Midland’s New Doc Shows Off Magic of Local Recording Studio
Country music trio Midland has a new documentary out that highlights the magic of the local recording studio Sonic Ranch. While El Paso is known for delicious food, friendly people, and scenic skylines, you may not know El Paso is a border city brimming with creativity. An article years ago in Vanity Fair named El Paso the "Best Little Music City in Texas" and one of the reasons why is Tony Rancich's Sonic Ranch.
Nestled in Tornillo on the outskirts of El Paso, Sonic Ranch is a recording compound on 1,700 acres of pecan orchards. I've been lucky enough to visit a few times and every visit shows me something new. If you can't score an invitation down to Sonic Ranch, the next best thing is the check out Country artist Midland's new documentary "Midland: The Sonic Ranch."
The film was shot when the band was first coming together back in 2014 and the accompanying soundtrack has 12 tracks that were recorded back in 2014. The soundtrack, "The Sonic Ranch" will be released on March 19th.
Even if you're not a fan of country music, Midland has plenty of love for the Sun City. They've headlined concerts in El Paso and frequently return to perform and record again at Sonic Ranch. If you've never heard of Sonic Ranch, this is a great opportunity to find out more information about why you can sometimes find big musical acts randomly around town. Plenty of diverse acts have recorded there in the past including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cannibal Corpse, A Silent Film, Midland, the Dirty Heads, and plenty more.
"Midland: The Sonic Ranch" debuts on CMT on March 19th. Find out more details about the film on the Rolling Stone website.