Local favorite Cody Gill Band strikes a chord in Texas country
Photo courtesy of Cody Gill Band
By Gaston McDorman, Texan News Service
Texas country music is a statewide phenomenon that’s been growing in stature the past several years. The genre is a subtle blend of other sounds such as outlaw country, Southern rock and alt-country.
Stephenville has become a haven for Texas country music. Every weekend a band will roll into town to play for an eager crowd at City Limits or Bostocks. One such band that has turned into a town favorite is the Cody Gill Band.
Gill both plays guitar and is the band’s lead singer. The other three members include Zach Hooper on lead guitar, Caleb Hooper on bass and harmonica and Jarrod Baker on the drums. Gill, who’s the oldest at 30, has been playing music for about seven years and is “still trying to learn how to do it,” he said. Born in Granbury but raised in Stephenville, Gill works full-time in the warehouse at FMC Technologies when not on the road.
Playing the guitar for years had intrigued Gill, but it wasn’t until a roommate had one that he decided to pick up the instrument. Naturally a self-professed music lover, the guitar didn’t come easy at first.
“I developed a lot of bad habits because I taught myself,” he said. It didn’t take too long to learn to play. As Gill put it, “If it’s something you’re really passionate about and love, it’ll come quickly.”
The band’s CD, Boxcars, is an eclectic mix of songs. The tune “Love Is Never Caged” features a distorted lead guitar reminiscent of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My.” Yet the band finds a way to switch sounds on songs like “Can’t Let Her Go,” evoking a Southern rock feel with a bluesy harmonica.
On the songs Gill pens, he usually writes the music as well as the lyrics. That’s not to say the other members don’t contribute. It’s just a testament to the craft. “Sometimes lyrics come first, or an idea for a song, and sometimes you’re sittin’ there goofin’ off on the guitar and you create a melody,” Gill explained.
Gill uses his personal experiences, such as the ups and downs of relationships, for ammunition in his songwriting. “Good, bad, sad, happy -- it’s the art of life,” he said. But he tries to stay away from writing all about himself because “it starts to sound whiny.”
The lyrics go beyond Gill’s emotions and strike a universal chord in the band’s song “Home.” Gill croons: “Memories last and memories fade, take the memories made, take everything I’ve ever known, just take me back home.”
Everyone has a favorite musician or influence and Gill is no different. His favorite song? “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison. Favorite voice? “Don Henley, from the Eagles, has an amazing voice.” Guitar player? Stevie Ray Vaughn. What about a band? Although he admitted it changes with his mood, he claimed to be pretty fond of the Rolling Stones.
Gill also has a favorite venue, The Tavern in Gruene, a Central Texas town near New Braunfels. In the case that you may be a Jacob Dylan fan, Gill said he also loves to cover the Wallflowers hit song “One Headlight.”
Gill’s small-town upbringing keeps his outlook humble and grateful despite the band’s taste of fame. When asked what it’s like to see his CD sold in stores, Gill responded: “(It’s) kinda crazy, you look and see how many places you can find it.” He said he still gets surprised when he walks into a store, “not expecting to see your stuff there and you do…It’s pretty cool.”
Gill may be reaching for the stars, but that’s not to say he plans on leaving his foundation behind. When it comes to his hero in life, he looks no further than his granddad. “The stuff he’s done in his lifetime is amazing to me, serving our country,” Gill said. “Me getting to play music is nothing compared to the stuff he’s been able to do.”
While fond of art and video games when not playing on stage, Gill’s devotion to music runs deep. He can’t imagine doing anything else and is aiming high. “I want to write that song that lives on longer than I do,” Gill said. “I know I haven’t done it yet, but I know I’ve got it in me.”
The Texan News Service is a project of Tarleton State University’s journalism program.
Cody Gill Band Show Schedule
April 11: Armadillo Palace, Houston
April 12: China Grove General Store, China Grove
April 18: Buc O’Brians, Fredericksburg
April 25: Bootleggers, Tyler (with Jason Allen)
April 26: The Ranch, Temple
May 3: The Herald, Del Rio
May 4: Guadapalooza VI, Canyon Lake
May 9: The Thirsty Parrot, Hempstead
May 10: The Barn in Mission Valley, Victoria
May 16: Bootleggers, Tyler (with Billy Joe Shaver)
May 17: Bostocks, Stephenville
SOURCE: Cody Gill Band