If you grew up in Texas, chances are you know someone who's worked on a rig. The oil boom of recent past brought a wave jobs that injected cash into everything from roughnecks' pockets to local economies. However, when the boom stopped, so did the party.
Houston-based country outfit Charlie and the Regrets have witnessed that rise and fall and its after effects first hand.
"When oil prices started sliding, you could feel a sense of tension here (in Houston) and other places I went," says bandleader Charlie Harrison.
On "Ain't No Good News in This Town," the reflective closer on the band's upcoming album, Rivers in the Streets, Harrison and company reflect on what it's like for workers and small towns when the drilling stops.
"I began to think about what it would be like to be a guy who was making good money one day and then have the rug pulled out from under me the next. I wanted to write a song about the moment for that guy."
With the Lone Star State on the verge of a new oil boom, the song feels like a timely reminder of what may happen again further down the road.
Oil is a hot topic in Texas right now. In 2016, the industry saw both 350,000 layoffs and unprecedented oil deposit discoveries in West Texas. Now, the state is bracing for a new oil boom in the coming years. If you're interested in what the experts are predicting, read our recent piece by Texas author Elizabeth Abrahamsen.
Rivers in the Streets is available on Feb. 24. To view a list of Charlie and the Regrets upcoming tour dates, click here.
