Interview: Texas band Cooder Graw bringing reunion tour to Oklahoma City Saturday
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Texas band Cooder Graw bringing reunion tour to Oklahoma City
The self-proclaimed “loud country” band will play Saturday at the Wormy Dog Saloon.
But memories of the self-proclaimed “loud country” band’s rowdy live shows wouldn’t die for the group’s faithful fans — and ultimately for the band members themselves.
In spring, Cooder Graw — the name is the Texas-drawl pronunciation of the French phrase “coup de grace,” which means “death blow” — embarked on a reunion tour that will cross the Red River Saturday for a show at the Wormy Dog Saloon.
“We had our differences. None were huge. … We got tired of each because we played so many shows,” said lead singer Matt Martindale in a phone interview this week from Amarillo, Texas, where he calls home.
“We all have a different life now and music is novel and new to us. So far, it’s been great and the music has been great.”
Formed in 1998, Cooder Graw got off to an auspicious start with the release of its debut album, “Home at the Golden Light,” which credited actor Matthew McConaughey, one of Martindale’s fraternity brothers, as executive producer. Grammy winner Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel and chart-topping country songwriter Hayden Nicholas produced the band’s self-titled 2000 sophomore effort, which made itself at home on the national radio charts for 13 straight weeks.
The group’s second live release, “Segundo,” spawned its first top 10 hit on the Texas country charts with “Willie’s Guitar.” A second 2001 offering, the studio album “Shifting Gears,” scored Martindale and his cohorts two more top 10 Texas hits with “New Dress” and “Better Days.” The band’s installment in the famed “Live at Billy Bob’s Texas” live album series included its best-known song, the raucous “Llano Estacado,” featured in a series of national Dodge truck ads.
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