Cowpuncher is either now misnamed or has just evolved as they release their brand new, third CD “Ghost Notes.”
They will be playing a dual CD release party at the Slice with their good friends Fast Romantics, Oct. 19.
“ Are there any fireworks stores in Lethbridge,” asked Cowpuncher frontman Matt Olah, possibly giving a glimpse into the shenanigans to happen at their first Lethbridge show in at least a year.
‘It’s been too long,” he said.
While they may have started out as planning on being a seven piece bluegrass band and even played the Canadian Country Music Awards, things have changed for the new, lean, mean Calgary based, raunchy rock and roll quintet.
“So what are we doing playing the Canadian Country Music Awards? We’re definitely not a country band now, so we need to re-educate people. It’s nice to have a new CD out to do that,” said Olah, who broke a couple of ribs after “going all rock and roll and jumping off the amps” at those same Canadian Country Music Awards.
“People in my life are telling me I have to dial it back a little,” he said.
They were named one of the Top 10 bands in Calgary by FFWD Magazine, so and decided to take a break from the city and tour out to Vancouver.
“We’re just trying to spread our wings a little bit. We did five dates out to B.C. he said.
“It’s hard to tour when we have five people’s schedules to deal with, it’s not like we’re high school kids anymore but luckily we all have jobs a that are pretty understanding,” he continued.
Somewhere along the way, they lost their pedal-steel/ banjo player and a guitar player, and in the process evolved into a more rock and roll powered outfit.
“We always were a loose collective, so it wasn’t like it was an ‘I quit, you’re fired’ type of situation. You either have to shit or get off the pot. They had families and didn’t want to starve on the road anymore,” he said.
“So we’ve pared down to a five piece. When I started I had a vision of being a bluegrass band. But now, we’re definitely not Hank Williams country, but we also aren’t new country either. We didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves. I guess we’re the Iron Maiden of country music now,” he said.
“The first track on the new album, ‘Raised on Rock And Roll,’ takes a jab at that. After the album was done, we had three other songs ready to go , so we decided to add them too and they are indie rock songs, which is definitely a departure from the last album, ‘Call Me When You’re Single.’”
They are excited to be playing with the Fast Romantics.
“They’re friends of ours. They are from Calgary, but they moved to Toronto. It will be nice to play with them,” he said.
They are excited about playing.
“We want people up front so we can give them high fives and bump fists. It’s not a sit down dinner show,” he said.
