, including the fans, should agree.”
I don't know where in the hell this came from. Where has anyone been talking about drawing boundaries? Anyone who has seen any of the Texas-red dirt artists live or who has dug into their respective catalogs knows their influences range far and wide; just as an example, you see Cross Canadian Ragweed covering George Thorogood and Ted Nugent, while Cory Morrow sings old Buddy Holly and Billy Joe Shaver songs in concert. I don't know what exactly is so wrong with defining yourself as a Texas or red-dirt artist. It's not as if that definition will limit one's appeal to the audience. I'm sure if this interview had been with Pat Green, he'd have probably said the same thing and used it to try to justify his rapid descent into mediocrity. And I always thought that was the great thing about the Texas-red dirt country anyway, was that it didn't have certain boundary lines that one couldn't cross; to go back to one of my oft-cited examples, you're probably never going to see a mainstream Nashville artist do a song like "Walls of Huntsville" or "Loving County." I don't know...I could be wrong here, but what he said just sounds sort of fishy to me. Is it really the fault of the Texas-red dirt artists that they get pigeonholed by certain people? I don't think so, and he shouldn't either.
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