I'll be the first to admit I may have been a bit overzealous when I started my series covering three songs from each state in the United States. It seems like it has been years ago that we began our journey in the "A's" and here we are only finishing up the "N's". North Dakota is another one of those states that I have never actually been to. Given the proximity to Canada, and its location in the United States, I can only imagine they have some pretty harsh winters. Given that fact, I decided to share some photos of past Michigan Winters in this posts since I don't have any actual photos from North Dakota.
As for the music in this #threetunetuesday post sponsored by 
As I said, North Dakota wasn't an easy one for me and as you would probably expect, I think all of the songs this week could be categorized as country songs. Along with the fact that I have never heard any of these songs before, I also don't think I have heard of any of these artists. Besides the obvious theme of North Dakota, there is also another theme that runs through the songs I picked for this post. They all have to do with either leaving North Dakota or coming back to North Dakota.
If you listen really closely to the lyrics, you should be able to pick it out pretty clearly.
Aptly named "North Dakota" by the band Goodnight, Texas, this is one of those songs that actually talks about going to the state versus leaving the state. The group has been together since 2012, but like I said, this is the first I have ever heard of them. They are categorized as a folk/rock band though as I said before, their sound to me leans more towards the country side of things. Especially with this song.
It seems they are one of those bands that hasn't gotten a ton of recognition, but they continue just doing their own thing regionally. It's actually possible they are not even together anymore because according to Wikipedia there is nothing new as of 2021, and their music ends right around 2025 with a live show recording. Their last regular album was completed and released in 2024. It's still a good song with a good sound.
This second song about North Dakota is called "Like A Rose". It's by an artist named Ashley Monroe and it's one of those songs about getting out of North Dakota versus heading there and settling down. Monroe has been making music since 2007 and while I wouldn't consider her one of the best country singers I have ever heard, she has a tone to her voice that I find quite appealing. It kind of reminded me of Naci Griffith a bit when I first heard it.
The reference to North Dakota is pretty clear in this song, though that isn't really the main point if it. It's more of a vehicle to talk about how she ended up getting through hard times. I think the song does have an inspirational message to it, but it's not even my favorite of the three I am sharing here today. Also, despite my hesitation with the song, Monroe has recorded some pretty big songs with some pretty big artists, and she has at least seven albums to her credit along with her work in the group Pistol Annies. I hope you enjoy it!
One of the things I love about #threetunetuesday is the fact that I get to discover music from all over the world that people are sharing. Even better when I come across new stuff of my own that I am not sure sharing with you for the first time, but also myself!
Doc Walker is one of those bands. Formed in Canada back in 1996 or so, they have at least nine studio albums attributed to them. "North Dakota Boy" is another one of those songs about leaving North Dakota, but if you listen really closely, it's not really because they wanted to. It had more to do with a significant other and they are pretty adamant about never going back to Nashville unless they are dead.
Despite that message, this is actually a pretty upbeat song, and it has me digging into the band a bit more. It's a safe bet their catalog will quickly find its way to my Spotify feed. If I lived in Canada, I would probably be quite familiar with this band as they are required to play a certain percentage of Canadian artists in their programming I think.
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