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For three months, The Co-Dependents’ live album has been the hottest indie roots-rock disc in retail outlets here and in the band’s home town of Calgary.
Go figure, as the 16-song set, simply titled Live Recording Event, is large made up of cover material from the 1950s and ‘60s, although band members Billy Cowsill and Steve Pineo each contributed two originals.
Then again, impeccable taste in tunes coupled with an exciting and exacting delivery merit favor with audiences.
“I call it the little record that could,” chuckles Cowsill, one of the purest singers to come out of the ‘60s pop parade. He got his start at a young age in his family band The Cowsills, recording big hit such as Indian Lake and Hair.
Western Canada has been his home for almost a quarter of a century and Calgary’s his home base for five years now.
The two other Co-Dependents are Tim Leacock and Ross Watson. Cowsill first worked with them about 15 years ago as a producer during some sessions when Leacock and Watson were in a band called The Burners.
“I always knew we’d be friends, but little did I know then that we’d be playing together,” says the singer, reflecting on a period of time where he was about to become a principal player in The Blue Shadows.
The Co-Dependents’ reputation for putting on a remarkable live show, coupled with the success of their current disc, is landing them all sorts of quality gigs. One such show takes place Friday at Festival Place where the band will morph a couple of times to create a triple bill that includes a solo spot from Pineo and a reunion of Beautiful Joe. The latter act find Pineo, Watson and Leacock joined by singer-songwriter Jan Hawley and bassist Kit Johnson.
Cowsill headed to Rhode Island last summer for a Cowsills reunion show with his brothers and sisters.
“I couldn’t believe it – 3,000 people travelled from all over the continental United States, flew in from England and Australia, and we really pulled the show off after only rehearsing from three days.”
He’s almost more than enthused with the way his brother John is singing the late Carl Wilson’s parts in the Mike Love-led Beach Boys these days, while his sister Susan has just departed The Continental Drifters to work in a duo with Susanna Hoffs, ex of The Bangles.
“This great fellow who put up the money to do the Co-Dependents album might do the same for a solo album for me. What I’d like to do is three or four tunes with The Cowsills, the same with the guys from Trainwreck and finish it off with the Co-D’s.”
Tickets and info on Friday’s show are available by calling the Festival Place box office.
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