Can you remember the first time hearing the music that forever changed you?
I’ve been a country music fan for years but admittedly it was bro-country that hooked me. Looking back now it’s pretty funny but listening to Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line for the first time, and then getting to see them in concert, sent me flying down the path to where I’m at now, and while Eric Church may have been the first real tipping point to music with substance, I vividly remember listening to Tyler Childers’ Purgatory album for the first time and feeling my brain physically change.
Next was the Zach Bryan YouTube rabbit hole (to this day I still prefer the raw, old songs) and from there the floodgates were opened and I haven’t looked back.
Sure, we can always go back and listen to the songs, albums, live recordings, and whatever else it was that sent electricity pulsing deep into our spines but nothing really comes close to the first time a lyric smacks you in the jaw, especially when you think you’re listening to something similar to mainstream hits but instead you hear words that you never knew you needed.
In a way, it’s an almost tragic moment because you’ll forever be chasing that high but every now and again you get reminded of the feeling by watching someone else go through it and comedian Bert Kreischer just had his epiphany last night.
He posted some Instagram stories while listening to a slew of country artists, including Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, and Chris Stapleton, and to say his worldview will never be the same is an understatement.
The best clip is him hearing “Nose On The Grindstone” from Childers’ OurVinyl Sessions, and while the emotion in his eyes speaks volumes, he actually dropped a killer line at the end that I’ll be referencing for a long, long time:
“I don’t want to die cause I want to find more cool music”
Atta baby, Bert.
Whoever was feeding him these artists did a killer job because they then moved on to Marcus King, followed by Colter Wall, and the look of sheer “what the hell?” when Colter started singing “Sleeping On The Blacktop” will stay with me for awhile.
Bert Kreischer had a come to Jesus country music moment last night.
That first time feeling is one of a kind and man is it fun to watch someone hear Colter Wall for the first time. pic.twitter.com/zBOCS8ZH6y
— Andrew Mies (@andrew_mies) May 20, 2024
In all fairness, Bert did shock me when he said he’d never even heard of Chris Stapleton before sort of taking it back after hearing “Tennessee Whiskey,” but regardless, he added another country music killer to his playlist.
Not knowing Chris Stapleton's name is a giant 🚩but looks like Bert is going to be quite the fan pic.twitter.com/VWCEpWPqWj
— Andrew Mies (@andrew_mies) May 20, 2024
To be in Bert’s shoes just once more I’d give a whole lot.
This is just a small example of the power of real music and why we champion artists making actually good stuff, not just catchy beats for TikTok dances. Remember to share music with your friends because you just never know when it’s going to connect.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be listening to old Tyler Childers for the rest of the day.
