The Belfast Cowboys are here to represent their latest single release, "Looking for the Northern Lights." As a whopping nine-piece band, The Belfast Cowboys hail from Minneapolis, and their music hones into the effective mix of Blues, Rock, and Soul.
As a collective, the band consists of Dan Kowalke on guitar and backing vocals, Joe Baumgart (bass), Dave Kirby and Dave Haugen (drums, backing vocals), Joe Loskota (keyboards, backing vocals), Paul Gronert (sax), Matt Hanzelka (trombone), Tim Martin (trumpet), Vic Volare (sax, flute) and Terry Walsh (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica). Now, say that all in one breath.
The members contributing to the overall sound of The Belfast Cowboys is what makes their sound elaborate, effective, and varied, and it's also what makes "Looking for the Nothern Lights," as amplified as it is. The song has a very mellow introduction, primarily instrumental, notably consisting of soft strumming guitar rhythms that create a serene atmosphere. Amicable vocalism soon fills the air, and the narrative of the song begins with grace.
Midway through "Looking for Northern Lights," a saxophone solo takes control, which brings completely disparate energy to the table. The song begins on a sweet note, yet the saxophone intertwines a more deeply sensual affection to light. The flourishing instrumentals are the pride and joy of "Looking for Northern Lights", as they are what takes listeners on a thorough journey of transcending sound.
Collectively, The Belfast Cowboys unleash vocal and instrumental harmonies in "Looking for Northern Lights" that draw listeners in, keeping them transfixed beyond ruination.
Welcome, The Belfast Cowboys. How exciting is it that your latest release, "Looking for the Northern Lights" is now available on streaming platforms? How does it make the band feel knowing that the track is finished and released in its entirety? It’s very exciting that this song - and the whole new album “This Magic Night” - are available to stream worldwide! As the title implies, the album was recorded in one night, live in the studio, right after the Minneapolis music venues were locked down. We also live-streamed the night to our fans who suddenly found themselves stuck at home instead of attending our St Patrick’s Day show. We spent the rest of the lockdown mixing over forty songs, then agonizing over which ones to release. "Looking for the Northern Lights” was first released on our album “The Upside to the Downslide” and soon became a crowd favorite. How do The Belfast Cowboys work together with so many creative minds in the mix? How was the construction of "Looking for the Northern Lights?" "Looking for the Northern Lights” initially started as an improvisation at Sparta Sound studios in northern Minnesota. We improvised over thirty songs in one weekend. Some were hilarious flops, but a few - especially this one - was like catching lightning in a bottle. Everyone who was there when it began got a co-writing credit. I rewrote some of the lyrics and musically we honed it a bit before it was released. What were some growing experiences that the band had following the release of "Looking for the Northern Lights?" The pandemic caused every band some hardship, and we were no exception. Before that, we averaged over 120 live shows a year, but thankfully we were able to grow a bit during all that downtime. Personally, I figured that if I was going to advance I needed to take advantage of all the solitary time by strengthening my skills musically, specifically on piano. I took piano lessons as a teenager, but after I started playing guitar (and starting to work with our ace keyboardist, Joe Loskota) I let my piano playing slide. During the lockdown, I continued live streaming every Tuesday night from my apartment and found it necessary to be able to switch back and forth from guitar to piano. Happily, we’ve been able to continue that Tuesday live stream since May 2021 at our weekly shows at the Driftwood Char Bar in Minneapolis. You can find us at 7 PM Central time on Facebook Live every Tuesday, free of charge. The archive of all the Tuesday streams is also on our YouTube channel. What direction will The Belfast Cowboys go in now that your latest single is out? We started as a Van Morrison cover band, and in recent years we’ve been broadening our horizons a bit. We can always rely on Van’s vast catalog of gems, but I think we’ll be writing a lot more songs and covering a wider variety of artists. What's next for you? We have more new music ready to be recorded, so I’d like to get another album out there in 2022. Until then we’ll be playing in and around Minnesota, and who knows where else!