Armed with a brand new album of country-fusion classics, organic songwriter and musician duo The Cow Cats politely took part in an interview. We talk about the new project, the history of the band, the concept of Country Cousins, blending humour and heart, and plenty more. Here’s the conversation in full.
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The Cow Cats – what a pleasure! Huge congrats for the new album. To introduce things, where are you based right now, and how long have The Cow Cats been making music?
Thank you so much! I (Edmond) am based in Walla Walla, Washington and Daryl Myers is based in Mobile, Alabama – about 2500 miles apart from each other.
We began with two songs in 2022 and decided to knock out an album together during 2023. Country Cousins is the results of our labor. However, I’m very used to working online, as is Daryl, so using email as our major communication avenue was no problem. So I would say we’ve been working together for almost two years – the last year much more intensely.
Tell me about the album Country Cousins – how long was this project in the making, and what connects the songs within?
I loved exploring a new genre to write in! We already had both Thirsty University and A Dinkin’ Problem (The Pickleball Song) in our repertoire before deciding to work on more songs together to complete an album. Ten original new songs in around twelve months. Besides the fact that I wrote all the lyrical content, I think what binds these songs together is Daryl’s great vocal interpretations and the lively content, with both pathos and humor.
What made you choose to open with Thirsty University?
I played the Thirsty University to a bunch of people before making the decision of what song goes where and inevitably, most people liked it immediately and mentioned it as one of their favorites. So, why not start the album out with a bang? I love the humorous references to beer in the song and thought it might become popular with the college crowd. Several people told me it reminded them of their college days.
You also choose a brilliantly upbeat and stylistically different track for the closer, A Dinkin’ Problem (The Pickleball Song) is a personal favourite – do you remember how and where you wrote this one?
Obviously, I’m a big pickleball fan. There are quite a few songs out there about the sport, which surprised me, but most of them are pretty amateur. A “dink” is a reserved hit of the ball barely over the net in a soft manner, making the result difficult to return. It is one of the most difficult things to master in the game. Plus, I thought it was funny that is sounded so much like a “Drinkin’ Problem,” which would have been a country song no matter what!
I had told Daryl to give it a casual Roger Miller style which made the song a whole lot MOR than pure country. Something people could hum in their head. Think King of the Road or England Swings.
The album fuses simple and sometimes comical observations with notably more heartfelt and reflective ones – how important was it for you to balance the evocative and the fun for this project?
Since I was a DJ for a few years, I know how important it is to vary both emotions, mood and content throughout the album experience in order for the listener to experience the entire ride rather than get bored with two similar songs in a row. So, perhaps it’s old fashioned, but I do strive to place the songs together in an interesting and entertaining manner.
It is ironic that the first two songs we created together would end up as bookends to the album at the beginning and end.
Sometimes an audience can receive a project in unexpected ways. Do the songs sound or feel different to you now that they’ve been released to the world?
No, there really hasn’t been any major surprises. I was pleased the “dog song” Jackson is receiving the attention and praise from a whole range of listeners. The heart breaking Almost, Almosts has popped up as one of the contenders (unusual for a ballad), as well as Lotto Dreams, Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way and Downtown Nashville Tennessee.
If you can only play one song to a brand new listener, which will you choose, and why?
Tough one. I think I would select Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way because with so many familiar idioms (common expressions, at least in the USA) it’s the easiest one for people to remember. New listeners usually enjoy how so many expressions are weaved together to make a proper love song. Hopefully, giving new listeners a taste to want more.
What are your plans on the live performance front this year – where can people catch you playing?
Virtually no plans at this time. The Cow Cats are a studio band, so our songs can be covered by other talent, which is a distinct possibility. If, by some quirk of fate, our album become enormously popular, it is not unheard of for a record company to create a touring band to help promote the songs and gain additional performance revenue. Another avenue for our songs is use in television and film, which I’m hoping will occur someday. The challenge, of course, is to have the exact Cinderella slipper fit for the opportunity. Hey, you never know!
Country music is huge at the moment – does that make it easier or more difficult to find an audience for your songs?
I have a degree in journalism/radio-television. In one of my radio classes, way back when, I was taught that the country market was enormous, even then. Still is. Frankly, one of the reasons I changed genres, at least for this album, is to create songs that have a much larger audience than rock. While so many genres are shrinking or falling into obscurity, country continues to grow and expand. Consider Darius Rucker (Only Want to Be with You – Hootie and the Blowfish), who has moved from rock to country quite successfully – and that’s after creating 21 songs that hit certified platinum twenty-one times!
What’s your most ambitious aspiration, and what are the mains steps you’ll take to achieve it?
This year, I will be giving my all to promote this album and try different methods to gain more listeners. I’ll be attending MusExpo at Burbank, California in March, where I meet with industry executives from all over the world. I have an agent in Nashville who pitches our songs to country artists and a sync company who actively attempts to market our material to television and film needs. Thirsty University would have been great for Animal House, don’t you think?
Is there anything else we should know?
I released my fifth poetry book last August called Sip & Savor, which is doing very well. With the release of this new country album at the start of 2024, I am devoting a majority of my time and energy to get our songs heard and enjoyed in any manner possible. It’s my hope that my lyrics – or poetry – are meaningful and appreciated by people. If any of it makes their lives richer in any way, I feel that is success in its finest definition.
Download or stream Country Cousins.
