It’s been a roller coaster since the world was grounded to a halt as a result of the pandemic. However, even with the emergence of new variants of the raging virus, in the “post-pandemic” period, the self-proclaimed kings of the underground music scene, White Boy and the Average Rat Band, are back with the announcement of their single “Holy Cow” and video to accompany the latest project. The trio-rock band founded by Mike Matney released their comeback single on 3rd February 2022.
The single, “Holy Cow,” came to life during the heart of the pandemic and the series of social and political unrest throughout the country. The song and video face these issues artistically while also highlighting spirituality.
The dynamic trio who make up the White Boy and the Average Rat Band had stood the test of time in a competitive rock music industry, and their efforts culminated in 2017 when the band signed a deal with Heaven and Hell Records to reissue their first album. The release at the time was targeted at re-introducing the band to old fans and new ones. Subsequently, the band re-established its dominance and stake over the rock genre, and their sophomore album Love My Ride was released in 2019.
After a successful reintroduction of the band, they embarked on two national tours, and while anticipating an expansive list of events, shows, and tours, the pandemic struck, causing an unexpected hiatus for the band.
Directly from Matney:
“Being stuck on the farm and getting to spend time in my home studio was not necessarily a bad thing for me. However, I could not have anticipated the devastating personal loss of my mother. That loss, combined with the bombardment of images on the nightly news of the pandemic, riots in the streets, chaos and political unrest forced me to do some real soul searching. Raised a Southern Baptist in a small town, many a Sunday was spent listening to my mom playing the piano in church. It was comforting. Growing up a musician in the ’70s and ’80s I was greatly influenced by the hard rock music of the day. My Christian upbringing, the gospel music, my faith and my love of hard rock are all things I lean on during the lowest of times. These things were an inspiration to me and when I’m inspired I write. Writing and recording can be both catharsis and an obsession. Each song was painstakingly crafted over the course of the last two years. ‘Holy Cow’ represents 52 years of faith, musicianship and two years of total bs!!”
“While I am a Christian, my dad said it best, ‘Ya gotta live in this world.’ That philosophy impressed me greatly and shows upon my song-writing, from walking that fine line to fighting the demons we all face. I have always been one to hold my peace, so to speak, but ‘Holy Cow’ allows me to speak both artistically and spiritually, from my soul. And now, I’m praying for a louder voice.”
“The title track ‘Holy Cow’ was recorded at my home studio in Southwest Virginia. I built it after I graduated from MTSU’s recording industry program in ’97. I was searching for a raw and bare-bones sound that is the band’s trademark. I also like that slight element of funk in it. I laid down the guitar riff first and the lyrics came over the next couple of weeks. After it all came together, I decided to try something new. Instead of mixing the songs myself or sending them off to one of my buddies in Nashville, I got on Fiverr and found a guy. After a lot of research, I landed on Oliver Wagner…in Taiwan of all places. I threw the stuff up on DropBox and Oliver worked his magic. I was impressed.”
“I brought Rambo (Darrell Gibson, Bass Player) and Hog (Jerry Hogeston, drummer) in on the video. Jerry was one of the original drummers for the band and Darrell has been with the band since 2017.”
“For the video, I decided I would get on Fiverr again (I love Fiverr) and see what some of those guys could come up with. I would tell each one what I wanted and got video after video, then combined them. Afterwards, I brought in the guys and we did our parts. As for the main character (White Boy) well…I’d always toyed with the idea. It just seemed like the right time. I admit, having grown up in the shadow of Kiss and Alice Cooper, it was kind of fun doing the grease-paint thing. Lastly, I went looking for Cody Reid. This guy is a great filmmaker and editor. Cody and I became friends when Bluesdog, a harmonica player from the Canadian band Zed Head (which we both played in), introduced us. Bluesdog and Cody had worked on the set of the television show “Nashville” together. He and I had lost touch, so it was awesome that we were able to reconnect over this project. Cody was able to take what I had done and refine it even more.”
“Forty years building up to this point. Locked and loaded. Here we come!”
