Boston’s Ward Hayden has never been one to pull his punches, especially in recent years. On the band’s forthcoming Free Country, he directs it somewhere unexpected: at the state of Indiana. We’ll let Hayden explain:
This is the meanest song I’ve written. I’ve spent 15 years of my life touring and traveling the country. I have never had what I would consider a successful show in the state of Indiana.
Every state seems to have its merits and I wanted to point that out and give a shout out to all the unique properties of other states that aren’t Indiana.
Indiana’s contributions, especially recently, have seemed purely evil. Even it’s geographic location seems to be the heart of evil. And I point out in the song that maybe there’s the chance that Indiana can find salvation and redemption, but they’re not there yet. I don’t even know if they’re trying.
And maybe Indiana feels the same way about me that I feel about Indiana. But, it is what it is.
Now I’ve never been to Indiana so can neither agree nor disagree with Hayden’s point of view. I’ve also never spent 15 days, let alone 15 years, as a touring musician. I have, however, talked to enough musicians (more than 350) to know that there are certain places that always greet them with empty clubs and tour debacles. Sometimes it’s just hard to separate the experience from the location. “Soul crushers” or “spirit crushers”, I believe, are the musical terms.
I also expect that we all have places of perpetual aggravation and can therefore relate to Hayden’s perspective in our own context. For me it’s any golf course, but that’s a story for another day. In the meantime, Twangville is honored to premiere “Indiana” from Ward Hayden and the Outliers new album Free Country.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.