Pale Cowboy

Pale Cowboy

Shelter EP

(independent)



Northampton’s Pale Cowboy offers an intriguing collision of styles on Shelter. The guitars possess a high twang factor, sounding quite country at times. Yet the vibe that prevails amidst the male/female harmonizing, pop hooks, and quirky song construction seems to hail more from Lennon/McCartney pop than Nashvillian by-the-numbers offerings. The studio production is almost startling in its impeccable, punchy reproduction and mix, even via relatively lo-fi online media. The songs are a mixed bag of laid-back reveries and solid rockers, and, pleasantly enough, they are apt to take all sorts of unexpected turns in their construction—the last tune even departs for outer space deftly, before returning to the previously scheduled pop tune. If Pale Cowboy is any indication, the Valley is continuing its habit of turning out surprisingly capable young musicians. You can see Pale Cowboy Aug. 3 at 10 p.m. at the Iron Horse.

—James Heflin - The Valley Advocate

Pale Cowboy

Shelter EP

(independent)



Northampton’s Pale Cowboy offers an intriguing collision of styles on Shelter. The guitars possess a high twang factor, sounding quite country at times. Yet the vibe that prevails amidst the male/female harmonizing, pop hooks, and quirky song construction seems to hail more from Lennon/McCartney pop than Nashvillian by-the-numbers offerings. The studio production is almost startling in its impeccable, punchy reproduction and mix, even via relatively lo-fi online media. The songs are a mixed bag of laid-back reveries and solid rockers, and, pleasantly enough, they are apt to take all sorts of unexpected turns in their construction—the last tune even departs for outer space deftly, before returning to the previously scheduled pop tune. If Pale Cowboy is any indication, the Valley is continuing its habit of turning out surprisingly capable young musicians. You can see Pale Cowboy Aug. 3 at 10 p.m. at the Iron Horse.

—James Heflin - The Valley Advocate

I had a once-local friend visiting me last weekend, eager for updates on the music scene. “Discovered any good new bands lately?” he asked, and I immediately thought of the Northampton-based Pale Cowboy, which was pretty new to me (even though the band blossomed in its current form at Hampshire College in 2009).

My laptop was hooked up to the stereo and I eagerly typed us over to the quintet’s Bandcamp page and blasted “Loneliness Called,” the first song of the group’s that grabbed me. Phoebe Berkel sings a piano ditty à la early Of Montreal, but the swingy singsong melody immediately grabs your hand and steps through the looking glass into unpredictable territory: sudden minor chords, a sonic hailstorm of battering ominous notes, and out the other side into a different song entirely.

I played some of my other favorite songs from the band’s “Life Nature Library” EP: “Don’t Wanna Discuss,” a highly catchy tune which harnesses the same distorted chug as Blitzen Trapper’s great “Wild Mountain Nation” album; “Hurts Too Bad,” a tiptoeing pop tune in an odd meter that blends girl-group, bossa nova and Americana influences; and “Water,” a gentle country-ish two-step with harmonies, diminished chords and a radiant key change. My friend was sold and made a note to investigate.

We sat around listening to other music for a bit. “Anything going on tonight? Any shows?” he asked.

The fog in my mind must have been incredible because it took a minute of mental sifting before it hit me: “Oh! Pale Cowboy is playing!” I looked online for when, exactly; my heart sank. “The show started 45 minutes ago.”


We optimistically jumped in the car and headed to Flying Object in Hadley, where the parking lot was overflowing with cars and water. Raw rain pelted everyone running for cover. And inside: a throng of warm people filling the room to the door, homemade challah bread, and apparently some luck, because the band was just about to start.

The highly original Pale Cowboy began with, of all things, a cover, a straight-ahead version of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” For this short guy in the back, it was hard to see the band beyond the dense crowd of fans, but easy to dance to the thumping disco rhythm. It felt like a party already, which is what frontman Karl Helander and the band were going for, as he said in an interview earlier this week.

“We really wanted to have a bash [at] a venue that would allow the night to feel like equal parts party and concert. Flying Object, a great resource for the arts in this area, turned out to be perfect for it. We’re really grateful that they welcomed us there.”

Helander and the rest of Pale Cowboy — Berkel on vocals, keyboards and percussion; Maxwell Wareham on lead guitar and vocals; Andy Cass on bass; and Aaron Moon (Helander’s cousin) on drums — worked hard for a party vibe because the night was celebrating the release of the band’s new five-song “Shelter” EP, which was completed thanks to people contributing to the band’s Kickstarter campaign.

The band’s second song was the fabulous “Loneliness Called,” which my friend had just heard for the first time a half-hour before. He turned to me all giddy, getting to hear it so soon in a live context. Berkel nonchalantly wound her voice through the melodic twists and turns. She was responsible for baking the tantalizing loaves of challah bread over by the door, there for the slicing (with a knife balanced on a soft stick of fancy butter).

“It’s her family’s recipe,” Helander said. “She wanted to give the party a homey touch, something special and personal. We also figured it’d be a good complement to the beer.”

Pale Cowboy finished its set by playing the “Shelter” EP in its entirety. It features new versions of two of the best songs from the previous release (“Don’t Wanna Discuss” and “Water”) and a more cohesive, produced sound (the five songs were recorded and engineered by bassist Cass).

“Life On the River” was a highlight, with Helander and Berkel harmonizing lazily over a boogie groove borrowed from the Beatles’ “Revolution.”

The ever-changing, always-creative Fab Four are a big influence on Pale Cowboy, which also has three songwriters in the band (Helander, Moon and Wareham).

“We’re all drawn to music that surprises,” Helander said. “I think we are all a bit restless, and that’s definitely a driving force. At its best, it’s really all about play.”

And the play involves hard work, too. Now that the EP is out and in people’s hands, Pale Cowboy’s big goal is to make a full-length album. Helander said they’re writing new songs all the time (some of the most striking tunes at the Flying Object show aren’t found on their two releases, an exciting and promising discovery for any fan of a band) and they’re hoping to expand their gigging territory — though they’re already planning a return to Flying Object on Aug. 12, so mark those calendars.

“We’re not in this as a hobby,” Helander said. “We want to be - Daily Hampshire Gazette

I had a once-local friend visiting me last weekend, eager for updates on the music scene. “Discovered any good new bands lately?” he asked, and I immediately thought of the Northampton-based Pale Cowboy, which was pretty new to me (even though the band blossomed in its current form at Hampshire College in 2009).

My laptop was hooked up to the stereo and I eagerly typed us over to the quintet’s Bandcamp page and blasted “Loneliness Called,” the first song of the group’s that grabbed me. Phoebe Berkel sings a piano ditty à la early Of Montreal, but the swingy singsong melody immediately grabs your hand and steps through the looking glass into unpredictable territory: sudden minor chords, a sonic hailstorm of battering ominous notes, and out the other side into a different song entirely.

I played some of my other favorite songs from the band’s “Life Nature Library” EP: “Don’t Wanna Discuss,” a highly catchy tune which harnesses the same distorted chug as Blitzen Trapper’s great “Wild Mountain Nation” album; “Hurts Too Bad,” a tiptoeing pop tune in an odd meter that blends girl-group, bossa nova and Americana influences; and “Water,” a gentle country-ish two-step with harmonies, diminished chords and a radiant key change. My friend was sold and made a note to investigate.

We sat around listening to other music for a bit. “Anything going on tonight? Any shows?” he asked.

The fog in my mind must have been incredible because it took a minute of mental sifting before it hit me: “Oh! Pale Cowboy is playing!” I looked online for when, exactly; my heart sank. “The show started 45 minutes ago.”


We optimistically jumped in the car and headed to Flying Object in Hadley, where the parking lot was overflowing with cars and water. Raw rain pelted everyone running for cover. And inside: a throng of warm people filling the room to the door, homemade challah bread, and apparently some luck, because the band was just about to start.

The highly original Pale Cowboy began with, of all things, a cover, a straight-ahead version of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” For this short guy in the back, it was hard to see the band beyond the dense crowd of fans, but easy to dance to the thumping disco rhythm. It felt like a party already, which is what frontman Karl Helander and the band were going for, as he said in an interview earlier this week.

“We really wanted to have a bash [at] a venue that would allow the night to feel like equal parts party and concert. Flying Object, a great resource for the arts in this area, turned out to be perfect for it. We’re really grateful that they welcomed us there.”

Helander and the rest of Pale Cowboy — Berkel on vocals, keyboards and percussion; Maxwell Wareham on lead guitar and vocals; Andy Cass on bass; and Aaron Moon (Helander’s cousin) on drums — worked hard for a party vibe because the night was celebrating the release of the band’s new five-song “Shelter” EP, which was completed thanks to people contributing to the band’s Kickstarter campaign.

The band’s second song was the fabulous “Loneliness Called,” which my friend had just heard for the first time a half-hour before. He turned to me all giddy, getting to hear it so soon in a live context. Berkel nonchalantly wound her voice through the melodic twists and turns. She was responsible for baking the tantalizing loaves of challah bread over by the door, there for the slicing (with a knife balanced on a soft stick of fancy butter).

“It’s her family’s recipe,” Helander said. “She wanted to give the party a homey touch, something special and personal. We also figured it’d be a good complement to the beer.”

Pale Cowboy finished its set by playing the “Shelter” EP in its entirety. It features new versions of two of the best songs from the previous release (“Don’t Wanna Discuss” and “Water”) and a more cohesive, produced sound (the five songs were recorded and engineered by bassist Cass).

“Life On the River” was a highlight, with Helander and Berkel harmonizing lazily over a boogie groove borrowed from the Beatles’ “Revolution.”

The ever-changing, always-creative Fab Four are a big influence on Pale Cowboy, which also has three songwriters in the band (Helander, Moon and Wareham).

“We’re all drawn to music that surprises,” Helander said. “I think we are all a bit restless, and that’s definitely a driving force. At its best, it’s really all about play.”

And the play involves hard work, too. Now that the EP is out and in people’s hands, Pale Cowboy’s big goal is to make a full-length album. Helander said they’re writing new songs all the time (some of the most striking tunes at the Flying Object show aren’t found on their two releases, an exciting and promising discovery for any fan of a band) and they’re hoping to expand their gigging territory — though they’re already planning a return to Flying Object on Aug. 12, so mark those calendars.

“We’re not in this as a hobby,” Helander said. “We want to be - Daily Hampshire Gazette

Beyond academics, Hampshire provides ample opportunity for the musically inclined to connect:

Pale Cowboy features alums Karl Helander 09S (guitar/vocals), Phoebe Berkel 07F (vocals, percussion and keyboards), and Maxwell Wareham 09S (lead guitar/vocals). The band, which also includes Helander’s cousin Aaron Moon on drums and Andy Cass on bass, formed in 2009 after Helander transferred to Hampshire from the University of Miami.

“That’s when things got going. When I transferred to Hampshire, it definitely was a launching point for us,” Helander says. “Hampshire people were really supportive and enthusiastic about us.”

Helander points to the Beatles as a universal influence for a band with three songwriters (Helander, Moon, and Wareham). “We’re all very inspired by the Beatles collaging many different ideas and styles to their albums,” he says. “There’s a variety of styles, there’s an ‘anything goes’ approach in a lot of ways. Our common ground is older rock ‘n roll music, Chuck Berry, rockabilly and country, the Everly Brothers.”

The Divisional system at Hampshire has proven to be influential on the three alums in the band. “I think I can speak for all three of us when I say the whole Division process really forces you to learn how to see a project through all the way and work independently, to seek out people and information that you need to complete your project,” Helander says. “Experiencing that, seeing a project through as far as you can, is really a glimpse into how to be a professional artist. “

The band is on the verge of releasing a five-track extended play, waiting for the money from a Kickstarter campaign to pay for the tracks to be completed. - Hampshire College

Beyond academics, Hampshire provides ample opportunity for the musically inclined to connect:

Pale Cowboy features alums Karl Helander 09S (guitar/vocals), Phoebe Berkel 07F (vocals, percussion and keyboards), and Maxwell Wareham 09S (lead guitar/vocals). The band, which also includes Helander’s cousin Aaron Moon on drums and Andy Cass on bass, formed in 2009 after Helander transferred to Hampshire from the University of Miami.

“That’s when things got going. When I transferred to Hampshire, it definitely was a launching point for us,” Helander says. “Hampshire people were really supportive and enthusiastic about us.”

Helander points to the Beatles as a universal influence for a band with three songwriters (Helander, Moon, and Wareham). “We’re all very inspired by the Beatles collaging many different ideas and styles to their albums,” he says. “There’s a variety of styles, there’s an ‘anything goes’ approach in a lot of ways. Our common ground is older rock ‘n roll music, Chuck Berry, rockabilly and country, the Everly Brothers.”

The Divisional system at Hampshire has proven to be influential on the three alums in the band. “I think I can speak for all three of us when I say the whole Division process really forces you to learn how to see a project through all the way and work independently, to seek out people and information that you need to complete your project,” Helander says. “Experiencing that, seeing a project through as far as you can, is really a glimpse into how to be a professional artist. “

The band is on the verge of releasing a five-track extended play, waiting for the money from a Kickstarter campaign to pay for the tracks to be completed. - Hampshire College

PALE COWBOY (Northampton, MA)
$2050 pledged of a $2635 goal/ 23 DAYS to go
The Kickstarter campaign to master and press the new EP for this swinging Americana quintet has been live for less than a week and they are 77% of the way home. It could be their skills at coaxing cash out of their “circle of influence” but I’m going out on the proverbial limb to say that it all started with the tunes. Check out their 2012 CD Life Nature Library on Bandcamp.com and you may concur.

Phoebe Kass Berkel is the lead singer and only girl in the band and her voice is worth the time; great harmonies from the boys, as well. - Paul Schomer

PALE COWBOY (Northampton, MA)
$2050 pledged of a $2635 goal/ 23 DAYS to go
The Kickstarter campaign to master and press the new EP for this swinging Americana quintet has been live for less than a week and they are 77% of the way home. It could be their skills at coaxing cash out of their “circle of influence” but I’m going out on the proverbial limb to say that it all started with the tunes. Check out their 2012 CD Life Nature Library on Bandcamp.com and you may concur.

Phoebe Kass Berkel is the lead singer and only girl in the band and her voice is worth the time; great harmonies from the boys, as well. - Paul Schomer

Karl Helander, one of the co-founders and leaders of the Northampton-based band Pale Cowboy, says, “I think we have an equal affinity for old music and for new music, both traditional and modern, and I hope that comes through in our sound.”

Pale Cowboy will perform at Mocha Maya’s, 47 Bridge St., Shelburne Falls on Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. It will also open for Lydia Loveless at the Iron Horse Music Hall, 20 Center St., Northampton on Tuesday,
Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.

The band, which formed a couple of years ago when its members were students at Hampshire College, features Helander on guitar, his cousin Aaron Moon on drums, Phoebe Kass Berkel on vocals, Max Wareham on guitar and Andy Cass on bass.

Pale Cowboy’s music is rooted in early rock ’n’ roll and country and western, and is chock-full of irresistible melodies and smooth harmonies. The group says that one of its goals is to explore new possibilities within the popular song, and it does that on its debut EP, “Life Nature Library.”


The disc consists of eight home recordings, with each song written, performed, recorded and mixed by the respective songwriter. “We felt it would be an interesting introductory EP to highlight our different styles at work,” said Helander.

“Life Nature Library” certainly showcases a mix of styles. “Don’t Wanna Discuss” is a pure pop gem, a good example of what the Beach Boys would sound like as a lo-fi indie band. On “Hurts Too Bad,” Berkel sounds like she is fronting a 1960s girl group. “Friida” is a buzzy, guitar-driven rock song and “Water” has a folkie feel.

However, the standout track here is “Loneliness Called,” Helander wrote the lyrics while Berkel handles vocals, making it one of the few collaborations on the disc.

The song begins with Berkel singing the line “singing a song thinking about nothing at all,” in a voice vaguely reminiscent of Feist. She is accompanied by a tinkling piano, until the full band kicks in and takes the listeners on a swirling ride complete with shifting tempos and snapping fingers. With its soft/loud dynamic and its oblique lyrics, the song is a study in contrasts and easily open for interpretation.

“I wrote it when I was in Chicago, the summer of 2007, and I was dealing with a really hard, drawn-out breakup over the phone,” said Helander, who is a native of Granby, Conn. “I think it may have been one of the first songs where I decided to splice two ideas together and it opened up the possibility of less linear compositions, both musically and lyrically. It’s a fragmented song for a fragmented time of my life.”

Pale Cowboy’s new old sound draws from a wide range of influences, from contemporary indie artists like Of Montreal, Grizzly Bear and St. Vincent to such classic musicians as the Beach Boys and The Beatles.

“We spend a lot of time working out harmonies on tunes by the Delmore Brothers, Doc Watson, and the Everly Brothers. We listen to a lot of older pop artists like The Mills Brothers, Chuck Berry, Elvis, the Jackson Five, and Buddy Holly,” said Helander. “Who knows where or when an influence will surface? But, as a band and as individuals, we are very much students of the artists we love.”

As for the inspiration for his lyrics, Helander said he primarily draws from relationships, although in some of his more recent work he experiments with narratives and character studies.

“For a long while, I wrote in a much more singer-songwriter fashion and I focused a bit more on the lyrical side of the composition, trying to find the arc in the lyrics, making sure of an implied chronology and writing more personal, even confessional lyrics,” he said. “ Over time, I’ve found that what excites me most is letting the music, specifically the melody, dictate the lyrics. I find that the best lyrics are those that sound and feel right.”

Pale Cowboy is currently wrapping up work on another EP that will be released sometime in 2013. Helander said this disc will be a “lively, big-sounding collection of songs,” and added that it will be a more cohesive effort in that all the band members collaborated on every track.


When asked what he hopes listeners will take away from Pale Cowboy’s music, Helander had this to say: “For the most part, I prefer to listen to music that is transportive in some way, that takes you on a sort of trip, and we make music for much the same reason. In a best case scenario, our music is experienced actively, following along each step of the way, much as one experiences a movie or a novel that they like. However, if someone wants to passively dance around to one of our songs with a bowl of ice cream in their hands, that’s another sort of immersion that I can get behind.”
- The Recorder

Karl Helander, one of the co-founders and leaders of the Northampton-based band Pale Cowboy, says, “I think we have an equal affinity for old music and for new music, both traditional and modern, and I hope that comes through in our sound.”

Pale Cowboy will perform at Mocha Maya’s, 47 Bridge St., Shelburne Falls on Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. It will also open for Lydia Loveless at the Iron Horse Music Hall, 20 Center St., Northampton on Tuesday,
Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.

The band, which formed a couple of years ago when its members were students at Hampshire College, features Helander on guitar, his cousin Aaron Moon on drums, Phoebe Kass Berkel on vocals, Max Wareham on guitar and Andy Cass on bass.

Pale Cowboy’s music is rooted in early rock ’n’ roll and country and western, and is chock-full of irresistible melodies and smooth harmonies. The group says that one of its goals is to explore new possibilities within the popular song, and it does that on its debut EP, “Life Nature Library.”


The disc consists of eight home recordings, with each song written, performed, recorded and mixed by the respective songwriter. “We felt it would be an interesting introductory EP to highlight our different styles at work,” said Helander.

“Life Nature Library” certainly showcases a mix of styles. “Don’t Wanna Discuss” is a pure pop gem, a good example of what the Beach Boys would sound like as a lo-fi indie band. On “Hurts Too Bad,” Berkel sounds like she is fronting a 1960s girl group. “Friida” is a buzzy, guitar-driven rock song and “Water” has a folkie feel.

However, the standout track here is “Loneliness Called,” Helander wrote the lyrics while Berkel handles vocals, making it one of the few collaborations on the disc.

The song begins with Berkel singing the line “singing a song thinking about nothing at all,” in a voice vaguely reminiscent of Feist. She is accompanied by a tinkling piano, until the full band kicks in and takes the listeners on a swirling ride complete with shifting tempos and snapping fingers. With its soft/loud dynamic and its oblique lyrics, the song is a study in contrasts and easily open for interpretation.

“I wrote it when I was in Chicago, the summer of 2007, and I was dealing with a really hard, drawn-out breakup over the phone,” said Helander, who is a native of Granby, Conn. “I think it may have been one of the first songs where I decided to splice two ideas together and it opened up the possibility of less linear compositions, both musically and lyrically. It’s a fragmented song for a fragmented time of my life.”

Pale Cowboy’s new old sound draws from a wide range of influences, from contemporary indie artists like Of Montreal, Grizzly Bear and St. Vincent to such classic musicians as the Beach Boys and The Beatles.

“We spend a lot of time working out harmonies on tunes by the Delmore Brothers, Doc Watson, and the Everly Brothers. We listen to a lot of older pop artists like The Mills Brothers, Chuck Berry, Elvis, the Jackson Five, and Buddy Holly,” said Helander. “Who knows where or when an influence will surface? But, as a band and as individuals, we are very much students of the artists we love.”

As for the inspiration for his lyrics, Helander said he primarily draws from relationships, although in some of his more recent work he experiments with narratives and character studies.

“For a long while, I wrote in a much more singer-songwriter fashion and I focused a bit more on the lyrical side of the composition, trying to find the arc in the lyrics, making sure of an implied chronology and writing more personal, even confessional lyrics,” he said. “ Over time, I’ve found that what excites me most is letting the music, specifically the melody, dictate the lyrics. I find that the best lyrics are those that sound and feel right.”

Pale Cowboy is currently wrapping up work on another EP that will be released sometime in 2013. Helander said this disc will be a “lively, big-sounding collection of songs,” and added that it will be a more cohesive effort in that all the band members collaborated on every track.


When asked what he hopes listeners will take away from Pale Cowboy’s music, Helander had this to say: “For the most part, I prefer to listen to music that is transportive in some way, that takes you on a sort of trip, and we make music for much the same reason. In a best case scenario, our music is experienced actively, following along each step of the way, much as one experiences a movie or a novel that they like. However, if someone wants to passively dance around to one of our songs with a bowl of ice cream in their hands, that’s another sort of immersion that I can get behind.”
- The Recorder