The Coyotes are a new country/rock band from Wales. The four-piece group consisting of Dave Mac, Jack Thomas, Ricky Blodder, and Andy Harding, are currently gearing up for the release of their debut album ‘Live Wire’. The LP is due for release later this year, and the single of the same name is out now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nDT0fKHGLk
Here we speak exclusively to The Coyotes’ lead singer/songwriter Dave Macabout about their debut album, British country scene, future plans and much, much more:
What made you decide to start a rock/country band?
It really wasn’t a matter of deciding to start a rock/country band, it was something that happened naturally. As a songwriter, I feel it is important to write from the heart, and naturally it sounded country. I have been influenced all my life by country, and rockabilly, as with all the Coyotes. So these influences flow into my song writing. Country music, as with the blues, is about emotion, and chances are my experiences are going to mirror other people’s experiences, so they can relate and the songs become personal to them.
Country Music is the fastest growing genre in the UK, where do you see yourselves fitting in?
I think, in the UK at least, we stand apart from the traditional acoustic based country sound that have always been strong in the UK, and offer something that holds its roots firmly in country but on the same hand offers a contemporary rock sound that people can relate to.
How excited are you about the growth of UK Country?
As country artists, how could we not be thrilled? Any artist who puts all their effort into something is desperate for an audience to hear it. So by being on the cusp of a country resurgence in the UK is hugely exciting. If the Coyotes can manage to contribute to the growth of country music in the UK, we’d be honoured.
Being based in Wales are you seeing lots of live Country music there as well?
In short, yes. Although saying that, we appear to be quite unique by infusing the traditional country style with a more Southern Country Rock feel. In Wales at the moment the more acoustic based country sound is definitely prevalent, so I guess you could class us as outlaws – at least musically, since we perform outside of the traditional country sound.
Which artists are you currently listening to?
Great question, there are so many. We all love the classics, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson to name a few. If you want current country artists, there is a new bread coming through and gaining a strong following in the UK; with the likes of Blackberry Smoke, The Cadillac Three, Whiskey Meyers, and Chris Stapleton. In a way the stars have aligned for us, since I’ve been writing in this style for years, and now with these bands making an impression it has definitely made me feel as a songwriter that I’m on the right track.
If you could collaborate with any act would you choose?
To collaborate lyrically, I’d love to work with Chris Stapleton. As a Rocker, it’d have to be The Cadillac Three, and if it was about musical collaboration, then Blackberry Smoke.
What can fans expect from your debut album ‘Live Wire’?
A rollercoaster of feelings. From the opening rocker ‘Little Too Much’ to the emotionally charged ‘Come What May’. The album I hope is one of those that people enjoy straight away, and then the more they play it the more they get from it. It’s a great album that we are very proud of, and we hope this shows when people hear it.
Do you plan on performing any live shows soon?
We are about to have our album launch party for ‘Live Wire’, where we can debut our new album live. We are also booking shows as we speak, so a full show list will be published soon. These will all be posted on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages (so come along and follow any of these for updates). Oh, and thank you for calling them ‘shows’, it’s important to us as we see every performance as a show and not merely a gig; whether it be in front of 1 person or 100,000 we always give 100%.
What do you hope to achieve over the next ten years?
Everyone dares to dream, and we’d be lying if we didn’t say we’d love to be signed, touring, Grammy’s, fame and the whole thing. In reality, if we build a strong following of not just ‘fans’ but friends, tour, support some of the people we respect, record and enjoy it as much as we do now, that’d be just fine with us. Live Wire is just the beginning of what we can offer creatively. Isn’t the old saying ‘the more you put in, the more you get out’? Well we will be putting our hearts into this and giving our audience everything we have to give.
Make sure you follow The Coyotes on Twitter @coyotes_the to keep up to date with all their latest music and tour news!
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