This week, the Country Music Dads welcome Nathan Evans Fox to the podcast. He is a Nashville-based country music artist and dad with a fascinating new album on the way. He explores his own country upbringing. Using traditional themes of land, hard work and faith, he approaches his music and life from the political left, in a space considered very conservative. Fox’s album Heirloom is out May 29 on Free Dirt Records.

Show Notes:

3:12 - A discussion of “Lots of Beginnings” brings the conversation to the very end of the album, as Nathan explains the process of losing his dad and becoming one in the same year -- and how he landed on the title of the Heirloom album. And we dive deep into family right away.

6:00 - Nathan’s connection to family, family land and the family system, is deeply connected to his political understanding. His understanding is wildly personal, tactile and real. The family land allowed him to know his extended family through his universe of ghosts -- and it still looms large in his experience even after the family sold it.

9:50 - Growing up very weird and country go hand in hand with Nathan’s experience.

10:50 - A feeling of home vs enjoying where you live. Nathan and the dads talk about how to create a home. Grief, economics and complications.

12:10 - His time as a hospital chaplain exposed Nathan to the full range of emotions of those at the hardest points in their lives, forcing him to radically listen. These experiences drove him to be more explicit about the need for his music to become more message-driven. It also put his life as an artist in perspective.

15:50 - Going viral with “Hillby Hymn” and bringing liberation theology to country music fans, and how Nathan became many folks' favorite worship leader.

18:51 - Understanding how to square yourself to the cultural dominance of Christianity in the bible belt, and how this language can be used as a vernacular poetic experience, one that helps folks accept something they don’t expect.

25:48 - “We belong and we feel, well before we think or form ideologies,” Nathan said. And we should likely get back to knowing our neighbors and caring.

26:35 - A discussion of Nathan’s music feels a bit like contemporary Christian music, suggested Dave. And Nathan felt called out.

28:45 - Talking about “Racecar” and its place within contemporary country music, or as Nathan calls it, “Butthole Country Music.” Dave and Nathan geek out about Bro Country and how “Racecar” references “Dirt Road Anthem” for tone. Yet the topic of this song is anything but traditional -- in fact, it’s pretty divisive. The guys jump into the question of politics of it all.

34:24 - The Dad Life Sound Check featuring songs from Roger Miller, Ryan Bingham and Corb Lund & Hayes Carll.

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Mentioned In This Episode:

Liberation Theology
The book about how country music was created to divide people is Creating Country Music: Fabricating Country Music
Nathan Evans Fox's substack

References/Songs:

Theme Music: “Dark Country Rock” by Moodmode
Lots of Beginnings by Nathan Evans Fox
I Know the End by Nathan Evans Fox (out May 29)
Hillbilly Hymn (Okra & Cigarettes) by Nathan Evans Fox
Racecar by Nathan Evans Fox (out May 29)
Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean
Do-Wacka-Do by Roger Miller
Americana by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen
Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) by Corb Lund & Hayes Carll