NEDERLAND -- Andrew Cooney has embraced a very busy schedule as a musician. He plays solo gigs with his acoustic guitar across the Front Range, from Telluride to Copper Mountain to Denver to Boulder, and freelance gigs as a bass player for many groups, including periodically with Kind Hearted Strangers. Other groups he has played with include the hodgepodge country group Last Call, which features members of Brandywine and the Mighty Fines and Liver Down the River; Tenth Mountain Division (TMD), currently on hiatus; and the Bob Barrick-led tribute group Jammy Buffett. He also occasionally plays in a spinoff group called Cashmere Sweater, with the original lineup consisting of Cooney (donning the alter ego Chris Staplegun), TMD drummer Tyler Gwinn (Charles Romancin), and keyboard player Campbell Thomas (Curls Sweatshirt). Campbell has since moved to San Diego, and the lineup now includes guitar player Kevin Hinder (as of this article, he does not have an alter ego yet).
Cooney built his career through consistent practicing and performing from a young age. His grandmother, a jazz and classical pianist, introduced him to the piano when he was around four or five. Also a piano teacher, she helped him start lessons, and he continued though his discovery of the saxophone, which he played in his middle school band. When a friend needed a bass player to start a band, Cooney took on the instrument for the first time, encouraged by the friend’s belief in his ability. He performed in the school jazz band and in a rock band in middle school, and he even performed at places such as Disney World during high school. Of course, he has since also learned guitar, but considers himself primarily a bass player by trade.
Over the years, Cooney has refused to pigeonhole himself into one musical box, since he loves listening to and playing many different styles. He’s played Motown, soul, bluegrass, rock, and many other styles throughout his career, always working to keep his performances fresh. He’s written many songs for himself and TMD, and he recently co-wrote the song “Everything Bagel” for L’Optimist, currently the most recent record from Andy Frasco and the U.N. Cooney and Andrew Frasco have since become writing partners, and more songs written with Cooney will be featured in the next U.N. album.
Cooney has never been able to shake the urge to turn a great idea into a song, and he often writes down one-liners, verses, or even entire songs that come to him through thoughts that pop into his head. For him, there is no better high than experiencing the enthusiastic response of a crowd, and he hopes that his audiences can connect with the energy and authenticity he works to bring to every show, regardless of whether he’s playing solo or in a group.
Andrew Cooney will play solo in Timbers Taphouse at Eldora, 2861 Eldora Ski Road in Nederland, on Saturday, November 30, 2024, starting at noon. Jammy Buffett will be performing at the Gold Hill Inn, located at 401 Main Street in Gold Hill, on Friday, December 6, starting at 8 p.m. Be sure to check out Andrew Cooney Music on Facebook, rufus_wilbury on Instagram, and the website andrew-cooney-music-f9ba9d40c8c60139123.webflow.io/ to learn more about his music. You can find previous Tenth Mountain Division releases and two songs performed by Cooney and Derek Dames Ohl wherever you get your music.
