Margo Price (photo: William Wayland)

Words by William Wayland

Hi. My name is William. And I’m a country music fan.

I changed the channel on country music for a long time, but somewhere in my quest to find new music, I started to let it filter in. The Bay Bridged has a pretty musically sophisticated audience, so this may not be news…but there is some seriously great country music being made today, and I’m finally able to admit it.

A lot has been written about Margo Price since her first album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, came out two years ago. I don’t want to retread all of that so I’ll just say that if you think country music can’t support a feminist message, try listening to “Pay Gap” from her new album, All American Made.

Playing a sold-out performance at the Independent last Wednesday, Price let it be known that she’s calling out the sleazebags and the phonies with songs like “This Town Gets Around” and “Cocaine Cowboys.”

Another great and upcoming country music outfit you should know about is Blank Range. They released their debut album, Marooned With The Treasure, last year and performed their aptly named single, “Opening Band.” If there’s any justice in the world, they’ll be headlining their own tour soon.