Brent Cowles

Brent Cowles signs to Dine Alone, announces debut EP

Raucous roots-rock singer Brent Cowles has announced that his debut EP, Cold Times is set to release on April 28, 2017. His title-track single is out now and can currently be streamed and purchased here.  Check out a live video performance of Cold Times at his Denver hometown venue, Larimer Lounge, on PASTE here. Brent will be playing a handful of showcases at SXSW, kicking off a string of tour dates (full list below).

While the Cold Times referenced in the soulful title track are intensely personal, the song’s sentiment has taken on an entirely new and expanded meaning in a post-Trump America.

“I feel like we’ve been forced to choose sides, and that’s creating this wall between a lot of people – people who I’ve had relationships with for a long time, and there’s now this rift between us that wasn’t there before,” Cowles said. “It has a lot to do with what’s going on in our government and around the world, because of course there’s more happening than just what’s in our backyard.”

“It feels like the times are cold. And the only way to get through a period like that is to feel cold together and acknowledge that it feels bad and things need to improve. How else can you get to the next step if you’re not talking about it?”

Before choosing to release music under his own name, Cowles and his profoundly soulful voice wooed audiences and industry alike as frontman of indie folk troubadours You Me & Apollo. The band’s buzz and timely aesthetics made them a top draw throughout Colorado rock clubs, and it wasn’t long before they were being booked by The Lumineers’ agent at Paradigm Talent Agency and opening multiple gigs for Brandi Carlile and touring with Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers.

But as that chapter slammed shut, 27-year-old Cowles not only went electric for the songs that would become Cold Times, he dug deep into his vocal chords to find a new persona – that of the rare rock ‘n’ roll frontman whose nuances behind the mic still allow him to create a genuine connection to his fans.

“I was talking with Nathaniel Rateliff after a Night Sweats show, and he told me, ‘Listen, man. There have been a lot of guys with acoustic guitars who have been a huge influence on me, but get an electric guitar – and start a band.’ Ever since then that rock ‘n’ roll side has been pouring out of me, and it feels right.”

Brent Cowles and his four-piece band will play at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho, in March before setting out on a West Coast tour behind Cold Times, which will be released April 28 with a show at the Hi-Dive in Denver, Colo.

Cold Times EP Track Listing

1. Lift Me Up (Leave Me Here)
2. Cold Times
3. Maybe We’re Fine
5. 9th & Lafayette
5. Hold Up

Upcoming Tour Dates
03/04        Breck Brew Show                              Fort Collins, CO
03/09        Colorado Sounds 1st Bday Party    Fort Collins, CO
03/11        Breck Brew Show                               Denver, CO
03/16        SXSW      Dog Day Afternoon          Maria’s Taco Xpress
03/17        SXSW      Israel Nash Day Party      Plum Creek Sound
03/18        SXSW      Riptide’s Showcase          Whole Foods Rooftop Plaza
03/24        TREEFORT                                        Boise, ID
03/27        Tractor                                                 Seattle, WA
03/29        The Battery                                         San Francisco, CA
03/30        Hotel Cafe                                           Los Angeles, CA
04/01        Rebel Lounge                                      Phoenix, AZ
04/28        Hi-Dive – ALBUM RELEASE        Denver, CO