What exactly “authenticity” is, and what role it plays or should play in country and Western music has always been a fiercely-debated topic; almost as fiercely debated as what country and Western music even is by definition.
But whatever “authenticity” means, or whatever possessing it endows upon a given musician, there is no question that songwriter and performer Zach Aaron has it in spades, and in a way that’s unquestionable. It helps that his songs are also stellar, as is his voice, his fingerpicking guitar style, and his demeanor on stage that finds that endearing nexus between naturally cocksure and unflinchingly self-deprecating.
Though it’s fair to characterize Zach Aaron as a full-time touring musician and songwriter, it’s really all the other stuff he’s done and is currently doing that lends to his songs coming with that “lived it” stroke of intrigue, appeal, and believability for the audience. There is no suspending disbelief here or corny hipster put-ons to have to power through. Zach Aaron lives what he sings and sings what he lives.
Originally from the small town of Cleveland, TX north and east of Houston, Zach Aaron did four years in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter aircraft mechanic. He also works as a horseshoe farrier when he has the time, and has a side hustle as a leatherworker. Zach Aaron even took up saddle bronc riding for a spell, as he explained on the May 3rd taping of The Hook.
“I just hung it up on October,” Zach Aaron explained. “But I did that for five years. I actually didn’t get on my first bronc until I was 32, which is stupid. But I loved it. I was not ready to quit, but it was time … It kind of saved my life in a way. I was in a really, really, really dark place. And I just decided to get on one. A friend of mine was going, and I said, ‘Hell, I’ll go and get on one.’ I always wanted to try it, and just got hooked.”
Country music has dozens of rodeo songs. And as Zach Aaron said sarcastically introducing his song “Damn Rodeo” on The Hook, “Real creative title.” But what Zach Aaron has that so many country rodeo songs don’t is the man who wrote and sang it also lived it. “I actually wrote that in the parking lot, waiting to get on a bronc,” Aaron explained.
Zach Aaron stimulated a great discussion about authenticity on The Hook between the panelists, including co-host Caitlin Cannon, and guest host Stacy Antonel who is originally from California—and like so many California artists, get unfairly criticized for not being “authentic,” even though California’s country music culture is as rich as any. You can see the performance and discussion below.
But just as much as “authenticity” can be an asset to those performers who possess it, it can also be a serious burden, and sometimes an insurmountable one. Unwilling and unable to be anything other than their true selves, it’s often puts genuine performers at a significant disadvantage in a business full of phonys with a “fake it ’till you make it” attitude. Often it’s the most authentic artists that fail to find the audience their music deserves, however niche that audience might be in the first place.
But perhaps not for much longer. As virtually everything else in life becomes increasingly fake and artificial, the contrast it draws with country music’s Western performers like Zach Aaron only becomes more stark, the perspectives they share become even more valuable, and the experiences they can deliver live are that much more sought-after.
Artists like Colter Wall, and of course the whole Yellowstone Effect have also opened more advantageous avenues for performers like Zach Aaron. There is now an appetite for this type of music. Zach Aaron’s music is nothing new. It’s been there via multiple self-released albums and singles dating back to 2014, and he’s a regular on the touring circuit. He showed up to The Hook in a Dusty Vaquero hat—a festival happening in Wyoming May 28-30 with a bunch of great Western artists.
“Authenticity” is not just about being a bronc rider in the rodeo, or being born in Texas of the deep south. It’s about being true to yourself, not matter what that true self is. AI music is here. The music industry pumps out art as product every single day. But in the honky tonks, songwriting rounds, and rodeo stables across the United States, artists like Zach Aaron are still out there keeping the true spirit of the music alive.
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