045: Ross Cooper

On Episode 45, we catch up with Lubbock native Ross Cooper. We caught up with Cooper around New Year’s to discuss how his move up to Nashville has impacted his writing style, keeping West Texas grit in his songs, and the songs of his forthcoming album, I Rode The Wild Horses.

Interview Transcript

Note: Transcripts aren’t always accurate since they are computer automated and haven’t been edited for spelling, grammar, etc.

Thomas Mooney 0:06

Everyone, welcome to episode number 45 of the new slang podcast. I'm Thomas Mooney. And this week on the pod we have Ross Cooper. We've been talking about Ross's new record for a while now. It's called I rode the wild horses. And today it's officially available for pre order on iTunes. And so yeah, this podcast right here is about the record. I guess it's about a month, maybe a couple weeks back now, or I guess it was about a month ago. Over on wide open country, I wrote an interview in peace on Ross's new record, in which we, I guess premiered the title track of the record. Again, like I think this record is phenomenal. It's a really earthy and rootsy and really goes into cowboy culture, actual rodeo life. And just really like life on the road. There's a lot of really great Sonic qualities to the record, because it still sounds in many ways, like there's like this, like in the garage rock kind of feel to it too, even though it's definitely rooted in West Texas and old school country kind of sounds. So yeah, anyways, we talk a lot about that process of like, what, what it was for Ross to make the record how long it took and everything like that. So again, it's available available for pre order now on iTunes. So I'll throw a link to that in the show notes. If you go over to wide open country, there's a few new pieces that I've written. One of them earlier this week was a rare hidden gems of Alan Jackson. I always like doing these hidden gems pieces on artists. Because really, you you find a lot of context for an artist's career, what I do is I essentially just do a crash course deep dive on an artist where I listened to literally every song they ever recorded. And try and find those gems that never charted that never were released, the singles for whatever reason didn't have a whole lot of like, didn't I guess, maybe resonate with a crowd early on, for whatever reason. And Alan Jackson is, if you remember back in the early 90s, he was right there with Alan, with George Strait and Garth Brooks, for whatever reason, like those two guys, they've had this really great staying power, there's still a whole lot of name recognition with those guys. But Alan Jackson kind of tailed off in a lot of ways. I don't know if that was necessarily his own decisions. But I think like, in a lot of ways, he was more on the forefront, and more outspoken than those two guys. And in a lot of ways, like he was a little bit more on point with the direction with where country was going and like why it was bad to keep on writing songs about dirt, roads, and whatnot. And something else that's really interesting about his career is that, you know, he wrote the vast majority of those songs. And as his career has gone on, he's gotten better as a writer. And it's, it's really interesting to see the growth of an artist, who, I guess like Alan Jackson is probably in his early 60s now. And he's writing probably the best stuff of his career. Even though if you go back and listen to those early 90s. Like you're in the real world and stuff like that, you're still going to find that those songs are incredible. But it's an interesting transition for him as a as an artist because he's obviously grown and adapted and matured. Another piece that came out today is a track by track guide on Wade Bowens latest record called solid ground. Over the years, I've talked with Wade numerous times about writing songs in his career, and I think this is his best work. When I talked to him earlier about this record, and he's, I guess, like, really, I've talked him in little tidbits over the last year about it. Primarily, though, we talked a couple weeks ago, we did like a real deep dive on the record. And, you know, he really talks about how Keith Gaddis who produced the record really challenged him as a songwriter, and how

like it was a new experience making this record because usually You know, you go in there with 20 to 30 songs and kind of cut it down to the 11 best that fit together. And this time, you know, he basically showed up that way. And Keith was just like, okay, let's write some more, let's write some more. And they basically wrote every morning while they were in the studio. And Wade was telling me how, I guess he wrote like four songs in one week. And, you know, they two of them, I guess, made the record or so. But like how? He thought, All right, now we're going to go into the studio and, and really record these records. And Keith's response was like, why would I? Why would you want to record right now when you're writing your best stuff right now? And I think like, you know, like, wait, I guess he just turned 40 this year, or last year. And I think like, whenever you get to that age, you know, it's good for a challenge. It's good to challenge yourself. And I think that the songs are the best songs that Wade's ever written. One of the most impressive things about Wade is that is how he's been able to trans transition from being a, you know, a fun rowdy college bar kind of crowd artist to being a real in depth, singer, songwriter. You know, like, Wade's been calling this is like Texas record. And I think a lot of people will probably think of that as being like, Okay, he's going to be singing songs about floating the river and getting drunk in Austin, and whatever, you know, like the laundry list of cliches, the usual tropes about Texas. And, you know, this artist, or this album, solid ground is not like a BuzzFeed list at all. He gets really serious and exposes exposes himself in a lot of ways. He's really vulnerable on a lot of stuff, while also maintaining a nostalgia and reminiscing kind of feel to it. Yeah, I don't want to just like, say everything that I said in the article, so go over to one of them country, and there's a track by track guide on the record. And then of course, go and get Wade's record. Okay, one last thing. If you haven't subscribed to the podcast, go ahead and do so you can rate us on iTunes, if you want. And you if you're listening to on Spotify, go ahead and follow us. So you can just keep on listening to episodes as they come in. And we still have a few of the new slang panhandle shirts available. They're red and black. I'll post the photo online. If you want one, just to get a hold of me through Twitter or on Facebook or whatever. They're 20 bucks. And we can ship them anywhere. And yeah. Anyways, here is our interview with Ross Cooper. Yeah, well get this new record coming out. Yeah. Well, first of all, thanks for having me back. Well, yeah,

Ross Cooper 8:28

you always pick good places to have these podcasts because the last one was behind third monthly, like the coolest venue there. And this is one of my favorite venues in Texas, for sure. But this is

Thomas Mooney 8:40

usually just added convenience for everybody.

Ross Cooper 8:43

I think I think it works out great. I don't think that I don't think that there's a place that would work better. I mean, this is kind of the hub of the music in this town. So to me, it makes complete sounds I think it's awesome.

Thomas Mooney 8:57

Yeah, but to me, it's just like, usually it's bad to the route to soundcheck or they just sound checked. If you're in town, it's a place that's quiet during the afternoon. Yeah, get a couple of beers at Toms and just hang out.

Ross Cooper 9:12

So yeah, but but yes, March not to answer bogarted that but yeah, March not. I wrote the wild horses found that comes out which is crazy, because I feel almost feel like it's already come out. You know, it's been done for a while. And I've been getting kind of all the business ducks in a row. So for me, it doesn't feel old yet. It will. But it's a it's it's definitely time to release this record. Yeah, I can't wait.

Thomas Mooney 9:48

Yeah, well, it's always one of those things where you make the record and you hit really like Final on the the Masters the recording process. And then it's another X amount of time getting all the, like you said, the ducks in a row to release the record. And that's like where the records gonna be new for everybody. March 9, except it's like already old for you Well, and plus like the not even including all the time, right? And the songs and

Ross Cooper 10:18

yeah, yeah, well for somebody kind of in my shoes, you know, this kind of feels like a first record. And also for somebody in my shoes, it takes no, I think it takes a little longer to get ready for this release, because a lot of time is spent building that team, you know, it is, it's really, really necessary. I feel like to have a team of people around you that you trust, and that want the best for your record and want the best for you to you know, so I feel like I have that team now. Yeah, and I'm glad to be able to release at the beginning of a new year, that gives us the whole year. I think it's gonna be like, starting February 20/27. It's like, almost like 20 dates almost in a row. Yeah. Like we're hitting it pretty hard. And, and then, you know, that's, that's just from February 27 to march 25. And then I can't even think about April, you know, April, hopefully is going to be the same way. But I mean, I'm chomping at the bit. I can't wait to get it out.

Thomas Mooney 11:22

Well, like I remember you sending over some like old work tapes. Yes. Like, of it. of some of the songs are ended up on the record. Yeah.

Ross Cooper 11:33

I remember. It's like 18 songs. I think only six of those made the record. Which is good. I think I don't, you know, it's such a weird line. Song, you know, it's been said before, but a songwriters favorite song is always his latest song. But, you know, since that time, we had all those work tapes. I wrote, probably, I know at least 7677 more on top of that. Which is funny, because I remember, I remember kind of, you know, getting the wheels turning for this record. And I was talking with a buddy in Nashville. And he was like, Man, that's great that you have 18. But it'd be really great if you could write 100 more, or whatever. So I didn't write quite 100. But I wrote in between 70 and 80. Yeah. And it's, you find out really fast, the songs that you love. And the songs that work well with each other. Were kind of tell the story or whatever. But I like that I had a lot to pull from I think this is the first time where I've really had a ton of songs to pull from. So hopefully, hopefully, I chose the you know, the ones that kind of make an impact, but there's no way to know. Yeah, there's no way to know,

Thomas Mooney 12:52

I think that like that is maybe the biggest difference between Texas and Nashville guys, is that typically, folks living in Nashville, if you guys are writing all the time, and I think it obviously makes you into a better writer, or you have a bigger catalogue of stuff to choose from where I've heard so many guys who from around here, what's like, Oh, I wrote 10 songs time ago, cut a record, or like, you know, where there's not a whole lot of stuff that they don't end up writing or recording.

Ross Cooper 13:25

Right. And there are those people though, you know, I think there are fewer and farther between but there's those people that have 10 to 12 songs, they're ready to go and they jump in a studio and like it's it's an incredible record. Like I was talking about this kind of same thing with a buddy couple days ago. It's funny when you go Look, when you listen at people's very first record, you know, people that are very much established, their first kind of record sometimes is my absolute favorite record. You know, like you couldn't really say that. I don't think you can really say that Heartbreakers Ron Adams first record, because for me, it goes back to whiskeytown. Yeah. But those, you know, what was the very was the very first one faithless Street. Yeah, I believe so. It's just I like that there's, it doesn't have to be perfect. You know what I mean? I like that there's this earnestness in these records, and people just want to make music and yeah, I mean, I think there's a lot to be said about the people that that can write 10 songs, be proud of them. hit record and hit stop. And that's awesome. And I'm not one of those people. You know, I second guessed a second. Yes, a lot of a lot of songs. And typically, if you're second guessing them, they're not supposed to be on your record. So that's kind of the process for me. I feel like I need to write a lot of songs and then have a lot to choose from, you know,

Thomas Mooney 14:56

yeah. You know, like, obviously in Nashville, you're writing with a whole lot of different people. How do you? How do you? like where do you store your ideas? You know, like, because I feel like you're always having to look for a subject. Yeah.

Ross Cooper 15:16

Well, the answer where I store I mean, I have notes upon notes upon notes on my phone. And then I had a, I had a notebook and have a notebook? Well, it's it's like a, it's a leather bound, you know, like planner. And I filled that sucker up. And it's mainly with ideas and songs that made the record. So I kind of want to keep that and just put it away and be done with it, you know, not add any more paper just like, kind of stamp it and put that somewhere because that that whole binder ended up kind of being like for this record, and I didn't mean for it to happen that way. But I'm the man the phone is such a damn good headset. Yeah. Because used to, you know, you'd have to write something down on piece of paper or whatever. And you never know when you're going to see something or just an idea hits and you go to your notes and just put it there, and it's stored away. The problem, though, is I'm really bad about just starting a new note list over. So I have 1000s of notes, and hundreds of just different ideas that are scattered about, you know, 1000s of notes. Yeah, that's kind of a pain in the ass. Yeah,

Thomas Mooney 16:21

I think like the the note thing. And I end up with a bunch of notes on my phone as well. But I also end up with just 1000s or not 1000s. But you know, like 50 alarms, because I just got like a Siri, set an alarm for Yeah, whatever time and she's she's actually listening right now. But, and then like you actually open your damn alarm thing. And then there's like, 100 you're like, well, I forgot anyways. But so I guess like what do you whenever you're going to a co write like that, you always have kind of like three or four ideas that you want to start out with. I like pitch first, or

Ross Cooper 17:02

I do I like to be prepared. And not saying walking into Korat without something is being unprepared. But for me, I feel like I'm at my best if I can come in with a couple of chord progressions two or three. And, like either three or four ideas or titles, you know, and just have kind of a, if all else fails, I really like getting into a room. And coming up with something organically in the room, you know, talking with somebody, it's it's a lot of fun. I like rotten with new people, a lot of people don't. And I like that with new people. And finding out you know about that person, whatever and, you know, kind of bouncing ideas about with a what's going on in their life. I've found that like, the people that I'm really comfortable, right with a lot. We hit roadblocks all the time now because we know each other so well. So that's kind of where it's, for me, it's been good to kind of have an idea. You know, like, if I have an idea in my phone, I'm like, okay, so and so would be perfect for this. So I'm writing with so and so next week. Yeah, make sure I brought in I'll put like initials next to that title or whatever. Which a lot of people tell you like, you never want to hold punches. You never want to hold titles, but I do think there's ideas that some people are gonna you know, it's gonna work for some people and for other people, it's going to be completely different. I mean, you're not going to if you have if you have a really like kind of folky idea, it's probably not like the best idea to bring it into a Music Row top 40 S Yeah, co rod you know, it's it's gonna go you're it's it's apples and oranges it's it's kind of you know, it's wasted time for you and twice time for that person.

Thomas Mooney 18:41

Yeah, well, I know like, if you just look at look at like wills rose queen. Yeah, I think that's like maybe a really great example or even the new one. Not the new like a bear Island but bringing rode, like if you There's a song would be a on it. That feels like a remedy. It feels like a BA song. Rose Queen feels like a Kenneth O'Meara song. Ringling road feels way more your style, like and I think it's one one of those things where they all feel like well, too, but like he he wouldn't have approached you with something that Yeah, he had that idea already. And

Ross Cooper 19:24

I get it. On this record. There's a song that I wrote with Andrew combs and Jordan laning. And it sounds to me it sounds more like a Andrew calm song. And I love that. But when we got in the studio, it ended up kind of kind of becoming more of my wheelhouse. But that's why I love, love coloradan whatever I do from, you know, after this record, hopefully I'm able to put out another record. Whatever I do after that I kind of want to try out everything myself. Because, you know, I used to write everything myself. And then I figured out that when that strong, you know, like, I was either hit or miss and most time it's kind of miss and it took being in rooms with people and learning from other like songwriters that I really respected. You know, make me feel like I grew a little bit, and I'd like to, you know, sit down and write 1215 Yeah. You know, on my own, I went from having one code rot on my last record to like, seven on this one. Yeah. So it's a it's a, it's a, it's interesting, it's interesting, but I do love. I do love Colorado. It's a I love creating that, you know, being being another room with couple people. And you know, most of time you get shit. It's, it's a, it's kind of few and far between. I feel like when that kind of magic happens, that kind of lightning strikes or whatever you want to call it. But when it does, it's like, I think the coolest takeaway in my mind is like, I wish that song wouldn't have existed, it had not written it with another person or whatever. You know what I mean? Yeah. I just think it's so cool. And that's the, that's the thing with the, the combs cover rod, and Jordan landing. Love those dudes do. And it was like a super easy ride. It was an hour and a half, I think maybe, and I'm proud of the song.

Thomas Mooney 21:26

So, you know, like, on that, when we went out on the 806, songwriter, retreat, talking later with a couple people like Ba, he mentioned that, you know, he thought you came in and gave a i, okay, everyone went down there to have fun write songs. But like, also, you know, relax and see people that you hadn't seen forever, all that kind of good stuff. But, like you came in, with a couple ideas that you had that you want to do, for example, that one song you wrote with Wade? Yeah, with Wade and ba Yeah. And you, you kind of had a few things that you wanted to. Maybe you didn't even say this yourself, but you had a couple things you wanted to check off at this time? And definitely, I think like there's a little bit of, you know, not that anyone's an MVP, thing like that. But you you probably came out there with some or came out of there with some good songs. And like, I think other people looked at you as well and kind of saw like, oh, there's some professionalism with it.

Ross Cooper 22:32

Well, I think a lot of that, appreciate that. I think it's bullshit. But I'll take it, thank you. But I looked at it like, dude, there's not a week songwriter in that retreat. So whoever you got paired with? Hell, yeah. You know, like, it was exciting. And I don't get to see everybody as much as I used to. Yeah. So you know, inherently usually not at one day. Exactly. Exactly. So inherently, there's time to hang out. You know, there's no matter what there's gonna be time to take shots and drink beer and play songs around the campfire that was gonna happen no matter what. But acts that didn't go Donald get to see those people. You know, all those guys, my buddies, I don't get to see them often. And so, yeah, it's like a one. It's at once a year. We'll do a retreat where brings everybody together? Yeah, I was I wanted to get in and read and write some songs and still have a good time. And I'm, I'm glad that the songs that we got to, I think,

Thomas Mooney 23:35

like, everyone wanted to do that. But like, I think I know, like, ba was saying how, last the year before, he had thought of a couple of ideas for certain people that if he got matched with them, like there's this new song on randles record called Mirror mirror, and it's like this old style Keith Whitley gonna write. And he said, You know, I, he had that idea in Casey, and he wanted to pull up bull Randall to the side and like, it was right, this, you know, it ends up being a song randles next record. I think like, you kind of he was saying, like, how he didn't necessarily have that this time. Like, he wasn't as prepared maybe well, but like, or he didn't have any fresh ideas or I know that kind of thing, which is

Ross Cooper 24:24

that part of it. You know what I mean? It's part man. Like, that's, that's, that's absolutely part of it. It's, it's a really strange thing. You know, I think it's sometimes it's really hard to start, you know, as a writer, like, it's, it's like, sitting behind a typewriter and just started you know, making yourself start. Yeah, but sometimes like, it's just not that easy, no matter It doesn't matter if you are at a writer's retreat, surrounded by, you know, a bunch of different great writers. Like, if you're not in the, if you're not in that headspace, you're probably not going to get anything yeah. But like he like here wack. Right. So was a big sir. Have you said have you read that? In that care what? Yeah, it is so big sir. You know he had that cabin out there in California. And basically what that's that whole thing's about is he went out there and bombed self in the woods and like got nothing, you know, and then came back years later and wrote about being out in the middle of nowhere and getting nothing. Yeah. So I think there's if you don't get something you know initially, that doesn't mean you're not going to get something later on.

Thomas Mooney 25:36

Yeah. But I always think to, for me just when I'm having any kind of trouble writing something, I'll just start from the middle. Yeah, just go from that point. Like, what do I want to say? What's one thing I want to say? Yeah, and then just go from there. But yeah, it was a fun retreat. It was a lot of fun. I felt like Hey, what did you Who else did you write with? You wrote with? I weighed in? Yeah, or Yeah, Wayne ba ba.

Ross Cooper 26:00

And then I wrote with Benton and Charlie in the hate that met and had he had to leave early. But we ended up finishing a song I'm really proud of I really, really, really like. And then me Josh and klepto. And the idea was super strong words. You know, I didn't flesh out. Yeah, but But yeah, it was, uh, as far as I'm concerned, I got drew out some pretty damn good. Yeah, I was. I was excited that whole time. I felt awful. When I got back to Nashville. I felt I needed like a day just like turn off my phone and sleep. Yeah. Oh, God. Yeah. Yeah. Sleeping on that stage man. The outdoor stage yet? It was at? It was so cool. It's so cool.

Thomas Mooney 26:49

It was kind of cold that entire time. I felt fine. I was nice and warm. I slept outside but was uh, yeah, I don't know. I mean, like that inside stage. I don't know how y'all slept on there either, though.

Ross Cooper 27:02

It's hot. It was too cold outside and too hot inside. Smart chestnut zone. Those guys, I guess they slept fine. I started out on it. That I got that I got the mainstage and in a sleeping bag, and I had my boots beside me and my hat on top of my booster kit blow my head off the stage. And there's a point I was like, shit. I'm just gonna leave it. I'll find it here in a little bit. There's like nothing I could do. And then it kind of dawned on me. I was like, I can just I can just go inside. Yeah. Don't have to act. There's no points. No, there's no. There's no point of sleep it out on this frigid stage. Yeah, there's a wind tunnel get lowered.

Thomas Mooney 27:51

I like how that first night though, that wind was blowing harder the hell and half of Charlie's damn tent blew. He went inside. What was that? What was that tenant called? shaftless quarters, General chapters, quarters and their general chapters quarters. Massive tent, we could have all fit in that damn tent, and it wouldn't have blown

Ross Cooper 28:13

away. Oh, he's there next year. And I hope he sets up that tent in that exact same spot.

Thomas Mooney 28:22

That's where he set it up the year before. So I think it's a that's just gonna be a thing from now on. That's awesome. That's awesome. is a lot of fun. Yeah, a lot of fun. I think, you know, it's one of those things where we'll forget more shit. more funny shit that happened there than we'll ever remember. Because there's just a lot of fun.

Ross Cooper 28:42

Yeah, the the piece he wrote on it was good. It kind of hit the nail on the head. It was it was just, it was a good summation of those two or three days.

Thomas Mooney 28:55

Yeah, I wish I could have written it longer. But you know, they run Niner 1000 words, which is that's kind of like,

Ross Cooper 29:01

what, it's long. It's long until the until you start editing.

You know?

Unknown Speaker 29:08

Man,

Ross Cooper 29:08

I'm sure you probably had pages upon pages upon pages of that trip. Yeah, what was your What was your favorite part? Um, I like the I like the kind of the unwind after the, you know, the day I like. I like the feeling of finishing. Because that's how it happened. Both the knots, you know, I was able to get a song My groups and then it was kind of for me, it's like that's it's a blast right in the song. But it's also like, it's not like a relief like a hug at that or whether it's like a hell yeah, you know, like, yeah, like we we got one whether it's good or bad. We got one. So it's it kind of, you can kind of unplug a little bit. You know? just kind of hanging out that kind of that little transition time where you just finished the song and then you can kind of start letting loose a little bit and yeah, cooking and drinking and all the all the things. Yeah, that was that was my, the fire probably, you know the center on fire when it was in its prom is for like, you know, to a span of time and not the 4am around the fire mark, I'm Daniel Mark I'm singing friends in low places and during the third verse in the in the Garth monologue. Yeah, it's all fun. It was all fun.

Thomas Mooney 30:42

Yeah, marker man. He not only played Garth Brooks, he he played old. Like one wolf songs he played. It was fun. I was I forgot about that. I forgot about that. I mean, but anyways, getting on to the record, though, like, How long were you? How long did you guys cut the record? How long was it trying to short out and everything. The

Ross Cooper 31:08

actual studio time we did it in two sessions, because Eric producer got so dang busy. That it was just it was it was what we kind of had to do. And there was three or four months between those. Between those sessions in the first session. We did it. We did. The first half the record, basically we did three days. We cut three songs in the first two days. And then we did overdubs on the third day. And we honestly got most stuff. We got most attracts. When we were cutting, you know, a lot like we're, we cut them a lot. And so there was a ton of overdubs. And then the second session we did four days, we did two or three days again, of cutting, and it's crazy. It's, you know, I'm used to it takes like, a couple months to record a record. You know, you do a song and you sit on it, and you layer then you go to another song. It was nuts. Like, you know, we have the band that this rat fit. And these guys can play anything, you know, they jumped in, and we get it knocked out. And it's just like, Whoa, holy shit like that. That didn't take I didn't take any time at all. Yeah. But it's like, there's, you couldn't have done it again and done it. done it better, you know. And then the fourth day we did third and fourth day, we did final vocals. So we did like six songs a day.

Thomas Mooney 32:43

So, on this record, you really kind of pull back from your old rodeo days of Yeah, well, it's

Ross Cooper 32:51

I wrote, I wrote the wild horses, run by myself. And I wrote it in 30 minutes or an hour just wasn't a lot of time. But I started playing it out. And I started playing it some people and it was kind of one of those things is like, well, I really love this. And I don't know if anybody will and then these people that I really didn't think would get it started, like kind of digging into the song. Like, that's cool. That's a compliment, you know. But I didn't, it was just a song that was like really fun to write. And I loved it. And I didn't at that point. I don't know if I was even thinking about a record yet. And then when I was thinking about a record, it took about five seconds to figure out the title track. I was like, it's got to be a road the wild horses. And you know, there's about three or four songs on that record that I kind of pull from, from rodeo days. Obviously I wrote the wild horses, you know, from start to finish is kind of a story story song about kind of the the old rodeo hands. But you know, there's a traveling song and then you know, even like okra, whiskey corn, red moon is kinda it's kind of that same feeling, you know, but I wanted I wanted I wrote the wild horses to set the tone for the record. I wanted it to be the first track the title track, and it kind of be like a lock it or hate it. This is what I do. Yeah. So yeah, that's I'm pretty proud of it still. Yeah, it's been a lot since

Thomas Mooney 34:24

I think you know, it's like the it fits really well not just like in the tones and the textures of the record overall the way it sounds. But also like there's a couple rodeo songs, a couple cowboy kind of songs, right and there's like, you know, late night driving songs. Yeah, lonely at the bar songs. And then like, I think something else that's fits in the the idea of the concept record. My example always is is like Springsteen Like the river, right? All the slow, sad songs are about these, you know, working class deeds, and then all like the real loud anthems. Those are the songs, those deeds you're listening to on the radio. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, in a way, right? I think there's a little bit of that, you know, on this record.

Ross Cooper 35:20

That's a, that's a cool way to, to put that. Yeah, it's so crazy. With the slow songs. I really wanted to put together a record of songs that I was proud of fast or slow. And for a breakout record, or not a breakout, like a kind of what would what would be like a first record, kind of again, you know, I put out three albums and this feels like my first record completely. But for like a debut album or something like that. I feel like a lot of people really want to put out like an album full of like, these kind of bangers, you know, these kind of these up tempo, fast songs. And it's one a singles market apparently now, or everybody's putting out singles and APS. And that's cool. That's, that's just not what I wanted to do. You know. And I think there's a lot of worth and people that are putting out complete albums and those albums. I mean, Dude, look at Randall Lambert's double disc. It's like, if you needed and that's maybe that's an anomaly, because it's random rant, rant Lambert, but I mean, that record kicked ass knows, like, 20 to 24 songs. Yeah. So

I don't, I will

never think that an album is is completely dead. To me, it's kind of like the same thing saying like Toner rodder. Just write short stories. What's the point of writing a book, you know, it takes too long to read a book, you might as well just write short stories. For TV. Do I write for TV? Exactly should write for TV? There's no sense of putting out books like there's no market for books anymore? Like, that's no, that's, that's, that's bass ackwards. It's, it should be. I feel like if you're a writer, and you consider yourself an artist, or have something to say, put it down and try to tell a story. And those are the records that I love personally, and those are the like, that's the top record. I've already put out an EP, I wanted to put out a full length album. So slow songs included, but 12 songs that were just bam, bam, you know, banger kind of like up tempo songs. A because I didn't have that many up tempo banger songs. It's like, harder out there. You know, but like, really great ones. And I don't think I have I think I have any of those. But I like albums that tell stories and kind of have a theme throughout. And I like slow songs. And I don't know, I think there's it's a weird concept if there's not a place for a slow song on a record.

Thomas Mooney 37:54

Yeah. You know? Well, I think that like, obviously, it's singles. people's attention spans are shorter than ever. But you know, 10 years from now, the record is still going to be the record. Yeah. You know, yeah. And I think that like, as time goes by, obviously, a record ages way, way better than an EP or than a single. That's

Ross Cooper 38:21

a great way to put it. I completely agree with that. Yeah, that it's easier to forget a single from five to 10 years ago than it is to record an album. Yeah, good point, man.

Thomas Mooney 38:37

Well, like one of the songs on there. You mentioned just now Old Crow whiskey, cornbread moon. I was with Paul cawthon. Right.

Ross Cooper 38:43

Yeah, I had the, it was a lot slower and finger kind of finger picking tune. And I had the first verse and chorus. And Paul and I were rotten. He came over to the house and we wrote a song and then we got we got the song we're like, knocked out really fast. And he's like, hell you want to dig into another one? I was like, absolutely. I said, I got this song. But I don't know. Like, I'm I love God Clark. I'm probably the biggest guy Clark fan. I know everybody says that you know about ourselves, but love God Clark, but it sounded like a guy Clark song. And I didn't want to, you know, just the, the way the course that chord progression was and kind of the fingerpicking. And Paul came in and just kind of started strumming this different kind of different strum pattern. And it just kind of transformed it. And then he helped, you know, he taught up the second third verse and like, it turned into what it is now like, I love it. And as far as I know, it's still gonna be on his record as well. The new one coming out. Not really sure I can talk to him a little bit, but yeah, he was a That guy, man, he's he's so dang talented.

Thomas Mooney 40:03

Yeah, well that that song right there is your is your banger right there? No, it's it's a fucking good song like, right when you write when it comes on you can just you can tell there's like a shift. You know what I mean? Like it just feels like like you've known it forever, but like without ever. And also, if he does cut it on this new on his next record, I like that kind of shit because you don't really see that a whole lot. Well,

Ross Cooper 40:30

yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right. I've heard the way they recorded it too. I know what it sounds like, I just don't know if they're, if it's Yeah, making the record. And it's it's so cool what they did to it. And it's really different from how I did it. Which it It could have been, you know, we could have done carbon copies of each other. And Esther would have been like that. Yeah. Cool, you know? Yeah. But it's really cool. To hear their interpretation of it.

Thomas Mooney 40:55

I think. Combs and Brent Cobb did it. Did that as well.

Ross Cooper 40:59

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's I think it's titled something different on Yeah. shot on rainy day. Yeah, but I think it's

Thomas Mooney 41:08

on. One of them is rainy day song. Yeah,

Ross Cooper 41:10

the record. It's rainy day song. That's a good song to streams album is the one who's on Yeah, man, that's a beautiful song. That's gonna be a song you look back in 10 years, and it's still like, Holy moly.

Thomas Mooney 41:23

I remember whenever, like, is after he had put out his first record. And, you know, looking online seeing if he you know, hinting at a new record.

Ross Cooper 41:34

And don't Yeah, the one that had like a like to stone to cry and some of that stuff. Yeah,

Thomas Mooney 41:39

that was the first record, right? Yeah. I think I fucking love that record. And so I'm looking for you know, is he writing anything else, you know, and I found like, where he had cut rainy day song and month of bad habits. And he had done him for like this Youtube Video Channel thing. And, like, I'm not one who always just will go to YouTube and just watch a video, or like, have it playing. But there for about a month, I would just have those songs going back and forth, I think. Because like, they were first off they were done really well. But also they just sounded amazing. And those songs are

Ross Cooper 42:18

and for from for my money. That dude is one of my favorites. I don't think he's phenomenal. I mean, he's got a phenomenal voice. He's a great songwriter. He's a good guy. I'm a big fan of Andrew combs. What

Thomas Mooney 42:34

did you What do you write with him on this right at the highway? Okay.

Ross Cooper 42:38

And I can only double Tom, it sounded like it that's kind of why it sounds to me It sounded like an Andrew comb song. And then we brought in the studio and you know, we slowed it down was at halftime and it just kind of took on a different personality but we weren't I met Andrew and Jordan landing at a place and he said to get Margarita before we're gonna wrap and we got a pitcher Margarita and we're just kicking around ideas and say, Man, I just I don't have like a road song. You know, like a highway song to where you're just that that point where you're just so tired that you start seeing stuff on the side of the road you know that kind of that that type of song. And Andrews like he's like really kind of quiet. It was well had this title. Lady the hallway, you know about like, kind of you know, lady, the highway kind of watching over you on the road. I was like, that is perfect, man. That is so perfect. And we slowly wrote the verses in like, we wrote the first verse like really quick. We got the chorus. What's his course going to be? And then Jordan was like, I think you just say thank you say lady the highway. It was a really fun ride. But that was definitely he absolutely had that title. Yeah. Yeah. But I'm glad that he let me use it. Yeah, share it.

Thomas Mooney 44:06

Yeah. You wrote a song on here with will as well. Yeah, I wrote. cowboys and Indians. I think that's going to be a song about like, what's gonna be funny about that is there's gonna be a whole lot of irony in the people who listened to that song. I think so. And I think it's, well I've never had a whole lot of this is my song. People saying that. Yeah. Without like them realizing.

Ross Cooper 44:30

Yeah, it's mate. Maybe so it's gonna be interesting to see and it could, you know, it could be a sleeper that nobody pays attention. He just, you know, again, you don't you don't ever know. But we'll have kind of had the idea. And, you know, there's a lot a lot of hats and in Nashville, it's like the Tim McGraw or Jason Aldean top a hat which is fine if you want to wear that or it's like the, you know, kind of the resurgence of the urban cap. Boy era, top of you know, hat, but you know, button sissy type of thing. And I was talking with will and he was like, that's even more reason why you should wear a hat because you have the background like you've lived it and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, and I didn't have so did just kind of be that, you know, that kind of aggressive up in your face kind of, quote unquote, middle finger type of song. It was fun. It was fun. Yeah. But it was, but when he said that, when it was kind of the light came on, you know? Because he's right, there's, there's not there's not a lot of cowboys at all, and Middle Tennessee. And so it's kind of, for me, it's something to be proud of. And for I just look at it kind of like that. And will was Peyton, you know, his view of it's like, it was almost kind of like a, you should show them what they're, you know, like, show him what the what kind of the real, the real thing is, like, kind of not really rub their nose in it. But yeah, you know, it's, anyway.

Thomas Mooney 46:07

It's like a, you know, I posted on Instagram, the album cover. Yeah, I was like, I was funny. Oh, this is one of them. Urban cowboys. Bah, bah, I never been on a horse. And I was like, Levi jacket, or Yeah, and I was like, actually a

Ross Cooper 46:26

really funny exchange. When that little exchange happened. I kind of sat back and and watch.

Thomas Mooney 46:33

Because there's also I get, like, one,

Ross Cooper 46:35

one o'clock in the morning or something, right? You can tell the guy was he wanted to be really annoyed and justly so good. But and then he had my back on that one. And then he was just like, Oh, well, cool. Like, it was like the most friendly, like least confrontational exchange that, you know, could have gone the other way. Is is funny. Yeah. Yeah. But, on the other hand, to play devil's advocate, I do think it's something good. When, you know, there's kind of a resurgence of some kind of cowboy culture, especially when it's it's a, you know, it's a diet. In some parts of the world. It's a dying culture. And it's so a tip of the hat to people that that, you know, that if you want to wear a hat and boots, go ahead, man. Like,

Thomas Mooney 47:30

yeah, well, one of the things too, is, you know, I was talking to my friend, Jeff Dennis, about this group of cowboys. Now, you know what I mean? Yeah. Let me just jump up there. But you know, it's, we're talking about the whole authentic, genuine thing, right. And the bigger thing is, it's better to be genuine. We're just a little bit of authenticity a little bit, and authenticity goes a long way. But being genuine is what matters. But also, there's like, the whole, you don't like the like the real, most of the rough and tough cowboys couldn't write a song if they and you don't want to listen to their songs really, because they probably are not able to, you know, to mean to be the same way as like listening to guys about Coleman and but like if you ask them to write a song a coal miner really probably couldn't. Yeah, write a song that you'd want to

Ross Cooper 48:25

there's a and that's kind of brings up something interesting too that you know, I grew up listening to to radio songs I grew up listening to Chris Lu and in tahsin songs and Tom Tom Russell songs but also listen to like surf rock and like just indie garbage and singer songwriter stuff, you know, and a lot of guys I travel with, you know, those kind of the rizzy staple radio songs that kind of have a sound and I love those songs.

And this you know, I wrote the wild horses for me it's not really a rodeo song, but it is you know what I mean? It's it's,

it's a it's a story with with kind of rodeoing being the the medium of that story here in the subject of the story. But you know, if you A and B that song with like a Chris new song It's not gonna sound like a Chris Lu song sounds more like a Tom Waits song, you know, as far as the production and whatnot.

Unknown Speaker 49:25

Yes.

Ross Cooper 49:27

So it's, it's kind of it's a song that pulled a lot of my life from but it's not necessarily a rodeo sound like a rodeo song. That makes sense. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 49:36

Yeah.

Thomas Mooney 49:38

I think this record is just best damn thing you've done but I also I just think it's a damn good record, you know?

Ross Cooper 49:45

Thank you. And I hope so it's you know, the songs are it's like they're my babies, but some people have ugly babies. Every it's everybody's really close to the song. Say that and they should be. But I think it's really hard to be objective about them and know whether or not that that baby is pretty or ugly. And hopefully we hopefully this album works out, you know, yeah, I hope I hope people enjoyed as much as I enjoyed making it. That's the goal, you know, to go out for a year, and make no money on the road, basically, and spread this album and see what happens. Yeah. And hopefully,

Thomas Mooney 50:30

we're out. Where are you guys going? Where so the first all is the

Ross Cooper 50:35

North Carolina is like the first stop. And then we will do Texas later in the month but Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee. I think we're doing Atlanta. We're doing Indiana, and I think Illinois. So it's kind of like the neighboring states of Tennessee. Yeah, I think it borders like eight states or something like that. And we get to end that tour. Here. Basically, we've in that blue light on March 24. And then we're going to go do a thing in Dallas on Sunday. Sunday going back home, it's just an acoustic thing, but it'll be really cool to start that tour and start it here. Yeah, I think I don't want to over overstep, because we had to we had a we figured out a different date for the last show. But initially, it was going to be March 9 or something. Anyway, date didn't work out. But Brandon, will you come play with us at for the CD release show when we come back to love it. And so I think that's what's gonna happen. Yeah, it'll be a hell of a good time. Sounds like it. Yeah.

I'll be here. Oh, hell yeah.

Thomas Mooney 52:05

Well, I'm gonna go grab beer. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me, man. Well, thank you for coming up here.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai