Whiskey Myers Announces New Self-Titled Album
Travis Tritt once wondered aloud where the hell the drive in country had gone. Well it comes flying right in your face whenever Whiskey Myers takes the stage or gets cued up on the stereophonic speakers, so much so it’s more apt to label them Southern rock, if not rock n’ roll entirely in some selections. This wild-assed group of east Texans recently took enough time off from tearing down the road to record their fifth album, which will be released on September 27th.
Whiskey Myers decided to make this a self-titled affair since they produced the album themselves after working with Dave Cobb on their last record Mud from 2016, and because they feel this new album embodies their sound and spirit better than ever. Frontman Cody Cannon wrote five of the fourteen tracks solo, and guitarist John Jeffers contributed three of his own. Whiskey Myers also worked with notable songwriters Brent Cobb, Adam Hood, Dave Kennedy, Aaron Raitiere, and performer Tennessee Jet on the new album.
The band also solicited the services of the Godfather of Texas Country Ray Wylie Hubbard on the lead track for the record, “Die Rockin’, co written with Cody Cannon. As you can imagine, it’s gritty, raw, and loud, and makes reference in one of the early verses about hearing “Sway” by the Stones, which is appropriate since the band was recently announced as one of the openers on the upcoming Rolling Stones North America tour.
Though Whiskey Myers has been around for over 10 years, you get a sense this is a band that is about to hit their stride and this new, self-titled record could be the catalyst. Not just their music, but the band itself was featured in an episode of the Paramount Network’s original series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner in July of 2018, causing their sales to spike and creating national and international interest in Texas music’s premier Southern rock band. More Whiskey Myers songs will also be featured in the newest season of Yellowstone starting on June 19th.
From Palestine, TX, Whiskey Myers was initially formed by Cody Cannon and John Jeffers, and was inspired early on by the music of Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings. They’ve formed a strong grassroots following in the Texas/Red Dirt scene.
Whiskey Myers Track List:
1. “Die Rockin’” (Cody Cannon, Ray Wylie Hubbard)
2. “Mona Lisa” (Cody Cannon)
3. “Rolling Stone” (Cody Cannon, Adam Hood)
4. “Bitch” (John Jeffers)
5. “Gasoline” (Cody Cannon)
6. “Bury My Bones” (John Jeffers, Tennessee Jet)
7. “Glitter Ain’t Gold” (John Jeffers)
8. “Houston County Sky” (Cody Cannon)
9. “Little More Money” (Cody Cannon)
10. “California to Caroline” (Cody Cannon, Aaron Raitiere, Mark Stephen Jones)
11. “Kentucky Gold” (Cody Cannon, Aaron Raitiere, Dave Kennedy)
12. “Running” (Cody Cannon, Brent Cobb)
13. “Hammer” (Cody Cannon)
14. “Bad Weather” (John Jeffers)
June 13, 2019 @ 6:38 pm
They can’t do this now. My backlog of albums to listen to is already so long
June 13, 2019 @ 6:46 pm
The hair metal of southern rock.
June 13, 2019 @ 7:01 pm
Ah, yes. Unfounded, painfully negative feedback simply to be contrary as usual.
June 13, 2019 @ 8:11 pm
Wanna explain? Or was considered, constructive exchange not what you were going for
June 14, 2019 @ 11:57 am
I’m just some random guy on the internet leaving a comment.
June 14, 2019 @ 2:06 pm
Let’s see – if you put Blackberry Smoke, The Steel Woods, and Whiskey Myers on a continuum…
June 14, 2019 @ 2:12 pm
….and I wouldn’t automatically take “hair metal” as a slam – I’ve always been amazed by the skill set displayed by Whitesnake.
June 15, 2019 @ 3:19 am
Man, i love BBS and STEELWOODS and i also like WM and own all their records. But WHITESNAKE were one of the best british hard rock bands of all time!!!
June 14, 2019 @ 7:16 am
“The hair metal of southern rock.”
I disagree Corncaster….no spandex…no neck scarves…and most importantly…no hairspray !
Ya CAN’T play hair metal without the essentials….
June 14, 2019 @ 7:38 am
I tend to agree. One of the more unsubtle and unsophisticated bands I’ve ever heard/witnessed.
I get the distinct feeling their songwriting process is something akin to throwing darts at a list of words, phrases, and riffs that convey evergreen cliches of “the south,” “rawkin’,” and “badass.” Not getting anywhere near the emotional subtly or lyrical depth of a band like Blackberry Smoke or even the Steel Woods this, but I guess they’re moving in a different lane.
Google “Blues Hammer.” That’s Whiskey Myers in a nutshell to me. Good for boozin’ and dancin’ but not much else. If that’s your thing, all good. Different stroke’s n’ all.
June 14, 2019 @ 12:59 pm
So, I want to like WM more than I do. If you read Trigger’s review, it’s just what I want to hear and the sort of band that I want to hear and I think I like them more than I do. However, when I listen to them, I think just what Corncaster and Tex Hex said in this thread. I like them, but that’s about it. Maybe if I see them live, it would change if they are that good in person. I don’t know. I just find myself hitting the skip button when they pop up in my list.
I am not going to like all the bands in this genre the same amount.
June 14, 2019 @ 2:04 pm
Guessing all you boneheads have never heard “Broken Window Serenade”? Its literally the opposite of “dart-throwing” lyricism and far better than anything BBS or the Steel Woods have ever wrote. And that’s just one example…
June 15, 2019 @ 10:37 am
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even a bonehead. I did not say I did not like them, I said I want to like them more than I do. Broken Window Serenade is a great song, as are some of their others. They’re just not up at the top of my favorites.
June 13, 2019 @ 7:58 pm
I’m “all in.”
June 13, 2019 @ 8:07 pm
I know the swampy hard rock vibe is sort of their thing, but I would love more songs like Lonely East Texas Nights.
June 13, 2019 @ 8:38 pm
Die rocking is a good track best way to experience Whiskey Myers is live they are one helluva live band. The burn down the clubs every night for a decade now they’ve earned their increasingly strong following!
June 13, 2019 @ 8:59 pm
Amazing song.
June 14, 2019 @ 5:48 am
Love Whiskey Myers. They are great live. Firewater is still my favorite album of theirs. I do hope they save some room for some more softer stuff like “Broken Window Serenade”.
June 14, 2019 @ 7:31 am
Yessss these boys rock. Love their range from songs like Headstone to Broken Window Serenade. Can’t wait to see em this fall
June 14, 2019 @ 8:00 am
any time Brent Cobb, Dave Kennedy or Adam Hood get writing credits, you know it’s gonna be a good album.
June 21, 2019 @ 6:44 am
Good song, good preview for hopefully a real strong album.