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Cowboy Dinosaur EPK
COWBOY DINOSAUR
Upcoming Releases:
Single: Portland, Jul. 31, 2020
LP: Ford the Fjord
Releases Aug. 21, 2020
Previous Releases:
Single: Catalina, Jul. 10, 2020
Single: Fooling Anybody, Jun. 19, 2020
Single: No Distance, May 15, 2020
Single: Seasick, Mar. 27, 2020
Single: Cabin Fever, Nov. 29, 2019
LP: Hyberbola, April 5, 2019
Label: Rue Defense
Genre: Indie Rock
Influences: Silversun Pickups, Slowdive, Blonde Redhead, Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers
Location: Portland, OR
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Ford the Fjord
(LP-Releases August 21, 2020)
No Distance
(Single-Released May 15, 2020)
Cabin Fever
(Single-Released Nov. 29, 2019)
Starry Night
(Single-Released Mar. 15, 2019)
Hyperbola
(LP-Released Apr. 5, 2019)
Press Contact: Graham Bell
253.948.7647
whoisruedefense@gmail.com
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Bio:
The solo project of multi-instrumentalist Blake Hickey, Cowboy Dinosaur is anything but spare. Started as a bedroom project to ease feelings of depression, isolation, and social anxiety, Cowboy Dinosaur has morphed into a conversation about confronting those issues and the catharsis of music. Based in Portland, OR, Hickey has tapped into the communal energy of the area, and has become part of the music scene as a former guitarist for the band The Late Great and as the owner of a guitar pedal company, Blakemore Effects. Establishing connections within the music world and beyond has influenced Cowboy Dinosaur’s sound by foregrounding the need for personal interaction within our daily lives. Building on his debut 2019 LP, Hyperbola, Hickey pushes into new territory with over a decade of virtuosic guitar playing and lyrical introspection on his upcoming sophomore release, Ford the Fjord.
CURRENT RELEASE:
FORD THE FJORD (LP)
For his sophomore release on Rue Defense, Blake Hickey took Cowboy Dinosaur on a journey. At first, loosely structured as a modern-day parallel to the Oregon Trail (echoed in the album artwork), Ford the Fjord finds Hickey chronicling his experience of moving across the country until finally settling in Portland, OR. Beginning with the feeling of being stuck and unhappy in his current setting, each song pushes toward the final track (aptly named after his adopted home) with a number of stops along the way for fruitful introspection. Dealing with issues of depression, grief, and social anxiety, Ford the Fjord is a personal record that serves as an artistic illustration of one man’s journey toward the future.
CATALINA
The second single from Cowboy Dinosaur's sophomore release, Catalina trades moody reverie for a healthy dose of galloping guitar and action. Written as a reminder to unwind and destress during socially anxious moments or when life gets too heavy, the majority of the melody was actually part of a dream. Hickey notes he's "never had this happen before ... but then when I woke up I just kept humming the melody until I had a chance to go figure out how to play it." Catalina serves as a bit of positive reinforcement to calm down and take things day by day.
FOOLING ANYBODY
The first single from Cowboy Dinosaur’s sophomore LP, the basic idea for Fooling Anybody has followed Hickey on his cross-country migration from Nashville to Detroit to his current home in Portland. Serving as a frontispiece to the larger expedition narrative of the Ford the Fjord LP, the song touches on a common compulsion to hide one’s true emotions and struggles from those you are closest to. However, as Hickey notes, “most of the time you only think you’re fooling the people around you, but they likely still know you’re struggling with something even if they can’t say what.” Having gestated for years before coming to life, the track pairs melodic repetition with layered elements to create a richly textured headliner for the rest of the album.
PREVIOUS RELEASES:
NO DISTANCE
Stemming from a collaborative project started by Seattle-based group Deep Sea Diver, No Distance builds upon a drum loop the band provided to listeners. From there, Cowboy Dinosaur built a plaintive, timely ballad about life during these bizarre times of social isolation. Vacillating between twangy guitar and more textural elements, the track is at once full of nostalgia for the recent past as well as introspection on the current situation.
CABIN FEVER
Written during a massive snowstorm one winter in Portland, OR, Cabin Fever reminisces on the eerie quiet and emptiness of the city. Themes of isolation and introspection mix readily with strained vocals and guitars as Hickey takes the listener through the cold streets. Recorded in his home studio, the track has a powerful energy that feels like the exultant cry of the last person left on earth. Cabin Fever is a standalone single in anticipation of Cowboy Dinosaur’s 2020 sophomore release.
HYPERBOLA
Hyperbola is the first album from Cowboy Dinosaur, and was inspired by Hickey’s constant moving over the course of a decade until he settled in Portland, OR. Feeling disconnected from others as he travelled, Hickey turned inward and used music to more fully come to terms with himself and who he was as a person. The title comes from the idea of two people coming into close contact with each for a short amount of time and then gradually parting ways again. The tracks were written and recorded by Hickey in his home studio with drums on several tracks recorded by Bryan Tewell at Moonbase Studios in Nashville, TN. Additional percussion was recorded by Alex Skyles on ‘I Won’t Stay’.
STARRY NIGHT
The first single on Cowboy Dinosaur’s debut LP, Starry Night is a dialogue about holding patterns. One of the first songs Hickey ever wrote for the project, it deals with the idea of two people in a relationship that has plateaued but continues anyway. A base of driving distortion and drums accompany lyrics that paint a picture of depression dealt with through alcohol, while the melancholic tone of the song is pushed toward one of a hopeful future through searing guitars.