Conversation: Oklahoma singer-legislator Jared Deck represents

In a country plagued by disinformation and division, Oklahoma country-soul artist Jared Deck has intentionally brought his truth to the intersection of music and politics. While writing and recording his latest album, he also brought his belief in progressive ideas and civil process to the public stage of the Oklahoma City legislature as a Democratic representative from the 44th congressional district.

The grumpy “shut up and sing” crowd just won’t know what to do with him.

“I get asked a lot how you can be a musician and a legislator at the same time,” he says in the audio conversation offered here. “And it’s interesting. The jobs are actually very similar, in the sense that as a songwriter, I’m a storyteller. I try to paint a picture so a point can be understood. As a legislator, it’s not so different. I tell a story, but maybe about my neighbors, about what people I know and care about struggle with on a daily basis. On the musical side, I try to create an intangible benefit for my neighbors — for my audience, if you will. But on the advocacy side, the legislative side, I try to create a tangible benefit.”

The split-screen depiction of Deck’s life is unlike anything I’ve seen in roots music before. One night he’s on a roadhouse stage, leading a full-throttle band with the gospel enthusiasm of a minister’s son. The next day he’s on the Rural Development Committee looking for solutions. But he attributes much of the impetus and inspiration for his art and work to the same events.

“In 2007, I was working at a factory outside my hometown in western Oklahoma. We got off work at 7 a.m. after a 12-hour shift and were told to be back in two and a half hours,” Deck says. “When we got back, we were told that all of our jobs were being outsourced overseas. That’s when I realized that the stories in the movies and the songs I loved weren’t fictional, that the systemic issues we talk about as a society when they affect you and your family are deeply personal.” He began working as a community organizer and eventually decided to run for the state House of Representatives. He just finished his second term and will run unopposed in the next election cycle.

Meanwhile, Deck is touring with his third album Head above watera collection of mostly topical songs that tackle some of the same issues he tackles in the public policy arena. The opener, “Three Things,” promotes direct action, noting, “I got a reason to talk/I got a reason to go.” The title track commemorates the working man and his families doing their best to make ends meet. “Fired Up” is an anthem of blue-collar solidarity. And all of this is delivered with a chiseled soul voice that brings a church-like fervor to red dirt Americana. And staying with country, he covers Garth Brooks with a bouncy “Two Of A Kind.”

“As I’ve developed my voice, it’s been interesting to see how audiences respond to the different sounds I’ve created over time,” he says. “And I just continue to explore artistically what I’m capable of. And as far as writing goes, there’s definitely a touch of religious angst in a lot of my lyrics, but also political angst. I may not write acoustic folk songs in the style of Woody Guthrie, but I strive to have a message, to tell a story that resonates with people.”

Our conversation revolves around the influences of growing up in a small town and a strict Christian church and his journey away from that faith, his view of the intersection of religion and politics today, and the care he takes to try to make his dealings with Oklahoma’s Republican supermajority constructive rather than confrontational. If you’re like me, Jared Deck will give you some much-needed hope for the future of political discourse.