WHITE
COWBELL OKLAHOMA
Live from the Zoo, Winnipeg
Halloween Night, 2003
Review by Ryan Settee
A
while back, I had remembered reading an interview with
one of the dudes from White Cowbell Oklahoma, where
they said something to the effect of "we're so white
trash that we make Nashville Pussy look like upper class
citizens!" (but don't quote me on the exact wording.....).
They
weren't joking. The show kicked off with a faux officer
wielding a rifle, waving it around as the ten band members
stepped on the stage. And yes, you heard that right--
ten band members! Any band that has four (!?) guitarists,
a singer, a female soul singaahh, a keyboard player,
a cowbell player, bass player and drummer creates one
helluva spectacle, but the thing is.....there's gotta
be that little voice in the back of your mind saying
"these guys had better haul ass", considering all the
effort that could and should be emitted from any band
that has that many members. And to top that off, before
they even played a note of music, they introduced their
show as the "greatest rock n' roll show around" (or
something to that effect).
A
bunch'a ZZ Top southern rock lovin' hicks they are,
but liars they are not. I was the only person up at
the front of the stage for the first song or two, but
people slowly migrated to the front, once they realized
that this is no band of mere mortals. No sir! People
were dancin' and actin' like fools, because the 'Bell
were setting the standard for rock showmanship (which
generally implies a certain contingent of making a fool
outta yourself to begin with). There were the standard
rock poses. There was the sacrifice of a pumpkin via
chainsaw. There were cowboy hats. There were really
bad teeth. There were the doubleneck guitars emblazoned
with "White Cowbell". It was all over the top, yet it
wasn't a novelty, because this was some sort of surreal
r n'r experience that has to be seen to be believed,
and the fact that the band can actually pull it off
with their excellent musicianship only drives the point
home.
A
wise man once told me that "you can judge the a good
party from a bad party, by the amount of nudity. Great
parties have it; shitty ones don't". Some gal from the
audience came up and did an impromtu strip show, where
she then proceeded to get completely buck naked, which
was sweet, 'cause she was drop dead gorgeous. And then
one of the guitarists from the band gave a demonstration
of how to use the official "White Cowbell Oklahoma Cockrag",
which left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
If
this unruly band of cowboys ever come within miles of
'yer town, check 'em out, 'cause when they say that
they put on "the greatest rock n' roll show", they ain't
kiddin'. Without a doubt, one of the greatest and weirdest
rock n' roll shows that these eyes have ever witnessed.