Q&A: Hey Cowboy!
THEY MAY BE SILLY BUT THEY’RE MAKING HELLA GOOD TUNES - Texas trio Hey Cowboy! have created their sound by combining an affinity for rock instrumentation with dreamy synths and angelic, layered vocals. The group is not afraid to experiment, and as a result, their musical style is unexpected and intriguing, with the potential to branch out into many new directions. All of this is showcased on their recently released album, the playfully titled Get in My Fanny Pack and Let’s Go, which features 13 beautifully constructed, atmospheric tracks. Get to know more about the album, their plans for 2020 and more in our Q&A below!
LUNA: How do you think your foundation in Denton has shaped you as artists?
HEY COWBOY: Denton is a DIY community constantly encouraging one another to create. Don’t have a venue? Name your house something fitting and start booking. Want to start an art collective? Grab your friends and get to making magical, detailed sets for bars, music videos, and exhibits. Want to be a musician but can’t play an instrument? Start jamming with others and teach yourself. That’s exactly what we did. We barely knew anything when we were playing, but we jammed, performed our first show at Midway Craft house (what used to be a wonderful grab n go / DIY venue with florescent lighting) and were encouraged to keep going.
LUNA: What are some of your favorite elements in your music?
HEY COWBOY: We have various backgrounds in music, but not a ton of music theory experience. By not having those guidelines as a mindset, our creative process has a lot of freedom. We are silly and our music reflects that silliness. We love harmonies, but we also like recording hidden stomach gurgling. Everyone’s effort to fill the space as a three-piece pushes our limits to multitask as musicians.
LUNA: How would you compare Get in My Fanny Pack and Let’s Go to your previous music?
HEY COWBOY: We've stuck to our experimental roots with this album, but maybe there are more complex elements going on in comparison to our first LP “The Soft Kind.” We knew more about the process of writing and recording this time around, so we went into tracking already hearing the layers we wanted to add into each song. Also we've stretched our experimental horizon further, daring to create more moods to this album i.e soft songs that feel more dream pop, disco-like beats that make you wanna dance, and a dash of western vibes mixed in there to take you on home to Texas.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite memory from the creative process from the album?
HEY COWBOY: We had a lot of fun tracking the album and working with Matt Gerherd (of Hen House Recording.) We wanted to add lots of nonsensical sounds to the album, and one part in particular that comes to mind is when we were recording the final track of our album “Zitty.” In the beginning of the song, after the opening line, you can hear some distant laughter. When we are together as a band, sometimes we will play this game where one of us will start rattling off their evil villain laugh, and within seconds, a full on fit of dark laughter is induced. Tracking this in the studio with Matt was both chaotic and hilarious, and it will always be a fond memory to reflect on.
LUNA: Of those that made the cut, which track was the most difficult to make?
HEY COWBOY: “Detective Farmer Brown” has always been a beast to execute. The harmonies live are recorded and layered through a loop pedal, whereas with recording, it is a bit more time consuming to layer each individual vocal. The timing of the song is everything too, so to make it as perfect as possible, we used a timer for tempo (which we never use live.)
LUNA: Is there a narrative or common theme behind Get In My Fanny Pack?
HEY COWBOY: The name for the album came while on a trip in Colorado. We wanted the album to feel like an adventure. Perhaps a bit of a rollercoaster and the listener is blindfolded? You have no idea where you’re going, what turn you are taking… Just trust us, keep your eyes closed, and get in my fanny pack and let’s go.
LUNA: What do you want people to take away from this album?
HEY COWBOY: It's a blast being a band and creating songs together, and we try to make that as obvious as possible with our music. It should be about fun and friendship first and foremost, but also be something that is tangible that people can relate to. Hopefully this album achieves that! Y’all are a powerhouse of amazing ladies.
LUNA: What advice do you have for young women trying to break into the music industry?
HEY COWBOY: Please don’t question yourself or overthink it. You are doing something that is honest to you and your band. Put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to jam into the unknown. Practice, perform, practice, record, and then keep performing and practicing. And don’t let sound guys question your set up if you know it works for you.
LUNA: Big question so take it as you like - what intentions do you have for 2020?
HEY COWBOY: We need to fulfill our dream pop duty and take a west coast tour ASAP. The big goal is to travel as far as we can to share our music with as many places as we can. We also have some music video plans in the works as well as new tunes!
