Whiskey Myers Deliver 'Whomp Whack Thunder'
(EBM) Whiskey Myers has never cared for categories or boundaries, and with their seventh studio album Whomp Whack Thunder, hailed by Rolling Stone as "their most supercharged album yet" that "sounds on the whole like an invigorated, freewheeling rock band in its prime," the multi-Platinum independent band delivers the sweat and soul that have defined their career.
"I never said, 'We are a rock band,'" explains frontman Cody Cannon. "We were just a band. Really, we're a road band. We did it the old school way: played every bar, every night and cut our teeth. That's a lot of experience and wisdom earned. It's all we've ever done. It builds character, hones your skill and gets some grit on you."
For the band from East Texas, success was built from concentric rings of local bars turning to bigger bars, longer runs and traveling further and further from home. The will to thrive wherever they could set up and play fueled an unstoppable group of friends, determined to see how far the ride could take them.
And since topping Billboard's Country Albums, hitting No. 2 on Active Rock and No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, in addition to garnering 4.1+ billion global streams, over 2.7 million in sales and 9 RIAA Certifications, Whiskey Myers wanted a new, more robust way to do the things that set them on fire.
Having self-produced their last two records, the band enlisted GRAMMY-winning producer Jay Joyce, who provided a freedom to be in the moment, sparking off each other and not having to worry about anything except playing, singing and responding with what the songs required. Always a spontaneous group of players, Whomp Whack Thunder delivers a leaner, more boot to the kneecap immediacy.
"I don't know how it happens," guitarist John Jeffers confesses. "The emotions here are all different, but we really want people to feel all of it - and that's rock and roll. People have forgotten what rock and roll is: blues-based, some country to it, but coming hard."
From the wiry, low-slung downstroking that opens "Time Bomb," currently climbing the Active Rock charts, Whiskey Myers set the stage for an album that sinks deep into rock and roll's burn factor. Followed by "Tailspin" and barroom raver "I Got To Move," they sweep straight into the rush and recede of all or nothing that's defined the way the six friends defied every rule and convention.
With the explosive guitar blasts and B-3 rides on the blistering "Icarus," the Southern-fried creep of "Ramblin' Jones" and blues-forward swagger of "Break These Chains," it's a free for all of influences and feels turpentined to its rawest essence. Add the whirling, deep groove "Midnight Woman," as "Born To Do" pledges allegiance to a way of chasing the music, putting art before the industry.
"Rock and roll - whether you're pissed off, sad or even happy, whether it's puberty or retirement - can shatter all those things in a good way," Jeffers continues. "Our songs can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. I just think if a record can get you away from whatever is pulling you down, bring it."
"We're always a whole record, not really singles; when you look at these songs, it's the story of a moment we're in," adds Cannon. "There are a lot of reflective moments to this record: experience and the years all add up."
The band will also perform a special pregame concert for Dallas Cowboys fans at the Miller LiteHouse at AT&T Stadium this Sunday, September 28, at 4:50 p.m., just before the Cowboys take on the Packers. Doors to Miller LiteHouse open at 3:00 p.m., and all fans with a game ticket are invited to attend. Please note, the concert is standing room only.
The What We Were Born To Do Tour continues tonight in Oklahoma City with dates through mid-October. At last night's stop in Austin, Texas at Moody Amphitheater, fans were treated to onsite activations celebrating the release of Whomp Whack Thunder, adding to the already high energy of the night.
The band will also headline their own personally curated Moon Crush "Whiskey Moon" music vacation taking over Miramar Beach, Fla. Nov. 7-9 ahead of Whiskey Myers & Friends, bringing a special, stripped-back version of their multi-Platinum catalog to the Northeast this December. Stream the album here
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