Liz Cooper and the Stampede- The Back Room of Colectivo, March 10, 2019

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Liz Cooper and the Stampede deliver a sonic wall of psychedelic-Americana music that is unique, genre redefining, thought-provoking, and above all, interesting and fun.  The Nashville power trio comprised of Liz Cooper (guitar and vocals), Grant Prettyman (bass and vocals) and Ryan Usher (drums and vocals) create introspective, observant, and simultaneously face-melting tunes, while putting on one heck of a live performance.  Their stop at the Back Room at Colectivo on a late winter’s Sunday in Milwaukee proved their power as a headlining act.

From the moment you entered the Back Room at Colectivo, Cooper and company had surprises in store, including cardboard cut-outs of the band, as well as faux floral arrangements on stage, alongside Garfield stuffed animals, rubber chickens, a stuffed dog, and even a plastic dinosaur.  Liz Cooper and the Stampede opened their show by taking the stage to John Williams’s “Hedwig’s Theme” from the Harry Potter movies.  This unique opening was most fitting as fans in attendance were truly about to experience a magical evening of music.  

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

The band drew heavily off of their stellar 2018 release Window Flowers, opening with the first track of the record, “Sleepyhead,” and wasting no time getting into a jammed out rendition of “Dalai Lama,” early in the set, which drew huge applause from the capacity crowd, and featured Cooper shredding through the nearly ten minute track on guitar.  Other set highlights included a groovy, laid back version of “Motions,” a fantastically harmonizing version of “The Night,” and a rousing and raucous set-closing “Hey Man.” The trust between band members was evident as the set went on as Liz Cooper and the Stampede seamlessly flowed songs into one another.  Drummer Ryan Usher is an incredibly engaging performer on stage and a virtuoso percussionist who anchors Cooper’s tunes along with Prettyman’s steady and powerful bass licks.

The band also tested out new material, including a new number, "Je Taime," written at “The Refuge,” a former monastery turned artist-retreat center in the Appleton, Wisconsin area.  From new numbers to old, there is a genuine joy and passion that is palpable while enjoying Cooper’s music live.

Recently we had a chance to catch up with Liz Cooper to talk about touring, performing, her cardboard cutouts and plans for 2019.  

MKE Rocks: Last year has been a great year for you, with your exceptional record, Window Flowers, which was one of our favorite records of the year on MKE Rocks.  When we first saw you perform it was in support of Phosphorescent this past December. What was that tour like for you?

Cooper: It was amazing. It was great because you really got to know everyone from the other band.  Everyone was super inspiring and a lot of fun. We meshed really well. We are doing all these shows now that we're touching the markets we played with Phosphorescent and seeing a lot of similar people coming out who saw us play with Phosphorescent.  It’s been really fun.

MKE Rocks: One of the things I loved about your show was the cardboard cutouts on the stage of you and Grant Prettyman at the start of the show.  I thought that was clever and kind of funny and interesting. I had never seen anything like that before. Do cardboard Grant and Liz come out for all shows, or was that a special occasion last time at Turner Hall?

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Cooper: Setting up Cardboard Grant, Cardboard Liz and now Cardboard Ryan on stage is a really fun thing to do when we are opening for other bands.  As the opening act, we set all of our stuff up and get it ready, and the first thing that the audience sees when they come in are the cardboard cutouts.  It is a nice and seamless thing to have at opening shows and people enjoyed it.

For headlining shows, it would be weird to have the cardboard cutouts on stage with another band opening up for us, so we do not use them in that capacity on this tour.  It is fun to have quirky things on stage, and as we grow that too will grow, and we’ll have different things to add as we go along.

MKE Rocks: You are in the midst of a very extensive tour, taking you all over the country.  What do you enjoy the most about touring and bringing your music to new audiences?

Cooper: I am really enjoying seeing who’s coming out to these shows.  A lot of people are new to seeing us, but a lot of people who have seen us play other shows are now coming and bringing their friends, and that is really amazing.  On this tour, we’re testing out new songs and playing them for people for the first time, which has been a lot of fun too.

We have never really played headlining shows on a big tour.  It is very different from opening and a totally different vibe.  It has been a really good learning experience People are coming and shows are selling out and in advance.  This is the first time we’ve had that, and it’s been really amazing. Having that kind of support is so inspiring and makes me want to work harder and play the very best we can play and make it a real experience for people.

MKE Rocks: What’s your favorite thing about performing your music live?

Cooper: Playing music, really.  We’re sitting in a van all day, so having the time to do what we love to do is so important.  We could be having an awful day and all of that goes away when we start playing. We change the set a lot and it’s really cool to experiment with that.  We like to come up with new things on the fly as a band and the interaction with us and the audience members are awesome too.

MKE Rocks: Do you have any big plans for 2019, aside from the massive tour that you’re on?  Anything you’re especially looking forward to?

Cooper: We are working on new music and making our second record and constantly writing.  I’m really looking forward to going on tour with Dr. Dog and Shakey Graves this fall.  I’m a big fan of those bands and can’t wait for that experience.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

MKE Rocks: It seems like right now is a particularly exciting time for women in the indie singer-songwriter scene with artists like Margo Price, Phoebe Bridges, Lucy Dacus, Courtney Barnett, Sharon Van Etten, Amanda Shires and yourself in that mix.  As an artist, what is your take on the scene at the current moment?

Cooper: I think women are rising up!  There are a lot of really powerful women with a lot to say. I think we are dominating the music scene, and that is really amazing.  Margo Price is just someone to look up to and is very supportive of other women in Nashville and has been a mentor to a lot of my friends.  I think it’s really important for women to help each other. What’s best about all of this is that people are paying attention, not because there are a lot of talented female artists, but because there is a lot of amazing music being made.  People are doing amazing things and it’s their sound that’s important. In addition to the artists you mentioned, I want to throw Lilly Hiatt, Natalie Prass, and Erin Rae in that group as artists who are doing just amazing things too!

MKE Rocks: Speaking of good artists, anything that you’re listening to right now that you're particularly enjoying?
We listen to everything, really. Right now I’m really enjoying Amen Dunes, Childish Gambino and  Stereolab. Grant is always listening to Dawes and Vulfpeck. Ryan listens to a lot of Rhye We’re always listening to anything that stands out to us.

Setlist: Sleepyhead Outer Space Dalai Lama Motions The Night Fondly and Forever Mountain Men Je Taime Hey Man Encore: Feeling Good (Liz solo) Lights