COODER GRAW
It’s loud, in-your-face Country music ("Make it loud, boys!"), yet it's also
thought-provoking stories of independence, heartache, tragedy and love, all crafted
in song. It's hard-driving trucker songs and hard-rocking anthems, powerful ballads,
wind-swept waltzes.
And, of course, it's the creative chemistry of five guys from West Texas (OK, one's
from College Station) who together make up one of the Lone Star State's hottest music
groups, COODER GRAW. The group consists of
Paul Baker, Matt Martindale, Kelly Turner, Nick Worley and Kelly Test.
Their music is heard on national Dodge television commercials. They've recently
recorded their fifth album, Live at Billy Bob's, in addition to having filmed
their first music video. The past year they've played Willie Nelson's Family Picnic,
National Finals Rodeo, Houston Livestock Show, and Shiner Bocktoberfest.
It's not been that long when the 4 original members got together over a
cold beer at Amarillo's Golden Light Cafe and wondered if they should even form a real
band.
“We had no plan,” said lead singer Matt Martindale.” We started jammin’ together for
fun, and then we decided to play for a little pocket money as a group at a small local
club, and it clicked. I guess you could say that as individual musicians we’re no big
thing, but all of us together make one big firecracker.”
More like a bundle of dynamite. In their short history, the band Cooder Graw has
exploded onto the heralded Texas music scene.
They have shared the stage with some of country music’s biggest stars, including
Alabama, Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakum, Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen, Mark
Chesnutt,
Lee Ann Womack and Asleep at the Wheel. They have headlined shows at many of Texas’
finest venues, including Billy Bob’s Texas, Texas Hall of Fame, Cowboys Red River,
Gruene Hall, Antone's, Texas Theater, Midnight Rodeos, and Far West Rodeo. They have
performed in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nevada,
Colorado, Kansas, California, Mississippi, Wyoming, Illinois and Utah, as well as
Mexico. And they've released 4 of Texas' most well-received albums in the past
few years
alone.
Cooder Graw released their debut studio album early in 2000, a self-titled offering
co-produced by multiple Grammy Award-winner Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, and
Hayden Nicholas, nine-time #1 country songwriter and guitarist for Clint Black.
The album was a result of their fans wanting the original songs that they were
hearing at the live shows. And radio stations were eager to play the record as well.
The album became one of the sleeper hits of the year in Americana (American Country)
radio, and was positioned on the national radio charts for 13 consecutive weeks.
Segundo, a live offering recorded in Amarillo, was released in early 2001. From
that album, "Willie's Guitar" remained on the Texas Music Chart most of the spring
and summer of that year, and giving the band its first Top 10 Texas hit.
Shifting Gears, released in October 2001, is the group's most critically
acclaimed album yet. Hayden Nicholas returned to produce the project,
a collection of 11 songs. "New Dress" is the first radio single from the CD, and
as of January 2002 was listed at #7 on the Texas Music Chart. The next single,
"Better Days", was picked up by Texas radio stations without any radio promotion
and has maintained a fixture in the Top 10 since May 2002.
The band's first music video ("Better Days") was filmed in Austin, Texas in January
2002 and has aired on the major country music video networks as well as many regional
and local networks. The band has appeared on Great American Country's (GAC) Fast
Forward with Chris Conn and performed live on several major market morning television
programs.
Cooder Graw Live at Billy Bob's was released nationally in April 2002. Produced
by Rick Smith of Smith Music Group and marketed on the Billy Bob's label, the CD has
already created quite a buzz throughout the state. "Llano
Estacado" is being featured
extensively on the current Dodge Truckville television commercials, and has become THE
Cooder Graw fans' song of "scream-along" choice at live concerts.
The band’s live show consists primarily of original music, and sparsely populated
West Texas provides excellent true life song material for Matt and the members to
draw upon for lyrics. The titles alone tell many of the stories: "She Loves Too
Much", "Dirty Little Hometown Girl", "Junior’s in the
Yard", "My Give A Damn Is Broken", "Shifting Gears", "King of the Dairy Queen",
etc. …
Today’s audiences demand not only good music, but also an entertaining show. Cooder
Graw has earned a solid reputation for putting on one of the best live shows in
country music. Those who have seen and heard will tell you that the band is fun
to watch and their music is catchy … their performances rowdy and their love of
the music sincere.
