Meet Cooper Reed

We recently connected with Cooper Reed and have shared our conversation below.

Cooper , so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever head any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?

Good question!

I think the concept of writer’s block probably stems from a deadline more than anything. One of the factors I wanted to be at the forefront of the Gold Ramble project was a lack of pressure to do or be a specific type of band or make a specific type of music.

When you take off the pressure of having to produce something off of a template, creativity (in my experience) tends to be a well from which you can draw repeatedly.

How you think about what you produce is a big factor, too. I might write and construct a song that has its roots in the great American songbook, or I might write a song that is free of structure and requires those playing it to create on the spot.

Taking my expectations out of the final product is a great way to beat a block.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I write songs and front a DFW-local band called Gold Ramble. We took time off of pushing the band forward and have restructured with new members. We will be playing shows this fall around Dallas and Ft. Worth and everywhere in between.

I am pretty sure there are no bands in DFW that sound anything like us, so we are unique in that sense. The music is influenced by everyone from Joe Henderson and Alice Coltrane to Bob Dylan and Doug Sahm. We get off on the idea of creating music in the moment, and each show has a bit of something for everyone. We have songs in a traditional song format (3-5 minutes) and then longer, more experimental songs as well.

We’re excited to be back and bringing this music to DFW!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Persistence, bravery, and confidence are huge.

Persistence is a daily thing. Some days are better than others and some days present fantastic opportunities to get more recognition for this project. Hanging in there during the lulls is very underrated!

Being brave inspires confidence in my experience. Taking risks and chances builds the belief that you can achieve what you want to achieve creatively and artistically.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Our biggest obstacle, and I expect this is most music artists, is being heard on a wide scale. The weight of millions of choices makes it difficult to get above the fray.

We believe in the grassroots approach. We believe that people love live music and want to go on an adventure when they go to a concert. We think word of mouth grows if you do something different and good.

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Image Credits

All photos courtesy Barry McCollom.

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