Roger Cowan Interview first published online at SporkBinge, January 24, 2010.

Roger Cowan Interview Excerpts:

Roger Cowan is a vocalist, songwriter and acoustic rhythm guitarist. Growing up, Roger’s interests leaned toward reading, writing poetry and listening to music. About music, he states: “I love everything from Texas music, heavy metal and bluegrass to classical music, like Mozart and Beethoven.”

More Roger Cowan Interview Excerpts:

SPORKETTE: Why the name Roger Cowan Band, when all your soundtracks are solo artist?

ROGER COWAN: LOL! Call it ‘planning ahead‘. When I created my online artist page, I never thought it would take so long to find some players. I have been fortunate enough to play with a lot of great people around the Texas music scene, but finding that special magic (that I feel there has to be) is harder than many think. I labeled the tracks with the ‘band‘ tag without thinking honestly. It became a habit. Just call me the ‘one man band‘!

SPORKETTE: Why did a friend and you start the booking agency Texas Most Wanted Entertainment?

ROGER COWAN: Well, through my own playing of shows, and friends we knew around the scene, we made contacts that some other artists might not be able to make…just a whole ‘circle of friends‘ thing. So, we had the idea that perhaps we could help them by opening up our resources to benefit both the artists and the venues…give others chances they may not have happened across alone. It’s all about being one big extended family.

Take today, for instance. I stopped by a radio station and talked to the station manager about getting a friend’s band on the air. Since I don’t have a full-band CD ready, and most stations won’t play acoustic music, I figured I might as well help my friends get their songs on the air and just get my name on the station’s mind while I’m at it. If more musicians would help each other, rather than look at the music business as a competition, I think we could elevate the scene to a greater level in the long run.

SPORKETTE: In your song ‘What Heroes Do,’ why do you relate so strongly to the line about being a ‘new outlaw for a new generation‘?

ROGER COWAN: Every young person rebels against authority at some point, in some way. My parents grew up on guys like Waylon, Hank, and others who walked their own path. They were willing to stand up for what they believed and weren’t afraid to speak their mind. Nowadays, it seems everyone is afraid of being politically incorrect and being ‘different‘. I just finished a song called ‘American Dream‘…about just that. Everyone has to have their little white picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog. ‘New outlaw for a new generation‘ just kind of makes the statement that I refuse to follow the norm.

I refuse to go with the Nashville cookie-cutter image. I am my own man, I sing my own songs, and I walk my own path. Who knows? Maybe some day it will lead me down a path of no return. Or maybe, some years down the road, everyone else will go insane because they can’t take anymore of the whole ‘keeping up with the Jones‘  mentality. Who cares what the Jones family has?

Life is not about possessions and getting ahead. Life is about the moment we are in now. Live your life like you want to. Be free. The new generation needs a champion to tell the establishment to get bent, to put it bluntly, and I am more than happy to be that guy.

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ROGER COWAN

Singer, Songwriter & Rhythm Guitarist

Listen to Roger Cowan Soundtracks.

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