Nov.01, 1998
hooked. Opening with their biggest hit, "Jenny Says," they immediately caught the attention of the rowdy Texas crowd. When I say they caught everyones attention, I mean they literally had the crowd on their feet, singing along with the lyrics, in just a matter of minutes.
Only artists like Sammy Hagar or Bruce Springsteen can affect a crowd in this manner. It's like they reach out and grab every member of the audience, holding them spellbound for the entire concert. Naturally, I made the decision then and there to get to know more about this band. Their name comes from a 1971 play starring Sam Shepard and Patti Smith. The band consists of Fred LeBlanc on drums and lead vocals, Paul Sanchez on rhythm guitar, John Thomas Griffith on lead guitar and Rob Savoy on bass. It's LeBlanc that attracts all the attention. Once he decided to move his drum kit out front, center stage, Fred started noticing more response from the crowds. "Well, I decided a long time ago that I was gonna move the drums to the front of the stage. So the drums are in front and everybody plays right up against each other. I just got tired of looking at guitar players butts." After releasing three independent CD's, "Word Of Mouth," "Mouthing Off" and "It Means Escape," they signed with MCA Records and released the brilliant "Are You With Me?" Now comes the new CD, "Mercyland," which continues where the previous album left off. Chock full of straight ahead good time rock music, Cowboy Mouth are living proof that good music is still being created today. Fans of the band range from novelist Anne Rice to Hootie & The Blowfish. I happened to be standing nearby when Fred LeBlanc met Robert Earl for the first time in Luckenbach. Said LeBlanc to Keen, "Dude, we traveled many miles to get here today and we mainly came to see you. So don't suck." Keen, smiling at the suggestion, promised to do his best.
On "Mercyland", they could be accused of preaching to their fans, but that's a road they have often traveled. Their music has such a mesmerizing effect on people that it is sometimes called charismatic. Beginning with "Why Ya Wanna Do Me Like Ya Do?", they recapture the magic of the past hit, "Jenny Says." On "Lovers Or Friends", Fred asks "Are we lovers or are we friends, and can we ever be both again?" It's easily their most radio friendly tune. The fact that several band members are great vocalist only makes this band that much more appealing. Listen to Paul Sanchez on "Little Blue One."
As I mentioned earlier, LeBlanc is both drummer and lead singer and on his anthem "Drummer Man," he takes the opportunity to cut loose and show his stuff. Guitarist John Griffith takes over lead vocals for the country sounding "Turn Me On." Written the day he and his girlfriend broke up, "Whatcha Gonna Do?," tells all about the fatefull day spent in three different cities on tour while his lady sits home contemplating their demise.
The remainder of the album deals with relationships, both past and present. Making things work out, "Only One Of Us" or the down and out person in "I Want To Believe." They recorded many songs but finally narrowed it down to 14 songs for the album. Several have appeared on previous CD's they released before signing with MCA. The band feels that now that their records are selling a respectable number of units, there's some of their songs they would like the public to hear.
The fans were packed tight around the backstage entrance, hoping to catch a glimpse of
LeBlanc. After a quick shower, LeBlanc and the boys joined the crowd to chat and sign
autographs. Tonight they made many new fans and I imagine this happens on a regular basis.
See for yourself just how incredible their live show really is. On Friday November 6th,
they will be at Numbers in Houston, on November 7th, they will be at La Zona Rosa in
Austin and finally, on Sunday, November 8th, they will perform at Buckets in Corpus
Christi.