I'm sorry for a number of reasons, most of which I will never tell. But, right now, I'm sorry that there are bands that deserve so much more than they get. I'm sorry that there are bands (*cough* Coldplay, Nickelback, Kid Rock, etc.) that somehow make it and sell out arenas. What makes these bands make it and others not, I don't think I will ever quite understand.
Now that I've said that, I will ask you, why the hell have you not listened to Two Cow Garage?! I mean, this is a band that really just rocks. There is no other way to put it. And, I should say, some really bad ass, and friendly, guys. Ok, so maybe Micah Schnabel and Shane Sweeney don't sing the sweetest of croons, but jesus, they sing with an urgency that demands listening from anyone who hears them. This leads me to Monday night, the 18th.
A friend, LH, and I made it to this show at, once again, the Black Cat. She was pretty awesome to make it to this show with me on a last minute deal. Anyways, they had two openers, The So So Glows (we did not bother to hear) and Dave Hause. Dave Hause was pretty good. A singer/songwriter type deal except he has a punk background and it definitely comes out in his folk outings.
Then, Two Cow Garage came out and, in front of the 30-40 people that made it out on a Monday night, really put on a very awesome, very energetic show. I mean, this is what I paid to come see, folks! This is old school rock'n'roll mixed with just enough punk aesthetic and alternative country to make for a booze fueled rampage any day of the week. I am a bit worried at this point that I may come off the wrong way to my readers because of comments I have made regarding the other shows that I have seen. It is true that I have used phrases such as: "bad ass," "balls to the wall," "rock n roll." I really want to differentiate between those shows and this one. Those shows were fun and they were rock'n'roll in their purest form. But this show was transcendent for me. I mean, this was a show where a band that I had known little about 2 months ago really propped themselves up in my top 5 favorite bands (For those of you interested- 1) Drive-By Truckers, 2) Neil Young, 3) Lucero, 4) Dinosaur Jr., and NOW 5) Two Cow Garage). By the time they got to songs off their new album, e.g. "Lydia" and "Wanted to Be" you could really tell that it didn't matter how many people were there. They sang with urgency and with a desire to have their story told. (I want to save some for the album review which I plan on giving when I get my vinyl version of their amazing "Sweet Saint Me" album.)
They got to the end of the show and did an incredible version of "Can't Hardly Wait" by the Replacements. I think it's pretty obvious that the Replacements are a huge influence on every band I seem to love. They also played "Brothers in Arms" from their upcoming album. At this point you could really tell that this was a band that was having a great time and it didn't matter that there were only 40 people. It was a Monday night, dammit, and they had songs/stories to tell. LH had no real experience with Two Cow Garage, but came away with a greater appreciation for them (even though they made fun of her beloved Jacksonville, AL).
I don't know how to end this entry. I mean, I want to write well enough to make you stop everything and go hear this band. But, I don't think my words hold a light to theirs. So, if you want to listen to this band (and for that matter, a whole slew of Suburban Home Records albums) go on over to Suburban Home Records' website and hear them. Just at least give them a shot. These guys are awesome, as musicians and as people. I'll say, again, I'm sorry that these guys aren't as big as I'd prefer them to be. As Micah sings on the new album, "Where is Woody Guthrie, man, when we need him most?"
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