Track by Track Discussion: Heart Of A Flatland Boy with Erik Dylan
I had the privilege of sitting down and having a track by track discussion with Erik Dylan, regarding his new, independent album, entitled “Heart of A Flatland Boy”. I hope you all buy or download the album because it really is a breath of fresh air in this day in age of country music. The following are my thoughts after listening to the album followed by where the origins of each song came from by the artist himself …
Heart of a Flatland Boy
MTMS: When I hear this song, I hear a straight up heartland song written for the people who work hard and won’t be knocked down, no matter what. And the way you sing it is raw and unapologetic, sort of the way those its written for live their life.
Erik Dylan: Where I’m from in Kansas, we have a lot to be thankful for. But we also have a lot to be angry about. My people don’t get enough credit for what they do. They are the ones who clock in every day, drive tractors, pour steel, bust their asses and raise their babies. They are also the first to get screwed, laid off, and forgotten. I’m just sick of it. I guess I would consider this song an anthem for the under appreciated shrinking middle class. I feel like in many ways it is my job as a songwriter to write vicariously through them. And I’m damn proud to take that job.
It Aint Broke
MTMS: I love how this song was strategically placed the follow Heart of a Flatland Boy, as its also written about the small town people, but less from the point of view of not being knocked down, but more about how much they love the life they live and appreciate the small time living. The verse about the guy giving up the scholarship for love and a piece of land, but not regretting it really stands out.
Erik Dylan: This song is best described as pure flatland philosophy. If something is working, don’t fix it. There is a beauty in knowing some things will never change. It inspires me. I wrote it about my hometown in Kansas but honestly, this could be anybody’s hometown. It’s beautiful to me. I watch wrecking balls turn history into high rises & parking lots every day on Music Row. It wasn’t broke. It was alive. They broke it. Glad that won’t happen in my town.
Pink Flamingos
MTMS: To say I love this song would be an understatement. From the edgy songwriting to the musical breakdown, this is a hell of a song. Who thought that a song about getting revenge from domestic abuse could also be so catchy. Where did you come from in writing this one?
Erik Dylan: I had that phrase “pushing up pink flamingos” in my head for a few months. When I sat down to write the song with Adam James we came to the conclusion that somebody just had to die in this song. We didn’t want it to go down the typical murder ballad road. I wanted to write it from the perspective of the people who saw what happened and looked the other way. I’m not saying it is right, but I do understand why they pled the fifth. Sometimes bad shit happens to good people. And sometimes small town justice prevails.
Willie Nelson T-Shirt
MTMS: So many emotions run through my mind when hearing this song. It starts with true love, then immediately switches to heartbreak, anger, disgust, and then humor. It’s clever and fun, while still being heartbreaking. How are you able to execute both sides in a single song as a songwriter?
Erik Dylan: I think this is pretty typical of most guys. It is our grieving process after being done wrong. Hurt turns to anger. Anger turns to disgust. And in the end the all you can do is get your favorite Willie Nelson T-shirt back and try to make her jealous as hell on the rebound.
The Good Life
MTMS: Out of all the songs on the album, I could see this being the live show anthem. It’s got such a build and emotional progression. It’s relatable to every listener and brings about a sense of optimism no matter how dark life seems. The line “life ain’t worth living if it ain’t hard” hits you in the heart and gut at the same time.
Erik Dylan: I felt like writing a song that celebrates the struggle of living the so-called “good life”. This song is a tip of the hat to every guy that takes care of their family and hangs in no matter the cost. It’s a song for the ones who get through the rough patches running on faith and love. My dad is one of those guys. I want to be that guy for my family.
Girl That Got Away
MTMS: Your album does not have the prototypical love song, where the writer describes all the great feelings he has when he’s in love. Instead, you bring a heart wrenching approach that brings all the emotions to the surface right after you lose the girl of your dreams and it was all your fault. The slow build and the background sound effects make this a hauntingly beautiful song.
Erik Dylan: I wanted the lyric to stand front and center. I’m incredibly prod of this lyric and wouldn’t change a word. Jake Mitchell & Westin Davis wrote the hell out of this song with me. The music needed to enhance the emotion in my voice. The steel guitar haunts me. Russ Pahl set the mood with steel and created a vehicle for the listener to follow the lyric in. It’s a song about missing a one in a million girl. It had to be dark. I am proud how it turned out.
Astronaut
MTMS: When I first heard this song, I thought what the hell? But, each time I hear it I love it more and find myself singing “Copenhagen habit and a GED”. And it is situated perfectly in the track list as it changes direction from the seriousness for a song and just lets your rock out. Where did the idea of how this song was going to be sung come from?
Erik Dylan:
Your Way Down
MTMS: This seems to have the simple message of a guy who is so in love with a woman that he tells her he will wait for her. But it has a little twist, as he throws a dig in there that he knows she will climb the ladder and fall back down.
Erik Dylan: I have seen this a million times. The girl that thinks there is something better to chase out there in the world. She walks out on the one guy who really loves her and has the strength to do it because she has a parachute. He’s gonna be there when she falls because he truly loves her. There is a lot of anger in this tune but I think it is warranted. However, if you love somebody you have to forgive them eventually if you ever want a shot at that white picket fence & two kids in the yard.
Fishing Alone
MTMS: I am an emotional train wreck when I hear this song. The songwriting and the story are just perfection. I think the lyrics speak for themselves for all who listen. My question is how in the world do you hold it together enough to sing it live?
Erik Dylan: I don’t. I had tears in my eyes at my last show. I’m never going to hide my emotions on stage. I think I owe my audience that kind of honesty. It’s ok to feel something. That’s why we are here. That song continues to make me feel something every night. It reminds me to call the ones I love and never take them for granted.
Map Dot Town
MTMS: When I hear this song I get such a sense of nostalgia mixed with pride as I think every listener will bring themselves back to a time in their life where the words from this song connect with them. I know I have heard a version backed by a full band, but you chose the acoustic version for the album. I think it’s a poignant conclusion to this heartland adventure, how did you come about that decision?
Erik Dylan: I wanted the listener to hear the song how it was written. One guitar and one voice in a room. It had to be all about the song. I wanted the world to hear it on my back porch at 2am with Jake Mitchell when we wrote it. The only thing this recording is missing is the sound of the crickets in my backyard.