Anyone who follows my blog knows I like my country music rockin’, and nobody does that better than Hippies & Cowboys. They are one of the best live southern rock bands you will hear.
After hearing their debut single, “20 To Life,” in 2022, it was a no-brainer to feature them in my Music Spotlight column.
More than two years later, Aaron Sparling and the band bring their version of Outlaw Country/Southern Rock with a new EP, Fork In The Road. I was eager to hear and learn more about it.
I am over twice as old as the lead singer, Aaron Sparling, but what endears me to him and his band is that he has an old soul.
“I grew up on good music,” Sparling reported.
He admits to listening to and playing music from 40 to 50 years ago, such as the Black Crows, Led Zeppelin, and Tom Petty.
While Hippies & Cowboys can play classic covers as well as any band, their fans have requested more original music.
Sparling plays with spades of talent and is also a gifted songwriter and co-writer on each of the six songs on the Fork in the Road EP.
Sparling explained his process as the primary songwriter. “A lot of the songs we do, the way we do it is, most of the time, it just starts with me sitting in my little office playing guitar. Then I catch a feel. I’ll play a riff or something that feels good to me. And then I’ll start to run with it a little bit. The more I play it, the more I can get a feel on what I want the lyrics to be about.”
Hippies & Cowboys’ latest EP provides an old-school southern rock vibe, but the six tracks differ significantly.
The title track of the EP “Fork In The Road” is a rock ballad that is a bit of a departure from their outlaw country moniker. Sparling’s bluesy, achy vocals leave you hanging on until the end with words like “You know I’ve grown so weary, there’s a fork in the road, I don’t know which way to turn.”
“Midnight Rose” is a story song about a desperate girl who is elusive and unattainable. “She sure ain’t gonna change for some poor boy like you.” It’s an example of proper outlaw country storytelling at its finest.
They explore their inner Def Leppard in their original “Rock All Nite,” where they implore, “Come on, baby, we could go all night.”
They turn on their rockabilly with some funk as the harmonica wails and the keyboard bangs with “Goin’ Goin’ Gone.” ZZ Top needs to move on over as Sparling proclaims, “I’m goin’ gone, catch me if you can.”
With an intro reminiscent of an Eagles song, Sparling sounds like a bluesier Don Henley with Hippies & Cowboys song, “Ain’t No Good.” The tune confirms that the relationship is over because “you ain’t no good for me.”
The most modern-sounding song on the EP is “Give It Up.” With the extended version of “Give It Up” (as opposed to the shortened radio edit), the band shows their incomparable versatility.
Sparling explained, “On the album version, there’s a crazy trippy intro, very ambient and obscure.”
As a true rock song driven by the melody, the lyrics “Won’t you give it up and bring it home to me” are secondary to the funk-infused rock vibe of the song.
With their Fork in the Road EP, Hippies & Cowboys have created a natural Rock n Roll record by keeping the sounds of yesterday alive and merging them with today’s musical themes. And if Outlaw Country, Southern Rock, and/or traditional Rock n Roll are your jam, you will want this EP on repeat wherever you are.
However, I honestly believe Hippies & Cowboys are best consumed live. Do whatever you can to see them in person. They will play the Basement in Nashville on October 25th and all over the US and Canada this fall. Check their tour schedule here.
Follow Hippies & Cowboys on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to keep up with their newest releases and find out where they will perform next.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Photo “Hippies and Cowboys” by Hippies and Cowboys.
Fork in the Road Tracklist
Fork in the Road
Midnight Rose
Rock All Nite
Fork in the Road
Goin’ Goin’ Gone
Ain’t No Good
