White Cowbell Oklahoma
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White Cowbell Oklahoma

| INDIE | AFM

| INDIE | AFM
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"SXSW Live Review"

White Cowbell Oklahoma @ Red Eyed Fly
If last night's activities explored the current state of underground pop music, tonight's travels are all about the Rock. The Red Eyed Fly played host to the ten-person strong White Cowbell Oklahoma, who hail from Toronto physically but Jacksonville, Florida, spiritually. The band played straight-up Southern boogie rock, with touches of gospel and country, no irony and plenty of guitar solos. A drummer, bassist and organist were joined by four guitarists, three singers and a MC/sales manager who also whacked the heck out of the cowbell in the band's name. There were, of course, cowboy hats and mustaches all 'round. With his high kicks and cocky glare, Male Singer #1 came off as James Brown trapped in Ronnie Van Zant's body, while the full-figured black chick lent her gospel pipes as harmonies and occasional duets, as well as shaking her moneymaker. As if that (and songs with titles like "Shot a Gamblin' Man," "Put the South in Your Mouth" and "This Cracker's Got the Blues") wasn't enough, the group added fire-breathing, chainsawing a Hello Kitty piñata (though the chainsaw wouldn't cooperate and it had to be beaten all to fuck instead), buck-and-wing dancing through the crowd and a stripper. That's right, a stripper appeared on-stage during one of the tunes; her presence caused some confusion in the audience, as no one believed she'd really do it until her nipples were there for all to see. (A pair of bikini-cut jean shorts preserved what little modesty she had left.) In other words, what most bands would consider over the top is merely the foundation for this group. It would be just a novelty act if the songs didn't hold up; fortunately, they do. Nothing like starting off one's evening with pure spectacle. - http://www.highbias.com/SXSW/2003b.html


"White Cowbell Oklahoma - Album Review"

Frank D.: What do you do when you got THE debut album of 2005 under your belt? What do you do when you trashed almost every venue in your own country and on the other side of the ocean? Right, you work your damn' butt off, release a second album and continue to scare the living daylight out of unsuspecting civilians wherever and whenever possible!

And that is exactly what the Canadian White Cowbell Oklahoma did and does. In between touring the band recorded their second album which is baptised 'Casa Diablo'. The devilish delightful new gospel is yet again filled to the brim with sweaty southern rock. The opener 'Faster Than Sin' instantly makes clear that this new album is somewhat less flashy and has a darker vibe to it. Less soul, more rock seems to have been the general thought. It takes a moment of getting used to, but when 'Get On, Get Down' hits the stage, the well known Hammond organ is back and Clem and his buddies put the pedal to the metal once again. This is the ultimate testosterone fuelled feel good music. And while the southern boogie-woogie fills the room, I get out my barbecue, grab some steaks and tell my woman to fetch me some cold beers. Where the hell did I put my cowboy hat? As I enter the room again, 'Fly Away' kicks in. I'm stopped dead in my tracks. This is an evil Creedence Clearwater Revival-like track. Other highlights are the laid back 'Do Me So Wrong' (with a Canned Heat-esque guitar riff), the stadium rocker 'Sugar City', the steamy 'Koko Girl' and the compelling 'Ace In The Hole'.

All in all WCO comes up with a damn' fine follow-up for 'Cencerro Blanco', which takes a moment to get used to but after that moment turns you into an instant believer once again. And now sit and wait for that live album with a DVD!

Score 86/100 (details)

http://www.whitecowbell.com - Lords of Metal (Netherlands)


"Cencerro Blanco Album Review"

WHITE COWBELL OKLAHOMA
Cencerro Blanco
© 2004 Sick Monkey
mayhem rock
studio album
12 tracks - TT 45:80
http://www.whitecowbell.com glam/sleaze/other rock

Well, I really thought I heard it all by now. But then ‘White Cowbell Oklahoma’ came along and turned my perspective on music upside down.
We are talking about a band with 9 (yes, nine!) guitar players, 2 bass players, 2 drummers, 2 keyboard players and a couple of rowdy -of the kind that you wouldn’t want to cross in a dark alley-male and female hangers-on.
Are they joking? I have an eerie feeling they are not, but then again…
These whole lotta dudes bring a brand of Southern Rock, not so commonly heard these days, and certainly not in Toronto, where they were born and very unsuccessfully raised. With tongue firmly in cheek they bring you one great song after another ranging from up tempo rockers like the opener “Shot A Gamblin’ Man” & “Monster Railroad” to a lounging ZZ Top tune in the shape of title cut “Cencerro Blanco”.
Everything in between can be somewhat related to vintage KISS, Ted Nugent, ZZ Top & Humble Pie. Also, in true ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd’ style, we have ‘Ole Glory’, a song that could even make it onto some radio stations around the world, if the big executives were not listening in. This amazing record is packed to the tits with double, triple and more guitar licks, very funny lyrics & great sing-a-long choruses.
And all these fine specialties are of course swimming in that typical ‘Southern’ gravy. But don’t underestimate these dudes, because there’s some great singing & swinging guitar playing to be found on this overall very entertaining platter.
If you’re in for a day at the races with some mechanic bull riding to top it off, buy this and ride the damn thang for all it’s worth. Put the South were your mouth! - Rock Report.be - Belgium


"White Cowbell Tops the NXNE!"

White Cowbell Oklahoma @ Horseshoe Tavern
Saturday June 09, 2007 @ 01:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Band: White Cowbell Oklahoma
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Venue: Horseshoe Tavern
Date: June 8, 2007
Reporter: Scott Bryson
Background/Composition It wasn't difficult to pick the members of White Cowbell Oklahoma out of the crowd prior to the show; they're huge cowboys. The nine-man guitar arsenal is intent on nothing less than world domination through country music and their bombastic live performances. I'd heard stories about Cowbell shows and frankly, hadn't believed that they could be as spectacular as legend describes.

Grade: 100

Comment: Fucking wow.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.


Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Pronounciation: E

Nothing I could write here could properly explain the stage spectacle that is White Cowbell. A list of things I witnessed: Double necked guitars, a bikini-clad waitress serving band members drinks mid-song, sparks shooting from a band member's belt as he sliced into it with a circular saw, a chainsaw ripping through a three foot tall stuffed dog, breasts.

Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: E
Image: E
Appearance: E
Use Of Stage: E

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step: E
Problem Solving: E

As awe-inspiring as their on-stage antics are, White Cowbell would be nothing without their grandiose brand of country rock. People in the front row were swooning from the sheer ecstasy of their guitar assault. "Welcome to church," Sgt. Rock yelled. "White Cowbell Oklahoma is here to save you!"

Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: E
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: E Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Problem Solving: E

If you've never seen Cowbell in person, you need to put it on your "Things to do before I die" list.

Teamwork: E
Sexiness: E
Haircut: E
Indie Rock Footwear: E
Nods To Disposible Fashion: E
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: E
Actual Ability: E

- Chart Attack Magazine - Canada


"Casa Diablo Album Review"

White Cowbell Oklahoma
Casa Diablo
By Keith Carman

One of Canada’s greatest bands in terms of both girth (ten members and counting) and ability, Toronto, ON’s White Cowbell Oklahoma truly find their feet with latest full-length Casa Diablo. While previous efforts provided a stable delivery of Southern-fried rock’n’roll amalgamated with a punk rock stance, the influences hadn’t sank in enough to create a truly unique White Cowbell sound and style. With Casa Diablo, however, there is an unequalled degree of eloquence, elegance and confidence propelling “Adjust Your Set,” “Get On, Get Down” and “Bulletproof.” Each song still holds elements of the band’s twangy Allman Brothers-on-acid attack but instead of seeming like a bunch of players trying to find their opening each instrument is another piston forcing this aggressive, albeit smooth, and catchy, yet furious, boogie rock dragster into overdrive. Casa Diablo doesn’t just hit the mark, it shoots past it without looking back. (Slick Monkey) - Exclaim Magazine - Canada


"Casa Diablo Album Review"

White Cowbell Oklahoma - Casa Diablo
WHITE COWBELL OKLAHOMA
Casa Diablo
(Slick Monkey)
Here’s my favorite modern-day musical headscratcher: why is one of the best contemporary Southern rock bands from Canada? I have no answer for that, but it’s true: Toronto’s White Cowbell Oklahoma has the goods over any other riff-rockin’, roots-stompin’, cud-chewin’ multi-guitar band on the planet (except for maybe the Drive-By Truckers, but they’re more than a Southern rock band anyway). On its third album Casa Diablo, tongues remain carefully planted in cheeks, as song titles like “She’s Got My Love in Her Hand” and “(Tear You) a New One” indicate, but the melodies stick, the riffs bludgeon and the spirit behind the songs rings true. The Bell is best experienced onstage (unless you’re easily offended), but Casa Diablo is a strong hit of Oklahoma bongwater, maple leaf style. Michael Toland - High Bias - USA


"MAKING YOU A BELIEVER"

MAKING YOU A BELIEVER

Developing and maintaining an alter ego sounds like it should be an easy thing to manage, but the truth is that it takes far more effort than one would typically assume. Think about it – creating a character and pseudonym under which to perform live is the portrait of simplicity itself, however, as soon as one writer or another gets a hold of it, he or she will demolish the image in a quest to uncover the “truth” and get to the heart of a story. Discovering real names, real birthplaces, real ages and real skeletons in each respective closet are the natural aphrodisiacs for most every journalist, as it gives insight into the character of the performer as well as their motivations for trading their name in for something with more flare.
Who are these people? We’ll find out or we’ll die trying.
It is to the credit of White Cowbell Oklahoma that they’ve managed to keep the journalistic weasels at bay – other than the odd little bit of factual data, the band has managed to tightly control their image so that even the press sees exactly what the band wants them to see: “a nine-piece rock and roll armada,” that has shared the stage with such Can-rock institutions as Sloan and performed abroad with such intensity that they left “Jon Spencer quaking.” During ECHO’s interview with the band’s frontman – known only as Clem – he made no mistake about the fact that he was making most of the overly verbose stories he was spinning up off the top of his head as he went along; presumably for both his own entertainment and that of the interviewer. The thing is though, sometimes that’s all you need; some things you simply want to believe. Here’s a taste:
“Right now we’re situated in Toronto due to a legal altercation involving us and a tractor-trailer full of chickens and swine and we had to flee the state of Nevada toute-suite,” drawls Clem of the band’s latest hi-jinx and what they have coming up. “We’re here in Toronto priming up and rehearsing and getting ready for our world domination excavation. We’re priming up the tour zeppelin, filling it with champagne and human skulls, and we’re going to be crossing the Atlantic very soon so we’re playing some dates here in Ontario, Canada and in Quebec, Canada.

“We’re playing in the nation of Quebec tomorrow night,” continues the singer/guitarist. “We’re playing in Montreal or Montreal, Quebec, Canada depending upon what your politics are and what side of that debate you fall on. We try not to get too political about it, we’re just into the topless breakfasts and late-night jerk-off booths and drinking litre-sized bottles of Labatt Cinquante until three in the morning and strip bars beyond comprehension. I think it might even be a university gig so it’s quite sordid. Then we’re playing at the Starlight in Kitchener-Waterloo. White Cowbell Oklahoma has never been to KW and we’re just ecstatic beyond belief to come to your tri-city area. We’re playing in London the night before, but Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada – formerly known as Berlin – is going to be a first for us. Have you ever been to Berlin? It’s a naughty, filthy, sordid place and we’re going to treat the Starlight like it’s Berlin, Germany. You might wake up with somebody you don’t know in a city you’ve never been to before feeling shame and redemption.
“You have never felt shame like the shame you feel after a White Cowbell Oklahoma performance. You’ll be standing there in the middle of the venue thinking you’d seen it all before and then suddenly a ray gun will fly into your cranium at beyond the speed of light. You’ll have a rock n’ roll epiphany unparalleled in your life. You will probably take your clothes off. You will probably get arrested. You’ll be lucky if you manage to refrain from doing these things. You will be screaming from the top of a church tower with a bottle of vodka in one hand and some sort of sexually deviant object in the other. You will probably wake up somewhere in Manitoba, or the state of South Dakota, with somebody speaking a language that you don’t know, who has had questionable upbringing.
“You will feel shame, you will feel dirty and ultimately you will feel redeemed and saved by White Cowbell Oklahoma and its rock and roll assault.”

Some things you just want to believe.
White Cowbell Oklahoma’s latest global assault is, of course, in support of the band’s sophomore full-length, Casa Diablo. The album builds upon the sound established in 2005 with Cencerro Blanco in that, once again the band puts its own spin on the chicken-fried arena rock of the Seventies (think the Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top or Lynard Skynard), but this time with a little more assurance and a clearer focus as they crack their giant, nine-man sarcastic grin across the likes of “She’s Got My Love In Her Hand,” “Do Me So Wrong,” “Koko Girl,” and “She Likes To Boogie,” that wouldn’t fly if they weren’t so well done with the marriage of image and sound now being perfectly seamless. The four- - Echo Weekly - Canada (feature)


"over 200 more articles available!"

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www.whitecowbell.com

- www.whitecowbell.com


"Rockin' the Tonky Box"

>> White Cowbell Oklahoma on cloning, cults and flattened cabanas


by LORRAINE CARPENTER

From the far reaches of Southern space (with a pied à terre in Toronto), White Cowbell Oklahoma has fed the rock-starved masses since 2003 with their chicken-fried, sexified, electrified show and their CD Cencerro Blanco, which guitarist Clem describes as, "A little bit o' ZZ Top, a little bit o' Kiss, a little bit o' Humble Pie, a little bit o' Grand Funk Railroad." The collective is about to record a follow-up, tentatively titled Marauders on the Sea of Fuck, but first, fresh from the band's European tour zeppelin, Clem took time to entertain the Mirror with tour stories and sales pitches.

Mirror: What's new in the White Cowbell camp?

Clem: Well, White Cowbell Oklahoma's got underground laboratories making clones of ourselves to make our lives easier, and also copying our favourite pornographic actresses, and we been travelling the interstellar spaceways looking for new plateaus of rock 'n' roll excellence to inhabit. Where we been? I know we got some aeroplanes and we went some places. Oh God...

M: I read that you were in Europe.

C: Yeah! White Cowbell Oklahoma rocked the European masses, the thousands, the scores. But in Europe, White Cowbell Oklahoma's music actually precedes our reputation, so people was listenin' to our compact disc on their little tonky-box hi-fi systems and they was flattened like a cabana in New Orleans! And they just got a little taste, but when they saw the extravaganza that is the White Cowbell Oklahoma show, when they muscled the whole pie down their gullets, man, they was rockacized, they was rollacized, jumpin' out of their shoes and the rest of their adornments in an intoxicated dance of bliss. Perhaps they was thinkin' we were just gonna stand there nailed to the stage like many modern rock acts do, but we just couldn't do it. The medication alone makes us kinda twitchy, and when you come to a White Cowbell Oklahoma show, we're gonna give it all, blood, sweat, tears and any other bodily fluid we can summon up, so you walk out of there - or get carried out of there - a happy, saved person.

M: Saved?

C: You know, White Cowbell Oklahoma is a church, it's a cult, nationwide, worldwide. There's thousands of members on the peripheral side of things, there's about 572 people who've actually played with this band, and there's nine of us in the inner star chamber. We're the puppet masters, we're the ones pulling the strings. Y'all should come down to the big party we throw every year in California, Bohemian Grove. It's us giving back to all the world leaders, capitalists and industrialists, and we don't discriminate. If you wanna run through the woods naked, dress like a donkey or have some kinda mock human sacrifice - and get to see George Bush wearin' diapers and cryin' like a baby with a couple Thai prostitutes wrapped around him - that's fine. It's a good time.

M: I'll check my schedule. It's been a while since you played Montreal.

C: We've actually been back with every intent of playing a show and then we end up drunk in a brothel at 4 a.m. goin', "Damn! We missed the gig! I thought it was after the crystal meth and prostitutes! Shit..."

- Montreal Mirror - Canada


"White Cowbell serves up Southern-Fried Boogie"

By Jennifer Miller
Reporter

Nine-member band promises plenty of debauchery for Garf’s show.


If your idea of a good party involves the classic trifecta of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, the White Cowbell Oklahoma (WCO) show at Garfinkel’s on Wednesday (May 31) will be a circus of rock you won’t want to miss.
The hard-partying, nine-man “rock armada” promises a night of heavy drinking and promiscuity, but don’t forget about the music: a “boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues, rock and roll experience,” in the words of Clem, lead singer and one of four lead guitarists in the band. (Clem doesn’t have a last name because “my momma never gave me one.”)
Their signature style is Southern rock with hints of country, blues and even gospel. The tunes are catchy and upbeat, driven by classic guitar riffs and strong drum lines. And their stage shows are a “religious experience.”
“We are nine demi-gods of boogie,” Clem says. “Nine men on the stage — you cannot avert your eyes, you cannot avert your ears.”
The band has developed an almost cult-like status with stage antics that usually include partially clad women and sometimes even cole-slaw wrestling and fried-chicken cannons. Venues often sell copious amounts of liquor and women voluntarily take to the stage and remove their clothes, Clem says.
“We just don’t like conservative ways of living and conservative ways of thinking, and if you come to the show you’re going to think our way and you’re going to go home emancipated and saved.”
It’s not clear where the band is from and they don’t like to give too much information on their past because of legal complications. Clem says one of his first memories is being on a Greyhound bus, but he won’t say much more.
“People come from parts all over. The origins of the band lie in… grand theft musical instrument, and that’s how it all began – with a heist of musical equipment. And here we are now and we are masters of our craft,” he says.
When it comes to places, though, WCO always enjoys coming to Whistler. Clem says he likes the mix of people from different places and the way the altitude makes his head feel. He’s looking forward to being invited to some Whistler parties after the show.
“It’s a fantastic high-altitude place… nobody’s thinking quite clearly enough and they all wake up with somebody they don’t know.”
The band is about to release a new album, titled Casa Diablo, which the WCO Web site describes as “a little ol’ slice of dirty heaven here on Earth.”
“It is a masterpiece of rock n roll,” Clem says.
The first single is called “Fly Away,” and video plans include a possible cameo from the Sam Roberts Band. It will be a tribute to 1940s film noir and the use of a vintage warplane, “preferably armed to the tits,” is in the works, he says.
“It’s a delightful country and western song, a little bit different from our other material, but it’s kind of got a Rolling Stones bent to it,” says Clem of the new tune.
Previous Cowbell videos have featured appearances by comedian Rick Mercer, Chris Murphy from Sloan and Rockin’ Ronnie Hawkins.
WCO toured Europe last year and performed in festivals with bands such as Iron Maiden, Nashville Pussy and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. They are currently touring western Canada and continuing on to Toronto next month.
White Cowbell Oklahoma performs at Garfinkel’s on Wednesday (May 31). Tickets are available for $12 in advance at Garf’s and Electric Daisy, or $15 at the door. Visit www.whitecowbell.com for more on the band, their music and their never-ending debauchery. - Whistler Question - Canada


Discography

Bombardero - FORTHCOMING Slick Monkey Records 2009

Casa Diablo - Slick Monkey Records 2007

Cencerro Blanco - Slick Monkey Records 2005

White Cowbell Oklahoma EP - 2003

Photos

Bio

White Cowbell Oklahoma

By P.D. Cartright

STOP THE PRESSES!!!
WHITE COWBELL OKLAHOMA'S UNPRECEDENTED MASTERPIECE "BOMBARDERO" WILL SOON BE UPON YOU VIA SLICK MONKEY RECORDS!

A NEW PLATEAU OF WCO EXCELLENCE FOR PROGRESSIVE SPACE-ROCK HEADS EVERYWHERE!!!

Formed in 1999 as a celebration of cowbell-laden, 70s-style riff rock, White Cowbell Oklahoma dazzled rock-hungry, irony-weary masses in their native Toronto. Anxious to out-do the multi-guitar assault of their southern-rock idols, WCO featured a rotating cast of at least ten lead guitarists plus a dozen auxiliary musicians, actors and dancers from the local scene (this subsequently inspired Toronto’s “big band” movement, carried on by Broken Social Scene and The Hidden Cameras). WCO also boasted unprecedented stage theatrics - comparable to KISS, Alice Cooper and The Tubes - which included such showstoppers as nude female coleslaw wrestling and penis-assisted slide guitar solos.

White Cowbell Oklahoma eventually slimmed down to a more manageable nine-piece (still featuring four guitarists and a chainsaw specialist), with band members known only by monikers such as “Clem,” “Sarge,” and “Hollis.” By the release of their 2001 self-titled EP, the band had developed a dedicated following across Canada. The act was taken to SXSW in Austin, leading to even more notoriety and an eventual worldwide cult following. Upon the release of 2004’s full-length Cencerro Blanco (literally “White Cowbell” in Spanish), critics unanimously re-appraised White Cowbell as being far more than just “show.” The record boasted riff-heavy music on the same par as 70s-era ZZ Top, Humble Pie and Grand Funk Railroad, and as an added touch, perennial ZZ Top cover artist Bill Narum was recruited for sleeve art. Video clips for “San Antone” and “Monster Railroad” were also notable for cameos by Rockin’ Ronnie Hawkins (of The Last Waltz fame), CBC’s Rick Mercer, and Sloan’s Chris Murphy. Cencerro Blanco eventually broke WCO into the European arena, where the band began playing large A-list rock/metal festivals.

The follow-up album, Casa Diablo, was released in Europe in 2006 and North America in 2007, again to critical acclaim. The disc continued the 70s boogie-rock tradition but also progressed on several fronts – “Fly Away” was a country-rock tribute to the late Doug Sahm, while “She’s Got My Love In Her Hand” pummeled like vintage Deep Purple. Alternatively, “Faster Than Sin” offered trippy amphetamine-driven psycho-billy, while the epic “Do Me So Wrong” gave the nod to John Lee Hooker via Lynyrd Skynyrd.

A remixed/remastered version of WCO’s out-of-print debut EP (complete with new bonus tracks) is rumored to be in the works, along with several live DVDs. Yet, despite the constant musical growth, White Cowbell Oklahoma still puts on increasingly over-the-top shows and remains blissfully irony-free.

Group Members:

Influenced by:

ZZ Top, Deep Purple, Humble Pie, Grand Funk Railroad, The Allman Brothers Band, Black Sabbath, Sir Douglas Quintet, Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster, Mountain, Thin Lizzy, The Edgar Winter Band, Jimi Hendrix, The James Gang. King Crimson...