AUGUST 2009
Harder Beat Magazine Online
Galactic Cowboys
Back in the saddle

Ben from Galactic Cowboys

Ten years is a long time between gigs but, on August 13 at The Door, that silence will be broken with the familiar sounds of Houston’s very own Galactic Cowboys for the first of three Texas-only shows. Known for their mix of metal, pop, blues and top-notch harmonies, the group disbanded in 2000 after releasing their sixth studio release. The reunited Cowboys lineup features Ben Huggins (vocals), Monty Colvin (bass), Alan Doss (drums) and guitarists Dane Sonnier and Wally Farkas.

So where have the Cowboys been since 2000?

“My stock answer is that immediately after we released Let It Go, we were cruisin’ around in our spaceship and got sucked into a worm hole,” says Ben Huggins with a chuckle. “But there aren’t too many people buying that answer. Monty’s been busy up in Kansas City putting out Crunchy albums (his solo project). Alan’s been producing some acts. Wally has a company called Molken Music. As for me, I did a side project called Gristle - with Lynn Sonnier (Dane’s brother) and my son on bass - which, in fact, Alan is mixing.”

Although the band had a unique sound that set them apart from so many others, there were many factors the band could not overcome. “Everybody has their own personal reasons as to why,” states Huggins. “Alan had quit the band, and the drummer we’d hired was causing us some grief. We were supposed to go to Europe with King’s X, and the record company just cancelled the tour. Then they told us they weren’t going to pay us as much money for the next record. It was just one thing after another.”

Huggins gives credit to Colvin for the Reunion shows. “I’ve kind of been harping on it for many, many years – probably to the point where everybody got sick of hearing about it,” he says laughing. “I was just sitting at home minding my own business sometime in May, and I got an email from Monty. He said, ‘hey, let’s do some shows.’ So I immediately started contacting every Cowboy I could get a hold of and the consensus was, ‘Yeah, let’s do this!’

As for future plans Huggins says, “right now we’re just talking about these three shows, because that’s what we know is going to happen. The future is Galactic Cowboys for three shows - Dallas, Austin and Houston. We’ll take a look at it then, and see what happens, re-evaluate and who knows?”

What can you expect if you come out to The Door on August 13 - that is, besides a great Galactic Cowboys show?

“You know, hang out. We’ll shake hands with everybody we can and sign stuff if that’s the case,” states Huggins. “We have to. Fans have waited 10 years. Then when everybody decides to leave, we’ll leave, too. Either that or the club will throw us out. We can’t wait to see old friends, to see our fans, and we hope everyone has a good time. Come on out!”



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