Photo by James Juarez Cowboys have long sat at the center of the mythos of colonized America, serving simultaneously as a relic of the past and a potent symbol of self-reliance. In a chaotic time, it would seem that the collective consciousness has also sought refuge in the dusty past. Even five years ago, the general wisdom was that cowboys were a conservative symbol. But in recent years those judgements have softened, and with them the animosity towards country music. I spoke with Pete Kegler, the lead singer of Oakland’s Half Stack, who agrees that country music is [...]