| Live at Billy Bob's - Cooder Graw | |
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Reviewed by Jennifer Webb
On several Cooder Graw stickers, you can read the band's catchphrase: "It's A Loud Country." That phrase alone completely defines the group without need of any more explanation. Though the band is relatively new, they have quite the following around the state of Texas, and that following is bound to expand to other states soon.
As the crowd wildly chants "Cooder Graw," the momentum builds up for the first song, "Llano Estacado." It is an addicting song to listen to because of the rockin' loud sound and high energy feel - you cannot help but be happy listening to it, as the group sings about being born and raised there and how they just want to play their country music as long as they can. People in Texas might recognize the title, as it was played in a statewide Dodge commercial for a while.
A story about a twenty-one year old single mom of three is found in the midtempo tune, "New Dress." During the week the woman feels depressed, but during the weekend she goes on the hunt for a new boyfriend to love her, since the kids have each other and she is all alone. She puts on a new dress and tries to hide her pain as she goes to a bar, drinks some wine, and listens to the music - at her young age she wants to feel free and going out is the only way she thinks she can have some fun. "She loses her mind when she looks for her heart, the lost and found would be a better place to start."
"King of the Dairy Queen" is a quite humorous song, without trying too hard to be that way. The whole premise is that there is a man that used to be the most popular person in junior high and high school (even earning trophies), but instead of moving on to college he stayed in the city and acts like he is still in his teens and "drags everybody down." He still drives the same flat bed truck and sits in the Dairy Queen like he did twelve years ago when his high school sweetheart left him for college.
A tender song about getting over the hurt of a breakup, is "Better Days." Sad memories are hard to forget especially when he sees a happy couple kissing and remembers that he saw the same thing in his dream the previous night. "I've had better days, when pain wouldn't go away. The tears watered down my pride - yeah I've had better days," is the attitude he has throughout the song, but toward the end he finally realizes that the pain will go away, he will find his pride again, and he takes on a brighter outlook for his future.
The washboard is back on the raucous sounding "Boogaloo," a four minute long tune that is so full of craziness that you cannot help but dance around to it as much as you did with "Llano Estacado," if not more. There might be few words on this one, but what a great job they did capturing the live energy of the crowd and band.
"18 Wheels Of Loving," an up tempo song that can also be found on the Texas Road Trip album, is about a trucker that would like to drink some beer once he is through hauling loads, but instead he puts it off until later by getting on a bus to head straight home to his lovely wife. She is a natural beauty "unlike the girls in Dallas, Texas" and does not need to have hundred dollar haircuts and fifty dollars of makeup on.
The leader singer tells us that his dad wanted him to write a song about having his name on "Willie's Guitar," so Matt Martindale obliged. The subject in the song does not want to be famous, he just wants his name on the guitar. He does various things that he think will gain him that honor, like being caught sleeping in the car, not paying rent, stopping getting haircuts, getting caught up in IRS affairs, and drinking whiskey every night. He is not asking for much - only a prominent spot on his idol's legendary guitar.
If you want to have fun and feel like you are at one of the best live concerts, then Live At Billy Bob's Texas with Cooder Graw is definitely for you. You cannot listen to this and not enjoy it, and you will start wishing that you could have been there to bask in the group's energy as this was recorded.
Song List:
Album cover courtesy of Smith Music Group.
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