Cameron Duddy is the bass guitarist and a founding member of Midland (2016), the music trio from Dripping Springs that plays old-time country with their own neo-flare.
CL - This is the inaugural year for the festival, and the organizers hope it will bring in more than a million dollars for charities supporting mental health. As a part of a festival like Big As Texas, do you think about the economic impact your performance has on the community?
Duddy - Good music can always change people's lives and mental health. However, it's not every day that you get to see those drivers of change manifest in real-time, so The Big As Texas Fest is going to be a mix of good times for a great purpose.
CL - Up in Texas is your newest release. We love the lyrics and hope to hear you perform this at Big As Texas. What else can we expect from Midland at the festival?
Duddy - We love to keep things exciting! Our favorite thing to do is ride the line between a well-rehearsed band and a train that’s coasting with one wheel off the track.
CL - There is no doubt that Montgomery County and Conroe have very strong musical roots. The organizers of Big As Texas hope that you will help to launch a new era of music with this festival. Is this something you’ve had the opportunity to do before?
Duddy - I'd like to think that when Midland showed up in cowboy hats and boots to record our first album in Nashville, that we launched a new era of "mainstream" country music. We knew cowboy hats in country music would one day be en vogue again.
CL - Is there any added pressure performing when expectations are so high, or do you prefer to think more about the cause of bringing awareness to mental health issues?
Duddy - We play music for our own mental health, so there's more going on up there on that stage than just a public service.
CL - Is there anything else we should have asked you that you’d like to share with your fans here in Texas?
Duddy - Nothing feels better than playing music in Texas. We love our Texas music compatriots and fans!
"We play music for our own mental health, so there's more going on up there on that stage than just a public service," says Cameron Duddy. "Nothing feels better than playing music in Texas. We love our Texas music compatriots and fans!"