 Ross Cooper. Photo by Jody Domingue A former professional bareback rider, Ross Cooper was bustin' broncs when his music career began. The now Nashville-based (via Lubbock, TX) artist's new album, I Rode The Wild Horses, mixes country torch bearers with garage rockers grounded in solid storytelling and infused with glimmering pedal steel, rollicking riffs, and soulful keys. In advance of the album's March 9th release, Cooper answered his Essential 8 and relayed the story behind his album's title as well as some solid musical advice, his must have albums for the road, and more. Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? Honestly, my musical mentor is my mom. She introduced me to music from her piano bench before I can remember, but it took root around the time I was 8 or 9. I've taken a lot of lessons over the years and have gotten to play with some phenomenal musicians, but my mom has been there from day one. She can read music like nobody I know and she has great taste. What’s the story behind your album’s title? I Rode The Wild Horses - I wrote the song as an ode to the west Texas rodeo-cowboys that I grew up around. Truly the last of a dying breed. There are a lot of small towns around where I'm from, and a lot of them dry up, or the city grows around them. It's sad to see. But then you have these old cowboys who are basically the last of the hardasses. When everything else is changing around them, they don't. They're revered and respected because they were something in their heyday, and unfortunately the majority of people around them have no idea. I've always looked up to those types. I knew instantly after I wrote the song that it would be the title track of the album. No question. Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? Most of the songs that I end up loving are songs that I've lived. The type that take 10 years to live and 10 minutes to write. Those are my favorites. Songs are a lot easier to write when you can see them from start to finish. Having said that, I also think it's important to read and take in as much information as you can. I love feeling like I'm learning something new or being shown something I've never seen when I read a book or a poem. Living and reading; Having something you want to write about and knowing how you want to say it. When/where do you do your best writing?
I'm an early riser when it comes to writing. It gives me something to look forward to the night before. I like waking up with a pot of coffee and diving in. I like it to be quiet and devoid of distraction, so writing rooms are ideal for me. I feel like I'm much more productive when I'm away from my house. I feel more creative in the mornings, but need to go somewhere that I can let the creativity go to work. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? This is a two or three part answer for me. I've been lucky enough to have made some smart friends who have shared some pearls of wisdom... Stay in your lane. Don't compare your art or career to someone else’s. That’s no way to measure success, and it does you no good. Believe in what you do wholeheartedly, and know there is worth in what you are creating. Go to work. There's always going to be someone better than you, more talented, etc. but what you can do is out-work everyone. Luck is being able to identify and make the most out of opportunity when it presents itself. So go work your ass off for those opportunities. No one will do it for you. You can't have a backup plan This is a damn hard career path to take, and you have to be resilient. You can't think to yourself, "well I can always go back home and do _____"....You might as well have already thrown in the towel. There's a higher percentage of people who aren’t making a lot of money doing this than there is of those who are, so you have to be equal parts crazy and committed. It's probably never going to be easy, but attack it with everything you have. What are your “must have” albums for the road? Guy Clark - Songs and Stories The Strokes - Is This It and First Impressions of Earth Thrift Store Cowboys - Lay Low While Crawling or Creeping Calexico - Algiers Ryan Bingham - Mescalito What’s your dream venue and why? The Ryman aka The Mother Church. The place radiates history, and it's still the only place I get cold chills walking in to. I've seen so many shows there, and have never heard a better sounding room. If I could sell out The Ryman, I could happily die the next day. Current recent release you cannot stop listening to? At Home in the Big Lonesome by Drew Kennedy. That album is beautiful from front to back. The writing's great, the production, the vocals...everything. Website Insta Purchase
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