“Laid back” isn’t just a repeated phrase in Be Cool Cowboy’s rambling and rollicking “Control Yourself,” it’s an imperative. Over plucky guitar and sharp snare snaps, singer Mike Parish’s comfortable cadence sing-speaks “Control yourself, control yourself/You gotta learn to get a hold, you animal” and cinches the song into focus around his unburdened delivery. By the time “Control Yourself” breaks down into a bridge that recalls the Violent Femmes at their fuzzed-out finest, the band has effortlessly escalated their sound into pure garage rock groove. Much like on Pavement’s best tracks, Be Cool Cowboy combine their loose orchestration and flowing vocals into a potent sound, unafraid to be direct and unconcerned with anything but their own good time.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #92 of our podcast at hlycrp.com

https://becoolcowboy.bandcamp.com/track/control-yourself

I manage “Band A.” Or maybe they manage me. I had a plan to make them famous – and I was like a dog chasing a car. I couldn’t quit. Until I was run over. Sometimes things are so obvious – and I get run over.
2020 started with grey skies and damp weather and every member of “Band A” is running a side project band. I am affiliated with two of these other bands, so I take a moment to step back from “Band A.”
Witnessing these two other bands is a learning experience. They are both going great. Bad Banker – band – a weird synth, violin, drum machine, anarchist band – where I play rhythm guitar – has a crowd of people singing along to our final song at The Odditorium. And this is the first time we ever played the song! “I don’t care what you do – this punk rock show – is better than – nudes!” (A friendly homage to The Deathbots.) To be clear – this response isn’t actually a surprise. The positive energy of the band is unbelievable. Band members show up and show off – you want sexy disco dance beats? I have sexy dance disco beats for this song.
A second affiliated band – Rosie and The Rats rolls up to the El Rancho Morbido Studios, after being in existence for only three weeks, and records a beautiful five-song EP. I can sense the electricity in the air. The creativity is there, and the heightened listening is there, and the space takes on an ultra high def intensity and everything is saturated with meaning. Everything is new and also like it has been around forever. Ahhhhh…
Oh I loved it and I was jealous. I was run over. I think my management is inhibiting joyful creativity. To be clear, a band member did crack a joke about how “Band A” is over managed. These six individuals of “Band A” are star athletes. I want all that wildness and joyfulness and thoughtfulness. I want them in the studio this spring and I want them for one more season, one more ride. Maybe I’m an idiot – ummm – but I do know when the spirit is in the room…

Holy Crap Records is based in Asheville, NC – and this is where we see our music, local bands or bands coming through, this is where we hear our music, and this is where we get our recommendations of music to check out.
There’s been a bunch of online discussions about what makes you a professional musician – and I feel like there needs to be some acknowledgement of the absolute greatness of the Asheville scene – and the challenges.
This is a great scene. We play more Asheville bands than any other bands (except maybe the Melbourne scene). This scene is rich and wonderful and full of incredible bands, songwriters, photographers, videographers, artists, designers – this is the BEST art scene since Black Mountain College.
I can tell you two dozen bands you should all see right now. The venues are fun as hell too.
And… yet… this scene is still deep in the underground. No one is paying attention. (Yeah there’s been press about the tourist music scene – but not about the artists who are vomiting up their soul.) What does it mean to be a successful artist? I suppose the answer is to go on tour after tour and push out your next EP on bigger and bigger indie labels. Or the answer is to sit in that woodshed and write 50 songs or 500 songs and emerge as a beautiful transcendent butterfly.
My gut tells me that this scene will be recognized for it’s richness and beauty at some point. It needs a catalogue, a curator. Someone needs to be the collector. The Holy Crap Records Podcast is at number 81. Maybe when we get to 100 I will reconnect with all the local Asheville bands that we have played and create a spotify or bandcamp list. It’s a start. It’s important to document the mad genius of the Asheville underground. On this day – thank you, thank you, thank you for all the badass wild joy.