5GB With Coy Bowles Of The Zac Brown Band; Southern Ground CD Release At Vinyl, 10/7

By Eileen Tilson

Anyone who has ever met Coy Bowles understands when I say that he is a man of many talents. Besides being guitar/keys for the Zac Brown Band, co-writer of hit single “Colder Weather,” author of the Eat and Greet, Zac Brown cookbook, as well as the author of an upcoming children’s book, Coy is also one of the kindest and funniest people I know. Most don’t realize after meeting Coy, that he is a musician in his own right, besides his very accomplished work in ZBB. In fact, his latest album Love Takes Flight, is a mix of the brilliant soulfulness of Stevie Wonder, with a pinch of down home southern-ness that Coy claims from his Thomaston, GA roots. Officially released on Southern Ground Records, Coy joined us for our 5GB series, before his CD release show tomorrow at Vinyl.

What is the the first gig you ever went to?

Best gig you have ever played/performed at?

I’d have to say the best show I’ve ever performed has to be any of the times I’ve performed at Red Rocks. It’s the venue of the gods. I had this fleeting thought while playing organ on that stage that if you could wrap super rubberbands around those two huge rocks and make a slingshot. You might be able to slingshot yourself into heaven. Just saying.

Best gig you’ve ever been to?

The best show I’ve ever attended. Wow that’s a hard one. I saw Nirvana play at the omni when I was 15. I was scared out of my pants bc the put was so big that it sucked me in and it took my little ass 45 minutes to get out. But I’d say Ray Charles at Chastain. I saw Grace Potter in Nashville a few months back and she was amazing.  In the words of Mark Sandman of Morphine she was

“Automatic taxi stop/Electric cigarette love baby/Hotel, rock ‘n’ roll, the discotheque/Electric super sex.”

What is the gig you would most like to play?

We’ve played a lot of the big festivals and all the festivals are great I think I prefer the more intimate gigs. So I’d say I’d like to play Carnegie Hall or one of the Filmore venues? I’d make sure I had something bedazzled if I played there. You don’t show up to Carnegie dressed like a hillbilly. You bring your A game.

If you could put your dream lineup on a gig, who would it be?

This is a could question but since it wasn’t specific on whether being dead or alive I’m gonna say give both.
If I could play with anyone dead I’d have to say James Brown. You know you,d have a lot of cool stories from playing with him and I would def. Give him whatever he fancied to let me get in one of his outfits. Then I’d challenge him to a dance. I’d say I’d like to play with Pearl Jam of the people who are alive. I just feel like it would be a lot of fun and it would make my childhood musical dream come true

Coy Bowles plays Vinyl Tomorrow Night for the Southern Ground CD Release Party