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Interstate
Cowboy, one of
Colorado’s
premiere Western
Swing/Americana
groups, boasts
some of the most
talented
musicians in the
region - if not
the country.
Guitar player
Grant Gordy, at
25, is arguably
one of the most
talented new
guitarists to
emerge on the
national music
scene. The
legendary David
Grisman has
personally
contacted Grant
to sub for his
regular
guitarist on
several
occasions.
Upright bassist
Gene Libbea is a
two-time Grammy
winner and
former member
of the Nashville
Bluegrass Band.
Gene has shared
the stage with
everyone from
Vince Gill to
Sam Bush, and is
a frequent
player on the
“E-Town”
nationally-syndicated
radio show. Dick
Meis, on steel
guitar, formerly
toured with
Roger Miller,
Loretta Lynn and
played many
Nashville
package shows
with country
music’s finest.
Some say Junior
Brown developed
his "Git Steel"
after watching
Dick
perform while
changing
from lead guitar
to pedal steel
when he was
first getting
started back in
Denver. Tim
Champlin is the
bandleader,
songwriter, and
lead vocalist.
Tim’s songs and
vocal quality
have been
compared to
everyone from
Greg Brown,
Chris Isaak and
Elvis Costello
to Commander
Cody. When he’s
not playing
music, Tim’s a
captain for the
Poudre Fire
Authority in
nearby Ft.
Collins.
Dirty Linen
said of
Interstate
Cowboy: “This
band is stocked
to the gills
with talent …
(and songs)
ranging from
groove fueled,
guitar cranked
with a
predilection to
romp!”
There’s a Road
is the second
release from
Interstate
Cowboy, but the
first with this
current
line-up.
Bandleader and
songwriter Tim
Champlin says
you might listen
to this CD and
feel somewhat
like you are
watching a
movie: a road
trip, maybe a
western. The
first song, “I
Got Nothin’,” is
about a
love-struck
cowboy intent on
finding his
lady; riding
through
thunderstorms,
battling wind
and rain, using
an internal
compass (his
heart), to find
her. It ends in
an unexpected
reggae groove.
On the title
track, which
takes place in a
desert town, an
introspective
loner finds
himself on the
regrettable end
of love, but
still finds
solace/redemption
in the road, the
desert, and the
mountains.
“Every Time She
Makes a Mistake”
is a surf tune
with a great
guitar hook and
describes a
lover who
strays, but the
attraction is so
addictive he
can’t cut her
loose (“ I
stretch until I
think I might
break, patch it
up with a little
duct tape, fix
anything with a
little duct
tape”). From
there, the album
journeys to a
small town in
Kansas (“No
Place Like
Home”), where a
single mom goes
back home to try
to make it. “Rio
Grande Lament”
is a romantic,
realistic look
at the border
between Mexico
and the US.
“Just for Some”
is an Elvis
Costello-ish
arrangement on
the question:
why do some
always get the
love, phone
calls, etc.,
while others
seldom if ever
do? “They Always
Go for the
Heart” takes a
look at who else
is affected when
a couple calls
it quits. The
album then goes
into a stellar
instrumental
version of “Lady
Be Good,” a
respectful
request to the
women who
inhabit these
songs. A few
more standards
follow: “Frankie
and Johnny,” a
jazz flavored
“Old Cowhand”
and a comical
boy/girl duet on
“American Way”.
The “Sky is
Falling” is an
interpretation
of the
children’s
classic story
and
Bulrovian
fairy tale
by the same name. The album ends with the Billy
Strayhorn
classic, “Take
the A Train.”
This finale
showcases the
extreme talent
of this band and
salts the rim
with a western
flavor. As the
train rounds the
bend and chugs
out of sight,
you smile and
think to
yourself, “That
was a great
trip!”
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