SkiP HappEns Podcast
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SkiP HappEns Podcast
Cooper Allen: The Road Back to Upstate
92.1 the Wolf. It is Skip Clark, it's like a superstar hour and Cooper Allen's on the phone. Cooper is coming to kegs. This will be tomorrow night and, cooper, I want to be the first to say welcome back to New York. Dude, how are you?
Speaker 2:Dude, it's good to be back upstate because we used to. I feel like we used to be upstate like every other weekend, and we've probably about a year since we've been up there, so I'm pumped to be back baby, I don't know if it was last time that you were here or the time before that, and you sell out the place every time.
Speaker 1:But there was a snowstorm. You couldn't get out. Then you ended up playing another show the next night.
Speaker 2:Dude, that was like the big big Buffalo storm.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's right go to buffalo, we wouldn't have made it home for thanksgiving I know that was a little crazy. I'm glad they told us to stay away, but oh my goodness yeah and it was a fun, fun two nights in jordan definitely very gracious of you to do that too, so that was pretty cool. But I do want to say, you know, welcome back to new york. Uh, you've built such a loyal fan base. You know, working through tikt TikTok and your social media, at what point did you realize things were really taking off?
Speaker 2:Man. I mean, it was probably when we started touring for the first time Me, thomas Mack, alexander Kay did a tour together back in 2021. Or it could have been less 2020. I can't quite remember when people started showing up to shows and tickets were being bought and you were seeing these people face to face and it became more than just numbers on the screen. That's when I think it really started to feel real and we've been trying to grow it ever since and gotten to meet a lot of cool people along the way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the power of social media that a lot of people really don't understand. But you totally get it and you blend traditional country with a modern vibe, where there's certain I hate asking this question, but I'm going to ask it influences as you were growing up oh yeah, I mean golly, I listened to everything, which is probably why I'm so all over the place.
Speaker 2:but everything from, you know, acbc to skinner, to all my brothers, to hootie and the blowfish, to fit and scent, to eminem, to, you know, toby keithotie and the Blowfish, to Fit and Scent, to Eminem, to Toby Keith, kenny Chesney, eric Church, those were kind of my big country guys growing up. Kid Rock is one of my favorites of all time, just because he does so many different things and does whatever he wants, kind of stylistically. So you put all of that together and that's kind of where our show fits.
Speaker 1:Really cool. Where are you right now?
Speaker 2:I know you're on the bus, but do you know where you are? We just got through some pretty brutal DC traffic and so I know we are now about to hit some pretty brutal Baltimore traffic and then we'll probably hit some pretty brutal Philadelphia traffic, and then we'll be at the Jersey Shore.
Speaker 1:Ah, there you go, there you go, and I'm really kind of surprised that you're actually on the road at this hour, because traffic's going to be crazy.
Speaker 2:About no other way to cut it. To get over to Point Pleasant Beach, new Jersey. We just kind of had to spend all day on the bus yesterday, or just hit traffic. Today we chose traffic.
Speaker 1:You know, Cooper, you've done some pretty hilarious mashups online. Do fans ever shout out a random song request during your show?
Speaker 2:Man, that's actually that is our encore. It's usually come back out, hold a crowd with their favorite artists, songs, whatever, and then just do like a gigantic, pretty much crowd request mashup at the end of the show. So we do that about every night.
Speaker 1:So we can expect that in Jordan at CAGS coming up tomorrow night.
Speaker 2:As long as people don't leave. You't leave 30 minutes before we're done, which you never know.
Speaker 1:No, come on, that's not going to happen, dude, it's not going to happen. And you know, since you're at Kegs, what is your go-to drink.
Speaker 2:You know I'm usually pretty simple. I stick to Coors Light generally, but I am open to just about anything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a little bourbon Jack and Coke.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a little bourbon won't hurt anybody. I've been on a tequila kick when it comes to liquor For some reason. That's just what works for me, but anything but vodka, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know Cooper Allen is who we're taking a moment to talk to this afternoon. Cooper is at Kegs in Jordan coming. You have one of the most interactive fan bases that I've ever seen in country music and what's been the craziest or the most memorable fan moment for you so far? Do you have one?
Speaker 2:Wow, we're so fortunate to have fans that just continue to support us and kind of lift us up from the ground up. That's what this whole thing has been. I think I got to go to a fan's wedding because they were used to take forever their wedding songs.
Speaker 2:They got to show up at the wedding and sing it for their first dance and that was probably the coolest moment in the midst of so many awesome ones People proposing at shows, people just having cool stories that they've told us and all that stuff. We're really lucky, man, A lot of good people out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely there. Yeah, absolutely. I know, like I said, your fan base is crazy in a good way. I've been there. I've been at your shows here in town. I'll be there tomorrow night, but just to see the reaction of the fans and from a stage standpoint, when you see that, how does that make you feel?
Speaker 2:oh, bro and uh, it fuels us. For sure I got into this whole thing by playing dot bars, college bars, that bar that would take us. We were a cover band but we just kind of got addicted to making sure the crowd has a good time. And so once you kind of get that in you a little bit, then you want to do that every show. And so when you look out and they're having fun, they're singing, they're dancing, whatever, that's the most fun, most rewarding part of this whole thing.
Speaker 1:I love that. Any surprises for tomorrow night? Can you tease us a little bit, or is it going to be a basic all-out Cooper Allen rocking show?
Speaker 2:You know it's a different set from when we were there last time, still playing all the ones that people want to hear plus some new ones, but the flow is pretty awesome and it builds in all the right places. It's going to be all out rocking, I think.
Speaker 1:Are you happy with sticking with the social media side of things? You know, let's just be real about it your music doesn't get played on a lot of country stations, However, on that social media side and we all know that's where people are going to get their music. You all happy with that. That?
Speaker 2:social media side and we all know that's where people are going to get their music. You all happy with that. You know, it's kind of the way it is. I grew up sort of hating social media. In college I hated social media. I didn't even have an Instagram. But you know, it's just part of the job and it's part of, if you to do uh, the part where people come to shows and the shows are fun and people listen to your music and all that stuff. You kind of kind of have to participate in the social media part. So I I always think that, uh, we can complain about social media or we can realize that, um, there are people that have a lot harder jobs than we do as musicians and artists and uh, you know, you just kind of bunk up and do the social media thing and and don't complain and try to enjoy it I don't know.
Speaker 1:I I wouldn't downplay the, the fact that you you don't have a hard job, because you do. You've got to connect with your fans. Like I'm talking to you now, you're on a tour bus going from point a to point b, you're in traffic, you're just. There's so much to it and the life of a musician. I mean, I know as well that you know you're at 3, 4 in the morning before you even put your head down on a pillow.
Speaker 2:So Well, thank you. Thank you for making me feel better, but at the end of the day it's like I choose to do this. Nobody's got a gun to my head making me be on this bus and going and playing shows. It's my dream. So when you finally live in what you dream to do, then I think you kind of lose a little bit of complaining rights. But we always find a way to complain. That's what musicians do best.
Speaker 1:We do that too, Cooper. Where do you call home? Where do you call home?
Speaker 2:I've been in Nashville since 2018. Okay, from Winston-Salem, north Carolina, though.
Speaker 1:Okay yeah, I figured you were a North Carolina boy. Oh yeah, man.
Speaker 2:Joe Eels.
Speaker 1:Well, go, orange, but do you get to go back home and play at all? Do you go to your hometown and kind of say, hey, I'm back for a little bit, let's do a show?
Speaker 2:go to your hometown and kind of say, hey, I'm back for a little bit, let's do a show yeah we try to do one or two North Carolina shows a year, maybe one in Winston, one in Charlotte, charlotte or Raleigh. I try not to overflood it too much, but, god, there's nothing better than being home, and generally when I'm home I usually just want to chill and see family and kind of not play a show.
Speaker 2:I kind of want to chill and see family and kind of not play a show. I kind of want to go out and see a show or drink to a band at a bar. So that's usually what we're doing. I got you.
Speaker 1:I got you hey Cooper. If you were not doing music, what do you think you'd be doing right now?
Speaker 2:Oh wow, either something really boring or you know, this is this is kind of indirect answer to the question. But my dream, like retirement job is to be like a JV basketball coach at a high school. Cool and like maybe teach history or something.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:That's kind of I don't want the varsity basketball job. That's too much pressure. I just want JV A little fun with the kids, so to speak.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I would assume that you're a basketball fan, then Die hard.
Speaker 2:Being from North Carolina, you get it. As a Syracuse guy, I do. Being from North Carolina, man, it's a religion.
Speaker 1:I do you know? Cooper, real quick, I'm going to let you go here in a second, but tell me about the show tomorrow night. What can we expect?
Speaker 2:It's going to be awesome, it's going to be rocking. I always say, if you know me and if you like me, you're going to have a wonderful time. If you do not know my stuff, or even if you don't like me, you will still probably have fun. There's something in there for everybody.
Speaker 1:I, I love that when you say that, well, even if you don't like me, you know what. They're not going to be there if they don't like you.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying, and you pretty much sell out kegs every time you're there. Sometimes their wives make them come to be there, I got you Cooper Allen.
Speaker 1:look forward to seeing you tomorrow night. I want you to travel safe and you know, just so looking forward to this Because you rock the place.
