Secret Country

Ah, Secret Country, where to begin? We could start with the excessive drinking, the strange obsession with chicken and hot dogs, the love all things seedy and nightlife-oriented, or their colorful choices in wardrobe, but the best place, the most important place to start would be with the music. It’s not easy to write an endearing song about slaughtering a chicken or spitting right in someone’s face, but Secret Country manage to do it with such ease and finesse that it leaves the listener not only accepting their oddity, but fully embracing it and yearning for more.

Secret Country was born out of frontman Jay Monaco’s love of outlaw country tunes, cold beers, eating hot dogs, and just about everything else you might relax with in the summertime. Originally coming together as an acoustic duo performing at local parties, bbq’s, and bars, the advent of original material led to an augmentation of the group into the sextet that you hear tantalizing your eardrums today.

Big things are on the horizon for Secret Country.  After putting out their debut full-length Women, Whiskey & Nightlife on Killing Horse Records and performing on the main stage at the 2010 Big Apple BBQ in New York City, they found themselves sharing the stage with country legends like Dale Watson and Bobby Bare Jr., as well as punk rock legend Lenny Lashley, Slackers’ frontman Vic Ruggiero, The Pietasters, and J.D. McPherson.  2012 saw the release of the band’s first 7″ vinyl record, Seven Days a Week.  2013 sees the band hit the ground running, with the long-awaited followup to Women, Whiskey & Nightlife, the 2nd full-length release, From The Barroom To The Bedroom.