Here’s our interview with Zach, lead singer of the San Diego folk-punk outfit Cowboy Dead & Friends. The band is comprised of Zach along with guitarist Daniel, percussionist Jeffrey, and bassist/guitarist Randy.
Tell us about the recording of “Pacific Highway 1“
Well it’s based on a true story and started out with a freestyle after my friends band practice, I was always helping them with lyrics and managing.
Once that got old, I wanted to do my own project because most of the lyrics I’d write for the band would go to the trash bin [laughs].
My friend Daniel (the guitarist) saw the same potential I did, so every weekend we’d go to shows while freestyling on the way to show in my car.
He’d be in the back seat and I’d be driving and singing like a madman.
This is how this video came to be, after it got so much attention online, it was obvious we should record the track.
You guys have some interesting instrumentation going on (guitar, bass, trumpet, bongos) how did that come to be?
I have a love for acoustic folk punk and rap music, specifically dirty south. I showed my guitarist the types of riffs I’m looking for and he absolutely killed it.
The bongos come from the idea of mixing drums and bongos together to add more variety to our drum track, that’s mostly inspired from rap beats and how acoustic sets only use a Cajon or a Bongo.
Our future songs will have the two drums at the same time. The trumpet was an idea from a friend.
When he said it, my eyes grew wide and I was like yes that’s it that’s what we need. For our current project we are experimenting with the flute.
As a DIY band what kind of gigs do you set up?
For now we are on standby. We are waiting until the album is complete.
After that we have some shows planned out. We have a really good relationship with the venues and local bands of San Diego. Our first show will be sometime in 2023.
Are you guys currently working on anything new in the studio?
We are currently working United States Of Anxiety, it’s gonna be a 7-track mixtape. We switched our sound a bit with some songs being electric so we are still working out the kinks in that. But we have at least 3-4 acoustic songs ready to go.
Are you guys currently involved in other projects?
Daniel plays for a band called EXS, their album should be out in a month or so. I don’t pay much attention to that, it’s mostly his business.
I think the name for their album will be called Misguided.
Do you guys have a game plan to distribute your music once you finish? Will you do physical copies and digital?
Yeah so I’m working on a label, I first want to establish some solid ground before I work on getting a distribution deal.
What I consider solid is a group of dedicated bands, promoters and recording studio to all work together. Local shows are also extremely important.
I feel that if local bands have a solid organization to stand behind, they are more likely to get a distribution deal.
I’ve studied independent artist for years now, I’ve always admired how they did it without any major label behind them.
In all of their success stories they had to form their own organization and they never did it all alone.
So if San Diego Sound [Zach’s label] gets a distribution deal any artist that falls under the wing of the label will be involved in the deal.
That way San Diego [Sound] can put itself on the map.
