Galactic Cowboys

Out of the ashes of the band The Awful Truth arose the melodic metal band Galactic Cowboys. This foursome from Houston, Texas combined Beatlesque harmonies with metal riffs straight out of the Metallica handbook. Often compared with King's X, another band originally managed and produced by Sam Taylor , these guys truly marked out space of their own. Their first two albums on DGC (the self-titled disc and Space In Your Face), released in the early 90s, seemed destined to launch this band into the stratosphere. Unfortunately, labelmates Nirvana were just breaking big at the time, and the popular music scene was gravitating more towards the Seattle Sound.

After parting ways with Taylor, almost breaking up, and replacing their original guitarist, the Cowboys landed a deal with Metal Blade Records. Hoping to narrow the focus of their sound, they released the album Machine Fish in 1996 which focused more on their metallic side and less on their quirky layered vocals. When this album failed to break through, they decided to focus on a niche of making infectious hook-filled pop with a metal edge. Their albums The Horse That Bud Bought (1997), At the End of the Day (1998) and Let It Go (2000) continued to hone their sound, unlike anything else in the galaxy. Unfortunately, the band decided to "let it go" in 2000 when bassist Monty Colvin decided to embark on a solo voyage with his Crunchy project.

Band Lineup

• Ben Huggins - vocals, guitar, harmonica
• Monty Colvin - electric bass, vocals
• Dane Sonnier - electric guitar, vocals (first two albums)
• Wally Farkas - electric guitar, vocals, keyboards (replaced Dane)
• Alan Doss - drums, vocals, keyboards (all albums except Let It Go)

Discography

• Galactic Cowboys (1991)
• Space In Your Face (1993)
• Machine Fish (1996)
• Feel the Rage EP (1996)
• The Horse That Bud Bought (1997)
• At the End of the Day (1998)
• Let It Go (2000)
• You Got the Shaft! (2001) (recorded for trading among fans)

External Links

• galacticcowboys.com - official band site