Meet Be Cool Cowboy

Look out friends we’ve got a cowboy hailing from New Paltz for your eyes and ears today. Fuzzy, relaxed and wandering, Be Cool Cowboy lives up to his chilled out and warbling name. We called up this fella to discuss his latest project, a live stream recording at 424 HQ, and get the deets about his dream “Cotton-Eyed Joe” cover.

Below, we have a chin wag about groceries, the longevity of chewing gum, and the importance of doing what ya want.

Napoleon: A MAD LIB BY Be Cool Cowboy

Although he was Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte was actually a Corsican, born on a small BEST FRIEND in the Mediterranean Sea. When he was just ten years old, Napoleon was sent to a military SWORD in France, where his SHORT stature earned him the nickname of "The CREAMY Corporal." At 24, he was made a GOLDEN General and married Josephine, the daughter of a well-known Parisian TEACUP. Soon after that, he defeated the Italians at PANINI and in 1804 was proclaimed Emperor of all the CATS. But he made a BROWN mistake and attacked Russia. He reached Moscow, but the COLORS had burned all their CORPORATIONS and his men got frozen RUGS. In 1914, he was CRASHED and sent to Elba. But a year later, he came back to France and for 100 days was again the UPS DRIVER. However, he was defeated at Waterloo and imprisoned on the island of St. Helena, a FLAKY place that resembled ROME.

Would You Rather

have to perform a cover of the cha-cha slide, the macarena, or cotton eye joe? How would you do it?

I would definitely perform a cover of "Cotton-Eye Joe". Those Swedes know what's up. That song was everywhere and still is. It's like the most annoyingly catchy song. Even just typing about it, it's all of a sudden stuck in my head. I'd do like a slowed down, Flaming Lips inspired version with those Steven Drozd drums and fuzz for days.

Some questions with Be Cool Cowboy

What are your top five favorite animals?

Cats, Foxes, Bears, Chipmunks, Giraffes

Who are your favorite acts active out of New Paltz right now?

Vanity Jones and Top Nachos. But I don't think Top Nachos are based out of New Paltz anymore.

Do you have a grail piece of musical gear that you have been after?

Tbh, I'm very content with all of the gear I have at the moment. I think my grail piece of musical gear is an original Sansamp pedal; it's the distortion sound I used to hear in my head. Once I found that pedal, I sold all of my other overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals and haven't bought a pedal since.

What is on your grocery list?

Apples, avocados, leafy vegetables, bread, eggs, cheese, olives, peanut butter... I keep it simple. I'm not a vegetarian, but I try not to eat much meat.

What was the most fun you had during a live performance?

I saw Modest Mouse a few years ago with my wife at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. It's an outdoor venue on the brewery grounds and the concerts there feel like a festival. It started pouring midway through the performance and everyone got soaked and there was a steady stream of water splashing onto the stage like a waterfall the whole time. Between every song, Isaac Brock was laughing and saying, "I'm going to get electrocuted and die." It sticks out in my mind as a really fun time, rain and all.

How long can you really enjoy chewing on a piece of gum?

I was just thinking about this the other day. I think once that initial blast of flavor is gone, you've got about ten good minutes.

You have a video of yourself actually mixing a track on your 2019 release “Not So Alamo”.

Yeah! I've read a lot of books, recorded a lot of bands, watched a lot of videos, and sat in a lot of sessions. With the types of bands I was in, it never made sense to pay someone else to record the music. The technology is also so cheap, you might as well invest in yourself and your skills. Though I'm coming around to the idea of letting someone else handle all of that so you can just focus on the music.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Lately, my mantra is, "Make sure you do something you want to do today." I think it's an important message. Even if what you want to do is make yourself some popcorn or take a long walk in the woods, make some time for yourself today.