Meet Cooper Reed | Songwriter, guitar player Gold Ramble

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cooper Reed and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cooper, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve worked at songwriting for nearly decades off and on. Played shows from 2009-2013 around Dallas, but other work took me away from songwriting for nearly a decade. I joined a band right before the pandemic that played covers and we played a few shows around DFW, and in 2021 I started writing again.

I met Jordan Harper (rhythm guitar) in a local musicians Facebook group and sent him some demos and he responded enthusiastically so we decided to try to put together a full band and write more songs, play shows regularly, and eventually make a record (we’re in that process right now).

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am in a band called Gold Ramble. We’re local to Dallas and Ft. Worth, and we make what we call ‘cosmic American’ music. We play mostly original tunes with a few choice covers thrown in, and I am extremely proud of the work and dedication that all four members of the band give to the music. What sets us apart from other bands around the country is probably our approach to songwriting – we take an ‘old school’ approach to putting together tunes, pulling from the old, weird American folk songbook and catalogue for themes, and then adding our own perspective in there.

It definitely has not been easy by any means. I am not sure where our audience is, but we’re still searching for them to some degree. We overcome that simply by continuing to do that work and give people chances to see us and hear us play.

I hope that the message we convey is in the music itself and in how we approach it. We strive to write songs that are weighty and hold great meaning, but we also hope to uphold some of the beauty that is in the American songbook and show people what they may have forgotten or never knew about. We are offering a chance to learn more about it and experience music not just as a two-and-a-half-minute song but as a continuum.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First off we need to hit Avila’s off of Maple for lunch and load up on some of the finest Mexican food Dallas has to offer. Depending on what my friend is into, I might take them out to White Rock Lake for some scenic views and tranquil settings, or maybe hit up the 6th Floor Museum if they are a history buff. I would also make sure to hit up some local shows with local bands, hopefully at a great venue like The Wild Detectives or the Texas Theater or Granada.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The biggest shout outs go to the band themselves: Jordan Harper, Jon Green, and Justin Good. Without them and their dedication, they’re just skeletons of songs and they don’t have the life and dynamics that they currently have.

Website: goldramble.bandcamp.com

Instagram: instagram.com/goldramble

Twitter: @goldramble

Facebook: facebook.com/goldramble

Youtube: youtube.com/@goldramble

Image Credits
Barry McCollum took all photos.