>>PREVIEW
THE MADCOWBOYS
Tuesday, June 13
Broken City
He may be a might short in the tooth, but 23-year-old Mad Mike McLeod still manages to sit pretty high in the saddle. He and his fellow Madcowboys, "Bowler" Dave Sowsun (bass) and Will "Money" Shatz (drums), are busy putting a spit-shine on their spurs as they gear up for an action-packed summer. And, as any Calgarian can tell you, there’s plenty of work to go around for a singing cowboy, crazed or otherwise, come July in this cattle lovin’ town of ours.
"The people in Calgary are starting to get it now," says McLeod, the band’s chief. "We don’t do cowboy hats. Generally, we take it upon ourselves to be anti-Stampede and get the heck out of the city while it’s on. It chokes you down."
Of course, The Madcowboys aren’t your average twang-pop and beer ballad act. No, quite the contrary, in fact. Like ol’ Yeller, these rabid rockers suffer from a mania-inducing fever that calls for sterner measures than a trip out to the woodshed. The Madcowboys have been infected by the creeping menace of punk rock. Pop-punk, to be exact. Their full-length release Fistful of Dirty Dollars tells their story in rhyme and rhythm. Rebellion, angst, debauchery… it reads like a Warped Tour Most Wanted poster. How did these urbanite thrashers become known as Madcowboy? According to their vocalist/guitarist Mike McLeod it’s all about being poli-punks with a veg edge.
"We were inspired by another self-proclaimed Mad Cowboy, Howard F. Lyman," explains McLeod. "He was a life-long cattle rancher who found himself on his deathbed due to all the chemicals he had used on his land, and began speaking out about the evils of the industry.
"As Albertans, we could really relate to the majority of what he was saying and his book made the rounds as we passed it from friend to friend. I’ve been vegetarian for eight years, and I’ve been making strides to become vegan…. Dave has been veggie for five years, but Will isn’t a vegetarian at all, and what’s worse is that he enjoys being an asshole about it. It just spurs him on to eat even more meat. He revels in making the most disgusting meaty choices possible when we’re on the road…."
Armed with a maverick attitude and a winning smile, McLeod knows that the key to a balanced diet is variety, and he applies this same philosophy to his creative endeavours. Dividing his time between The Madcowboys and his own thriving solo career has allowed him the freedom to explore new musical avenues while getting in a little quality time with those closest to him.
"There’s a lot of work that goes into being a DIY band," McLeod admits. "The Madcowboys have 16 or more all-new songs ready to record, but we’ve decided to put off going into the studio and are hoping for a cross-Canada and U.S. tour this summer. |
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