Tyler Childers is back, and taking chances
Tyler Childers has thought a lot about what it means to be an ally. "Even if you have the privilege of walking through this world unfazed, it's more important than ever to stand with and for and up for things, to be vocal," the grassroots country star said during a recent long conversation.
Childers was sequestered with his wife Senora and new son at home in Kentucky when the Black Lives Matter movement and the pandemic inspired a nationwide outpouring of protest. A period of self-assessment led the songwriter, known for his richly detailed portraits of contemporary rural life, to become more explicit about his beliefs. First came Long Violent History, a bluegrass album framed by a stirring anthem decrying racial injustice. Then a triple album with his band The Food Stamps, Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?, confronted religious intolerance while holding on to the joy of worship. Now, Childers has enlisted his good friend, the noted author and Kentucky poet laureate Silas House, to write a video for his new song, "In Your Love," that tells a sweeping story of love between two men.
As he announces his new album, Rustin' In The Rain, coming out Sept. 8, Childers is determined to make his perspectives clearer than ever. The video for "In Your Love" (directed by Bryan Schlam) features gay Hollywood stars Colton Haynes and James Scully as two miners who build a life together in a Kentucky holler. It's a bold move for a musician whose fan base crosses lines of identity and political belief. Childers and House recently sat down with me in Nashville to talk about their friendship, representing rural life in their art and the glory of the '90s country music videos that inspired their collaboration. House described their motivations, and the point behind Childers' allyship, succinctly: "The antidote to shame is seeing yourself in the world."
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ann Powers: The way you've made your recent albums into interventions feels very considered. Long Violent History addresses race and racism; Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? tackles religious freedom and tolerance. Now this video shows your empathy for LGBTQIA+ folks. I don't know how thought out this is, but you're making a whole volume of stories to guide us through these issues.
[One] reason that I wanted to do this music video was my cousin growing
