Another Great Album For Whiskey Myers With ‘Whomp Whack Thunder’

Whiskey Myers (L-R) Tony Kent, John Jeffers, Cody Tate, Cody Cannon, Jamey Gleaves and Jeff Hogg

Credit: Jay Blakesberg

Whiskey Myers has a track record of turning out cutting edge albums with each one consistently better than the last. Whomp Whack Thunder is their latest best example.

It’s definitely a rocker with all eleven tracks written by frontman Cody Cannon (an extraordinary songwriter), and featuring the high-energy instrumental backing that gives the band its signature sound.

Known for pushing themselves to new heights with every album, Whiskey Myers – who produced the last two on their own – brought in GRAMMY-winning producer, Jay Joyce, for this one. (Joyce has worked with Eric Church, Lainey Wilson, Cage the Elephant, and others.)

“You don’t want your sound to get stale and even though the last two albums were vastly different, we wanted to bring in a producer to add a different element,” Cannon explains. “And Jay is amazing. He’s not heavy handed and is really good at bringing out the best in the band. He has so much foresight and knows what it’s going to sound like before you do. He’s three or four steps ahead, like a chess player.”

The proof is in the music. From hard rockers like “Icarus,” “Tailspin,” “Midnight Woman,” and “Break These Chains” to slower, more soulful songs with a message, like “Rowdy Days” and “Born to Do,” every song is worth the journey.

“It was good to have an outside ear,” notes Tony Kent, percussionist. “Jay pushed us, but he kept what I feel like makes us magic. So, it was a great collaboration.”

Whomp Whack Thunder is Whiskey Myers first album in three years. But like all six studio albums before it, it was worth the wait. Everyone is equally proud of the end result, seeing it as the group’s best album, so far.

“I joined the band in 2017, so I’m the new guy, quote, unquote,” says bass guitarist, Jamey Gleaves. “And before I joined the band, every album they put out was my favorite. The first album I did with them was the self-titled album and that was my favorite. Then we did Tornillo and that was my favorite. And now this album is my favorite. Every album is better than the last, in my personal opinion.”

Part of that has a lot to do with what brought Whiskey Myers together in the first place nearly two decades ago. It started with a group of friends who wanted to play music together but do it their way. Through the years, they’ve remained an independent band and while they’re often described as rock, country rock, or southern rock, their sound, which is perhaps a blend of all three, is uniquely their own.

“We never wanted to fit into a box,” says Cannon. “And by not subscribing to any certain genre or anything, it frees you up to be artistic and add new dynamics to each record. I think each of our records shows a different little flavor and that’s the opening to create. We don’t go into anything with a certain idea or sound, especially in the writing process. We let the songs lead us in a direction and I think that’s what makes real art.”

Throughout the creative process, they’ve always maintained a warm, welcoming spirit to make sure everyone in the band has input.

“It’s a group effort,” Kent says. “Everybody has an opinion, and everyone is heard. You might have the worst idea in the world but we’re going to try it.”

“Yeah, “Cannon adds, “If John wants to do it this way or maybe Jamey or Cody or whoever it is, we’ll sit around and play each way. Once you do that, 99 percent of the time everybody’s going to be like, oh well, this way sounds the best. Once you let everybody hear it, you can hear “the better.”

While they started out as a small, local band with a dedicated Texas following, they’ve broadened their reach extensively in recent years. Their music has been featured in TV shows like Yellowstone (where they also made an appearance), they’re now selling out major venues across the country, they’ve sold more than 2-and-a-half million albums, and they’ve amassed 4.1 billion in streams.

It’s interesting to note that much of that has happened organically. Whiskey Myers’ focus has never been on becoming successful. It’s always been about the music and that tends to speak for itself.

“There was never really any ‘making it’ or visions of grandeur for us,” Cannon says. “We never did this to be on TV or be famous or to think we’re going to walk a red carpet or some shit like that. It was just we’re all buddies and want to play music and tour together and make music our own way. And when you stay true to that, and we always have, everything else is easy.”

“It’s real music from a real place and we’re not catering to anybody,” Gleaves says. “We make the music for ourselves. It’s raw and kind of unforgiving. That’s who we are.”

The new album is out now and Whiskey Myers continues touring for the rest of the year. Their tour schedule is available on their website.