Cooder Graw releases new album

The March 2016 release of Love to Live By, a six song EP by Cooder Graw, marks the beginning of a loud country revival for the Texas Panhandle band, who debuted in the late nineties with age and experience above most of their counterparts, then put out six albums and toured relentlessly for nearly a decade throughout the turn of the millennium. 

Drawing on that life experience and the undeniable songwriting talent of front man Matt Martindale, Cooder Graw’s music resonates in the hearts of fans throughout the south. Produced by Rich Brotherton and recorded at Congress House Studios in Austin, the long awaited seventh album release is a sweet taste of all that fans love about Cooder Graw. The lead single “Heart of Breaking Up” delivers with Martindale’s signature down home lyrical style and the good-feeling, guitar-driven sound that is uniquely Cooder Graw. Same with the hard rocking “Virginia Slims and Little Kings,” a nostalgic, adolescent love anthem set to be the song of the summer. The album surprises with a pair of stand out love songs – title track “Love to Live By,” a sensual slow burner that calls for close dancing, and “Adam and Eve,” achingly sweet with an uncharacteristic vulnerability in Martindale’s voice.

Following a six-year hiatus, the group, including founding members Matt Martindale, Paul Baker and Kelly Turner, came together in 2012 for a short reunion tour and haven’t stopped yet. With the return of drummer Kelly B. Test, and the addition of Carmen Acciaioli on fiddle and Danny Crelin on pedal steel, the momentum continues to build as the band prepares to kick off the touring season with upcoming shows at The Ranch Texas Music Series, Larry Joe Taylor’s Texas Music Festival, and the legendary Billy Bob’s Texas.

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