Cody Cannon, the frontman for Whiskey Myers, absolutely loves to play live for their fans. There's only one problem, and it's one that he's still learning to deal with after years on the road: Most of their shows are in cities, and he just can't stand cities.
Asked what bothers him most about busy metropolitan areas, he has a one-word answer. "Concrete," he says with a laugh. "I just like being in the woods. Even when I'm at home, I don't go to town."
That town near home he's talking about is Palestine in East Texas, where the group formed in 2007. It's roughly 50 miles from the larger city of Tyler, and about 20,000 people call Palestine home. This is the so-called Piney Woods region of Texas that brushes up against Louisiana.
"It's just home," Cannon says. "It's all I've ever known, and I've never cared about leaving. It's pretty and green and we've got a lot of lakes, a lot of woods."
When he does venture off, it's usually because of music. Though the band trimmed down their touring schedule quite a bit in recent years, they still crisscross the county every summer and fall in their caravan of trucks and buses to play for loyal and enthusiastic crowds.
Lately, the band has been playing songs from its seventh album, which comes out Sept. 26, called Whomp Whack Thunder, which may very well be a reference to the walloping classic-rock riffs and rhythms that permeate much of the record, but not all of it.
It Started With a Jam
Though critics have long debated whether Whiskey Myers is rock or country, or maybe some of both, the band members have always kind of shrugged their shoulders at the question. From their perspective, they're just country boys from the same area as Cannon, doing what comes naturally.
Whiskey Myers is the first band they'd been in, Cannon says, and their surprising chemistry was obvious immediately when they got together for a jam session in a mobile home.
"We had zero musical experience for the most part," he says. "I don't even know how it happened, really. Me and John (Jeffers) and Cody (Tate) had done some acoustic stuff, but it was the first time we ever played with bass and drums.
"I think the first song we played was 'Amos Moses' or something like that, or maybe a Skynyrd tune, and at the end we all kind of looked around, like, 'This is cool.'"
Mostly the Same Personnel for Whomp Whack Thunder Release
The WM lineup is still mostly the same as when they started, except for a couple of personnel changes. Cannon is on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, and he writes most of the band's songs; he is credited as the sole composer and lyricist for all 11 tracks on Whomp Whack Thunder.
Jeffries and Tate sing backup and are responsible for the bold lead and rhythm guitar that's part of the band's signature sound. Jeff Hogg is still on drums, with Jamey Gleaves having replaced original bassist Gary Brown in 2017, a couple of years after Tony Kent came on board as keyboardist and percussionist.
Starting out, Whiskey Myers played bars in their area and quickly developed a following, which led to an opening slot for Roger Creager who, at the time, was already a regional favorite. That was kind of their entry into the Red Dirt music scene, and they were soon booked as openers for other established acts.
New Album Whomp Whack Thunder Is Out Now
"We were just writing songs that people seemed to like, and we really kind of learned on the road," Cannon says. "We learned as we went, and we still do that, I guess."
They sound assured, seasoned and confident on the new album, which they recorded in the city of Nashville with accomplished producer Jay Joyce. He can now add Whiskey Myers to his impressive list of credits that ranges from The Wallflowers and The Black Crowes to Keith Urban, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and Lainey Wilson.
"He makes the experience enjoyable and he's great to work with," Cannon says. "When you have somebody like that, it helps you do your job better."
Whiskey Myers has "always been more of a live band than a studio band," according to Cannon, but if that's true, it doesn't seem to have held them back. The band's recordings have earned nine separate Gold and Platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America and have tallied over 4 billion streams.
Certainly they have benefited from big-time exposure on television's Yellowstone and a high-profile endorsement from influential podcaster Joe Rogan. It's probably also safe to say that many of their fans landed at their feet by word of mouth. While plenty of people admire their independent spirit — they've never signed to a major label — many simply want to be rocked with songs they can relate to.
Either way, Cannon is loving the experience, despite being away so much from his family and home in East Texas.
"The best part about being on the road is playing for the people, and I would say the hardest thing about being on the road is being away from home and being away from your family. For sure," he says.
Toad Thumper, Bass, and Bowhunting in East Texas
Cannon stays busy when he's home, too. Along with spending time with his wife Haley and their three children Ripp, Townes, and Carter, he has a business venture that requires his attention. Cannon's fishing lure company, Toad Thumper, keeps him close to one of his major outdoors interests. He designs the brands tight catalog of hard and soft baits himself.
"I'm an outdoorsman, and I've always been that way, since I was little," he says. "I never thought I'd do music or anything like that. Bass fishing is my first love, and I also do a lot of bowhunting.
"The last couple of years, in September, I was elk hunting in Idaho, but this time around I've decided to stay home. I've got a lot of land, so I'll be shooting some deer and pigs with my bow and probably doing a little dove hunting and a little duck hunting."
When Whiskey Myers' fall tour is over, hopefully he'll have a break from visiting so many urban areas.
"I just never, ever have felt comfortable in a city," he says. "They're just weird to me. When I'm out in the middle of nowhere, I'm completely fine."
Go to WhiskeyMyers.com for more on the band, including tour dates and merch and details on the new album, Whomp Whack Thunder.
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