Published: July 17, 2008 03:08 am      

Local band pursues its dream on the road

Whiskey Myers drawing attention across the state

Although it’s the title of their debut CD, “Road of Life” could just as well describe the climb taken by local band Whiskey Myers.

The band — Cody Cannon, lead vocals, acoustic guitar; Cody Tate, lead guitar, vocals, rhythm guitar; John Jeffers, rhythm guitar, vocals; Gary Brown, bass; and Jeff Hogg, drums — hails from Neches, Elkhart, Grapeland and Palestine.

While they’ve been a band less than two years, they’re already turning heads in the Texas music world with their brand of “red dirt” sound, reminiscent of Cross Canadian Ragweed and classic Southern blues rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band.

Their music reflects their roots — lyrics describing life, love and friends in East Texas, with references to Palestine, Brushy Creek, Trinity Valley Community College, the Dixie Chicken in College Station, and a tribute to fallen friend Russell Pennington, a Grapeland football player who died in a lightning strike during football practice.

Since the CD was initially released in May, the band has traveled the state and beyond, playing in bars from Austin, Houston and Dallas to the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Their biggest gig to date has been opening for The Marshall Tucker Band on May 29 at Meridian in Houston.

The “Road of Life” CD was re-released Tuesday with a new cover and is available online at major retailers such as amazon.com, hastings.com and walmart.com.

The group began with a pair of friends, Cannon and Tate, working at Hibbett’s Sporting Goods in the Palestine Plaza and renting a house in Elkhart. The two pulled in friend John Jeffers, a former youth baseball teammate, and after moving to Tyler, added Jeff Hogg, a friend from Palestine, on drums and Gary Brown, a Neches classmate of Cannon’s, on bass, and began playing private parties in Tyler and Anderson County.

They got their break after cutting a demo CD at Rosewood Studios in Tyler, when band members were able to convince Gater’s Sports Bar & Grill in Gun Barrel City to give them a chance on stage, opening for Roger Creager.

“Word started getting out,” Cannon said. “We played every show we could play, just to play.”

In January, Whiskey Myers traveled to Oklahoma to record “Road of Life” with producer Mike McClure, engineer Travis Linville and mix master Joe Hardy at Dirty Bird Studios. Soon after, they signed on with KB Talent Agency, which opened the door for the band to be booked to play all over the state.

Having built a following in East Texas, the band packed Bootleggers 155 in May when it released “Road of Life,” then played a full house at the Iron Horse Sports Bar on May 17.

“The CD release party was pretty cool,” Cannon said. “It was a big venue and we didn’t expect that many people to come out. There was a 45-minute wait at the door.”

Since then, they’ve been on the road playing and doing radio interviews at radio stations like KYYK 98.3 FM, getting their faces and music seen and heard in more places.

Since signing with KB Talent, the group also has been picked up by Southern Thread Clothing Company for sponsorship, Cannon said, and Smith Music Group has re-released “Road of Life” with a new cover, marketing it through major online retailers.

One of their songs, “Road of Life,” the title cut from the CD, is ranked seventh among the top 50 most requested songs on Internet radio station Radio Free Texas (www.radiofreetexas.org), with three others, “Lonely East Texas Nights,” “Goodbye Girl” and “Thief of Hearts,” ranked 11th, 38th and 44th.

While far from household names, Whiskey Myers is well aware of how far they’ve come in a short time, Cannon said, especially since all five members are in their early to mid-20s.

“We’re really just babies to be doing this,” he said. “A ‘young band’ is usually five or six years old.”

They’re grateful for friends and family driving to see them play and spreading the word, he added.

“Palestine’s really supported us,” Cannon said. “We’ll play shows three or four hours away and see people we know. Tyler has supported us, too.”

They plan to continue what they’re doing, trying to work their way higher up in the music world.

“Being on the road, you know you’re doing this for a job. It’s amazing, it’s fun,” Cannon said. “We’re just gonna do our thing, play our music and see where it goes.”

————

Whiskey Myers plays tonight at Adair’s, 2624 Commerce St. in Dallas’ Deep Ellum, and returns to the East Texas area for an 8 p.m. show at Neon Country in Jacksonville on Friday. The band is scheduled back in Palestine at the Iron Horse for a 10 p.m. show on Oct. 11.

————

Beth Foley may be contacted via e-mail at bfoley@palestineherald.com

————

On the Net:

Whiskey Myers, http://www.myspace.com/myerswhiskey

Whiskey Myers, http://www.whiskeymyers.com