Jackson Free Press

Midwest Dilemma (the alias of singer-songwriter Justin Lamoureux) could very well be part of a dying breed of musicians. That is, he is actually in it for the music.

In an era when all some "artists" have to do to be plastered all over MTV is have a famous sibling, it's clear that we have come a long way from the young man who traded his electric guitar for a Martin acoustic, caught the bus from Minnesota to New York City and changed the music scene forever.

Touring the southern and midwestern parts of the country almost relentlessly, Lamoureux is about to start a 23-date tour—all while still holding down a day job. He is a one-man show: from using just a guitar and his voice in his stage performance, down to booking his own gigs and printing his own flyers, Lamoureux does anything and everything in order to share his music with any audience willing to listen. And to make him even more like the wandering troubadours of the days of yore, he hasn't even released a full length LP.

Lamoureux says after years of playing everything from punk to blues, he has found his voice in Midwest Dilemma, "a cross between folk, indie and country," discovering that "there's not a lot of people who can't relate to it in one way or another."

But what is the "Midwest dilemma?" Lamoureux claims it encompasses all of his experiences, especially those he's had growing up smack dab in the middle of the country. He grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, "a dead end town," with his father, a railroad worker. Lamoreux's father was later transferred to Omaha, Neb., which, in recent years has had a burgeoning music scene with the creation of Saddle Creek Records, home to such acts as The Faint and indie golden boy Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes).

But Omaha isn't completely accepting of the indie music world in its midst, Lamoureux says.

"The Midwest is a very difficult place to be; everyone's always talking about New York and Los Angeles, and we're like the funnel," Lamoureux explains. "But by the same token, there's a lot that can come from here, but … people kind of settle with not moving ahead. The pressure here is just to get married, have a family, work … you're almost stuck to do that. To me it's just kind of like my dilemma is trying to do what I love to do, which is music."

Living in the cornfields can be stifling, so Lamoureux says he is compelled to take his show on the road. "There's a lot more than just getting in the vehicle and driving. It builds your character and builds you as an artist," he says. "If you sit in your hometown and wait for someone to come to you, it's not going to happen. But, who knows, if you tour the country—nothing might happen, but for me, I say go out and do it."

It's clear when talking to Lamoureux that he is genuine. Unlike so many young artists of his occupation, he has no flighty dreams of being the next Dylan. In fact, when I ask him where he'd liked to be in the next few years, he tells me that in addition to his first release - "a concept album" - he "would love to have somebody who could help me with the promotion, sending out press releases, helping me do some of that."

That'll free up time for him to play in every city imaginable. But his sights aren't magnanimous. He adds that he'd like to be "kind of like B.B. King. I want to be humble like that and be able to play small clubs. I really want to do this more for what I pay my bills with as opposed to barely scraping by. But I love it, and I don't need to complain."

Midwest Dilemma plays with GoodmanCOUNTY at W.C. Don's on May 31.