Catching Up with Keith Cooper and his “Ballad of Cheap Wine”

Keith Cooper is back at it again with his new single “Ballad of Cheap Wine,” which hits streets today. The Americana-laced artist brings a nurturing and exciting sound to the table as he brings his own unique voice and vision into the track. Filled with melodic hooks, brilliant instrumentation and outstanding lyricism, Cooper is a name to keep an ear out for in the New Year. As he unveils his new single we catch up with the artist to dive a bit deeper.

Give a listen to “Ballad of Cheap Wine,” here:

-When forming a song, what steps do you take to create your vision? Typically how long does it take you to build a song from start to finish? Usually an overarching idea hits me, and I have to find a way to condense it. One of my favorite ways to write is to start with lyrics first. Write what I want to write with no limitation from an already formed melody. Then I start the process of trying to fit those words with music, and because I’m often wordy and stubborn about comprising what I’ve written, I’ll create melodies I’m sure I wouldn’t otherwise have come up with if I didn’t already have the words. My favorites are the songs that are done in one sitting. Because I’m a procrastinator what happens to me a lot of the time is that I’ll map out a song, write a verse, a chorus, maybe a bridge. And then I’ll write the next 3 verses over the course of a year.

– When first creating your music, how did you decide on and form your sound?

I try to give each song the freedom where it needs to go. A usual approach: a pot of coffee followed by me strapping on my guitar, pacing around the house singing stream of consciously. Following the ideas that are worth following. Playing with the words that are worth playing with.

– When did music profoundly start to have an influence on your life?

5th grade. To avoid embarrassment and, most likely, your judgement, I’m not going to tell you the first album I ever bought. Only one clue: the band in question’s name ended with a number. Ha. When I was younger I found it really hard to communicate with others about how I was feeling. I tried to use music in place of my own words at times. If I was sad I wouldn’t tell anyone I was sad. I’d play a sad song and hope the person I wanted to communicate with would listen to the words and connect the dots to me.

– What sparks your songwriting creativity? Is it more of a storytelling aspect or a personal aspect?

I love to tell stories that say more than just the stories themselves. That’s the goal at least. The Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire had such a profound influence on me when I started writing poetry and songs, and when I’m writing I find myself trying to follow images that, to me, contain a certain amount of symbolic depth to them. That being said, the songs I’ve already connected with the most are the songs that feel very personal to the songwriter. Honest songs are my favorite songs. And my goal as a songwriter, I think, is to tell honest stories. Even if sometimes on the surface they’re full of absurd lies.

– With a new single in tow,, what other surprises do we have before the end of the year?

I just played my video release show on October 20th with my band at Bull McCabe’s in Somerville. Now I’ve just released the second song from my upcoming album Rabid Underdogs. The song is called Ballad of Cheap Wine. The record itself is out February 2019, and, of course, I’m excited about that too! Find more of Keith Cooper here: