ARTIST: Joe Hysell (The Dirt Road Ramblers)
SONG: “Workin’ Too Hard”
HOMETOWN: Winter Haven, Florida and Minneapolis, Minnesota
CURRENT LOCATION: Minneapolis, Minnesota
AMBITIONS: Write great songs, get em published, rent em out like Airbnb
TURN-OFFS: Arrogance, pettiness, Mumford & Sons
TURN-ONS: Laughter, intelligence, Alison Krauss
DREAM GIG: Opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at an outdoor amphitheater anywhere down south.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “Nothing you would take/Everything you gave/Hold me til I die/Meet you on the other side”
SONG I WISH I WROTE: “How Do You Want It” – 2Pac
5 PEOPLE I’D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Johnny Cash, 2Pac, Eddie Vedder, Kevin Garnett, Claire Hysell
MY FAVORITE CONCERT EXPERIENCE: Nas – First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota – 2008
I WROTE THIS SONG BECAUSE… I was struggling to balance making music, being in a band, starting a family, and working for managers/companies that were out of control. I wanted to say something that was directly related to the situation that I was in but could also be easily relate-able to others going through similar things. In recent years, I feel like a lot of Americans have been forced to work in environments that they don’t like, for wages below what they deserve, and for people who don’t deserve their efforts. I hope this song motivates people to keep working hard and to create the positive changes they want to see in their lives.
