Cows on the Moon — 15 November 2023 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour
Monochrome photo by Ross Mickel
Cows on the Moon joined guest host Bob Colquhoun on ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9 FM The Radiator. Catch up with them at instagram.com/cowsonthemoon.band
Text by Keagan Lafferty
Some say that genre is not real; that it’s a manufactured concept putting artists into unnecessary boxes. However, most bands tend to play a specific genre or style, with some variety of course, and long term shifts in genre do occur. But what happens when a band discards the idea completely and writes an entire album worth of original material, all at once, with no consistent style? Cows on the Moon does just that on Rocket Shop, with an eclectic setlist that crosses boundaries.
Cows on the Moon consists of six students at University of Vermont. Their style varies and embraces diverse techniques, ranging from indie rock to jam to funk to punk to psychedelic rock to soft pop rock. Keagan Lafferty, singer, explained that last year they tried to give themselves a specific sound, before discarding limits. “We'll play any genre, we can play whatever we want,” said Lafferty. “We like to embrace all the genres and try to experiment and explore.”
Keagan Lafferty, vocalist and lyricist, brings a unique energy with her Stevie Nicks-hippie-bohemian persona. She’s also an intern at Big Heavy World (she does the write-ups for Rocket Shop shows, so she is myself). Lafferty is from Colorado, and began songwriting in elementary school after she was gifted an iPod nano for her sixth birthday. The iPod contained complete discographies of Phish and Taylor Swift, inspiring and influencing her love of music.
She spent her childhood surrounded by music, with her parents taking her to countless concerts. Her main inspirations include Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Goose, Phoebe Bridgers, Briston Maroney, Fiona Apple, Otis Redding, Led Zeppelin, and Jack Antonoff. The diversity of her musical interests influences Lafferty’s songwriting. Her interest in songwriting became serious during the Covid pandemic, and she started playing open mics and solo gigs after quarantine. She then took a music production class during her senior year of high school, releasing eight solo songs.
Lafferty’s songwriting style varies, and she wants to experiment in every genre. She writes poetry that sometimes makes its way into lyrics, with ethereal and ambiguous language that compliments her vocals. She likes to dance while performing; whether it's jumping up and down or swaying with the rhythm, she’s always got a big smile representative of her pride and excitement.
Sal Woyciesjes, guitarist, grew up in Connecticut, and his first distinct musical memory is of him at age three in the back of his dad’s truck listening to the radio. “Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Led Zeppelin played, and when Woyciesjes saw his dad air drumming, he did the same. The next song that came on was “Limelight” by Rush. “That just blew me away,” said Woyciesjes.
Woyciesjes started playing trumpet in fourth grade, before switching to baritone horn and then tuba, and eventually guitar in eighth grade. He plays left-handed, and has played in several bands throughout his life, spanning punk, classic rock, emo, metal, funk, blues, and jazz. His favorite bands include Rush, The Smashing Pumpkins, John Mayer, American Football, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Eric Johnson.
When it’s time for a guitar solo, Woyciesjes shreds, to say the least. His face morphs into an expression of deep investment in the melodic art that he crafts, and he stands on his tip-toes as if his soul is leaving his body when he plays the perfect riff.
Alisdair Chauvin, drummer, has a style that is energetic, intelligent, and creatively endearing in its ability to complement each song. He plays with focus, and a smile as he makes eye contact with his band members, signifying silent communication during jam sessions.
Chauvin is from Vermont and was exposed to a variety of music at a young age. His parents listened to folk and soft guitar music including Sufjan Stevens and Elliot Smith. At eight years old, his dad introduced him to heavier music like Wu Tang Clan and MF Doom. “It definitely opened me up to the whole world,” said Chauvin. Other inspirations of his include The Strokes, Anderson Paak, Chet Baker, and Paul Simon.
Chauvin’s grandfather was a drummer, inspiring him to play. Chauvin’s music teacher in sixth grade had little belief in him, and told him he would have a limited role in the performance. Chauvin then defied his teacher’s expectations by finding a drum set and playing it in the show, and in that moment on stage, he knew he wanted to be a drummer. He also played piano at a church, baritone horn in high school, and he produces music released on SoundCloud.
Ryan Anderson is from Vermont, and plays keys and harmonica for Cows on the Moon. Whether he’s playing groovy staccato chords, or an elegant ballad melody, he always stands out with his versatile and fluid style. He began playing piano at a church with a woman named Carol. “Carol was evil,” said Anderson. “Like most people's first piano teacher [she] would always yell at me because I was getting things wrong. And I was only four years old.”
Anderson then took lessons with another teacher and began to enjoy playing more. He learned “Key” by Fidel, a modern classical song, and was fascinated by music theory. He then joined his middle school band playing piano and percussion, and played in his high school jazz band as he continued to learn music theory. His inspirations include Tyler Childers, Flatland Cavalry, Teskey Brothers and Zach Bryan.
Peter Nicholson, guitarist, is from Massachusetts and influences the style of the band with his unique and creative chord progressions. He has long hair and leather rings that match his easy going personality, and his performance embodies joy, with a persistent smile that never seems to fade.
Nicholson’s first musical memory took place at age five when his parents got him a musical toy for Christmas made of plastic tubes that made noise. Nicholson took piano lessons in second grade, but the experience was not positive. “Every single time I'd go to lessons, I'd be crying, I hated it,” said Nicholson. “I refused to go.” Eventually he quit, but since his parents still wanted him to play an instrument, he took drum lessons for a few years before quitting that as well.
Nicholson didn’t play music for a while until sophomore year of high school when he started playing piano again. He enjoyed it more when he wasn’t taking lessons; “I think it was just being forced to do something and being told that I had to do it made me not want to do it,” said Nicholson. “But when I started doing it out of my own free will, I really started to love it.” He started playing guitar just last fall upon his arrival at college, and hasn’t been able to put it down since. Nicholson’s inspirations include Backseat Lovers, Peach Pit, and Arcy Drive.
Henry Leister, bassist, is from Virginia, and gives the band a groovy sound with his creative bass lines. He’s clever and funny, with a calming energy in his performance style. His first time playing an instrument was a cello at age five. He was at a music festival, and approached the instrument, which was twice his size. Leister played classical cello for nine years before switching to bass five years ago. His favorite inspirations include Grateful Dead, The Doobie Brothers, and Thundercat.
Cows on the Moon began last September with Leister and Nicholson, then Lafferty. They posted on instagram in search of a drummer and Chauvin responded. After the band didn’t respond for a week and a half, they invited Chauvin to jam with them and “the rest is history,” said Chauvin.
Anderson and Woyciesjes are new to the band this year, and were invited to play their first gig of the semester with the band before they were established as official members. They met four days before the gig, and had three practices to create an hour and a half setlist. Despite the sudden addition, the two instantly clicked with the rest of the band members.
Outside of their musical endeavors, Cows on the Moon is a close group of friends whose personalities complement one another, creating a welcoming and laid back environment. They can often be found skiing, hiking, going to the beach, traveling, and going to concerts and parties together.
The songwriting process for Cows on the Moon varies, but is very collaborative. Original material is usually created during a jam session when someone has an idea of a chord progression or riff, and Lafferty then freestyles lyrics on the spot or uses previously written poems or lyrics. “I can hear the song in my head how I want it to sound. I'll come up with a melody and some words,” said Lafferty. “We've written a lot of songs really quickly when we're just jamming out on a random progression.”
With six people in the group, it’s easy to write new songs. “There's a lot of ground we can cover pretty quickly in terms of coming up with ideas,” said Woyciesjes. “We don’t get stuck often, we move fast,” said Chauvin.
Sometimes Lafferty also has songs that are fully written, and she knows exactly how she wants it to sound; including the first song that Cows on the Moon played on Rocket Shop, “Antagonist.” Lafferty originally wrote the song as a piano ballad, and wanted to make it heavier, taking on a grungy pop rock-meets-punk style, reminiscent of Paramore. “The way we played it is honestly exactly how I envisioned wanting to turn it into,” said Lafferty. The lyrics reflect double standards between genders and expectations of men versus women. “She’s an antagonist and I’m afraid that’s all she’ll ever be,” sings Lafferty.
Their next song, “Anything,” has a slow and catchy indie rock style. With Leister on guitar and Woyciesjes on bass, it begins with relaxing guitar chords, soft drums, and an ethereal piano with a bell-like quality. The chorus utilizes unique drum fills that reflect emotional vocals, and takes on an intensity that stands out against the calm nature of the rest of the song. “Anything” is fluid, graceful, and passionate.
Cows on the Moon’s next song, “Psilocybin,” is extremely unique in style and composition. It takes on an ethereal psychedelic sound, reminiscent of Pink Floyd, and has a complex structure with changes that reflect an adventure through time and space or the cosmos. It begins with atmospheric chords and a slide guitar as Lafferty reads a poem over the ambiance. Soft drums then accompany a chorus with heavy reverb as the energy builds up throughout the chorus and into a dramatic bridge that transposes keys.
Eventually, the song becomes a hard rock vibe with an intense guitar solo that feels like a spiritual awakening. The high vivacity of the song continues into the last choruses until an emotional piano ends the song, leaving the listener bewildered and pondering life beyond what’s understood.
Cows on the Moon’s last song, “Full Tilt Homewrecker,” is inspired by Lafferty’s favorite fifty cent t-shirt; it says I knocked out a pro at full-tilt poker. “I was wearing it one day and I was like, I want to write a song about this. But I put a little twist to it.” The song’s central lyrics is “I knocked out a pro at full tilt poker then took home his wife,” and the lyrics follow that storyline. The song is groovy and rockin’, almost like a blues-punk fusion. Anderson finishes the song with an impressive harmonica solo that automatically forces any listener into a frenzied dance.
Cows on the Moon has played several shows in the Burlington area, at venues including Radio Bean, Red Square, and Junktiques, and at basement and backyard shows, and events put on by the University of Vermont. Their first gig was at UVM’s Battle of the Bands last April, and since then their audience and experience has increased quickly. Chauvin explained that last year, the audience consisted mostly of their friends, and now they’re playing for crowds made up of people they don’t know. “We have a wide range of friends, so we tend to get a pretty happy turnout and people that are happy to see us,” said Chauvin. “But I think that this semester, we really started to build our own fan base.”
While Cows on the Moon doesn’t have shows booked for the rest of the semester to “focus on finals,” they will be back in the spring semester to return to performance. In the meantime, they’re working on releasing music available for streaming.
An upcoming single, “I Exist” is in the finishing stages and will be out soon. We discussed the learning process of recording, and how the members are still relatively new to production strategies. “I remember the first day, it was pretty stressful, because we were still new to the studio,” said Woyciesjes. “Once we got it going, we were just having a good time with it.”
They recorded bass and drums at the same time and did overdubs for other instruments. Since Lafferty, Chauvin, and Woyciesjes are all music technology majors, they handle most of the recording as well as mixing and mastering. “My recording experience is about like five minutes of playing guitar and like two hours of sleeping on the couch watching,” said Nicholson. “I don't know what's going on.”
Once “I Exist” is released, Cows on the Moon is planning to record a live EP and eventually a full album, as they continue to play shows across Burlington and space.
Cows on the Moon Website: https://cowsonthemoon.com/
Cows on the Moon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowsonthemoon.band/