Page 69 - IONIndieMagazine Vollume 41 Nov/Dec2017

My never-ending quest to find emerging and deserving independent talent for this “ReverbNation Artist
of the Month” feature, has lead me to an intriguing act based in the music mecca of Nashville, TN. Now,
hold it right there! It does not mean it is a country act…although it could be. It is an indie band. That’s
right! As one member of this newly discovered band so eloquently put it, “We see country music as the
face of Nashville. Indie music is the soul.” I wish I could have stolen that line as my own, but alas, it is
not. That quote comes from vocalist Phoebe Scott of our newest selection for ReverbNation artist of
the month, coopertheband.

Let’s face it -- I am an A&R guy for various platforms in the independent music industry. I screen. I
reject. I select. Often times, it is exhausting. Other times, it is exhilarating. It really depends on the
quality of the submissions. As an A&R dude, I tend to have a trigger finger on the decline button. A lot
of stuff sounds similar, uninspiring, and downright shockingly bad. So, as a band, you better get my
attention quickly because if I lose interest at all, it is…BOOM...rejected.

Coopertheband submitted their single, “Rebels,” which
not only caught my attention, it made me sit up, wake
up, and take notice. Damn, these guys are good! I
eagerly listened to this track in its entirety. Then I
listened again. Then again, again…and again. So,
excited as I was, I moved on to YouTube to see the
band. I checked out a different track. The song,
“Undignified,” was also from their newly-released full
length album, ‘Kingdoms”. I loved it.

I am going to pause here and quote one of my personal
songwriting heroes, the late great Tom Petty, “The A&R
man said I don’t hear a single.” Well, as I first listened
to coopertheband’s work, I was already two for two on
hearing singles. So, in my mind, their future is wide
open.

Before delving further into the strength of “Kingdoms”, let me introduce the amazing artists behind its
inception. Coopertheband consists of Cooper Brown, Phoebe Scott, Will Kwasigroh, Matt Hammonds,
Joseph Kyle, and Patricia Taylor. They all reside in either Nashville or the town of Jackson, TN. That
is, all except for Patricia, who currently lives in Mississippi while her husband attends medical school.
They consider themselves as music nerds. I consider them to be budding musical all stars. You can
find them here: https://www.reverbnation.com/cooperthebandofficial

Unsurprisingly, coopertheband has tasted some national success. Their music has been featured on
HBO, ESPN and TruTV. They have also had their music heard via the hit TV show “Without a Trace.”
Coopertheband has released three albums: “Venture” (2010), “Kings” (2012), and now their 2017 full-
length release, “Kingdoms.” Soon, I promise, I am going to expand a bit more on “Kingdoms.”

The band is touring to support their album. Upcoming gigs include November 3rd at Union University
in their hometown of Jackson, November 17th at Bur Oak Brewing Company in Columbia, MO, plus,
they will soon be at the Clemens Fine Arts Center in Paducah, KY. There are also plans in the works
for a tour throughout the state of Indiana. Coopertheband is also planning a tour to and from SXSW in