Liz Cooper & The Stampede

Liz Cooper & The Stampede
Liz Cooper & The Stampede (courtesy of Kane Stewart)
Liz Cooper & The Stampede (courtesy of Kane Stewart)
Background information
OriginNashville, Tennessee, USA
Genres
Years active2014-present
LabelsSleepyhead Records
Members
  • Liz Cooper
  • Ryan Usher
Past members
  • Ky Baker
  • Grant Prettyman
WebsiteOfficial website

Liz Cooper & The Stampede is[1] a three-piece American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee.[2] NPR described their music as "a seamless balance of muted rhythmic sounds and propulsive drive that feels so good".[3]

Early Life

Liz Cooper grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. She excelled as a high school golfer, earning a scholarship to Towson University. After one semester, she left school to pursue a musical career and relocated to Nashville in 2012 to focus on songwriting and performance.[4][5]

Career

Liz Cooper & The Stampede (2014–2019)

In Nashville, Cooper formed Liz Cooper & The Stampede with bassist Grant Prettyman and drummer Ky Baker, later replaced by Ryan Usher.[6] The band’s self-released EP Monsters debuted in 2014, followed by Live at the Silent Planet in 2016 and two live Audiotree sessions in 2016 and 2017.[6]

Their first studio album, Window Flowers, was released on August 10, 2018 through Sleepyhead Records in partnership with Thirty Tigers. Critics noted its blend of psychedelic texture and folk-rock arrangements.[7] The band toured widely, including performances at Austin City Limits, Newport Folk Festival, and BottleRock Napa Valley.[6]

Solo career and Hot Sass (2021–present)

After relocating to Brooklyn, New York, Cooper began releasing music under her own name. Her first solo album, Hot Sass, was released on September 3, 2021, via Thirty Tigers. The album was recorded primarily live in Burlington, Vermont, with producer Benny Yurco.[8][9] Critics noted a stylistic shift toward garage rock and fuzz-driven textures.[10][11]

In 2022, she released the EP Soft Sass, featuring reinterpretations of tracks from Hot Sass, as well as a cover of "Crazy Feeling" by Lou Reed.[12][13]

Cooper has toured as a solo artist, supporting acts including Lord Huron and Phosphorescent.[6] Reviews of her live performances emphasize her energetic stage presence and departure from Americana toward indie rock with garage-psych influences.[14]

Musical style

Cooper’s early work blended folk-rock and psychedelic influences. Hot Sass introduced heavier guitar tones and garage rock elements, with critics describing the production as raw and the songwriting as experimental. Reviewers also noted her versatile vocal style.[8][15] In a live review, she described the new sound as freeing her from genre constraints.[14]

Reviews

  • Glide Magazine says "This is special stuff, sending a clear as day signal that Liz Cooper & the Stampede may be one of the most exciting live acts out there right now."[16]
  • Natalie Weiner at New York Times writes "This lilting Nashville rock trio gives new meaning to the label “easy listening” with their tempered, dreamy psychedelia. Gentle grooves and softly arpeggiated guitars take the place of sprawling, climactic jams, yet their songwriting is taut enough that the audience is never in danger of being lulled to sleep."[17]
  • Bruce Warren at NPR writes “A gorgeously arranged and performed bouquet of psychedelia-tinged folk-rock...” “...to draw a line from Window Flowers to any period of rock and roll, it would be that of the Paisley Underground and bands like The Dream Syndicate, where beautiful and languid psychedelia met moody folk and rock based songs. Cooper taps into this and more on her debut, wrapping her reverbed vocals in swirling, warm echoes of sound and nuanced musical lushness thanks to the addition of keyboards, pedal steel, a glockenspiel here and a banjo there.”[18]
  • Jimmy Drenovsky from Mmarquettewire.org said, "Liz Cooper & the Stampede are a three-piece unit that make breathtaking ambient-rock tunes."[19]
  • NO COUNTRY-staff with NoCountryforNewNashville.com wrote, "We've had our eye on local psychedelic rockers Liz Cooper & The Stampede since they blew the roof off our Acme Feed & Seed showcase a while back."[20]
  • BNH at NPR.org related that "Mountain Man" is a catchy, simple love song written with the clarity of a good cut of Nashville country. Liz Cooper guides the song with her percussive, fingerpicked guitar and her crackling voice."[3]

Discography

Studio albums

  • Window Flowers (2018) – with Liz Cooper & The Stampede
  • Hot Sass (2021)

Extended plays

  • Monsters (2014) – with Liz Cooper & The Stampede
  • Live at the Silent Planet (2016) – with Liz Cooper & The Stampede
  • Live in Chicago (2019) – with Liz Cooper & The Stampede
  • Soft Sass (2022)

References

  1. ^ Turner, Rianna. "Liz Cooper Drops Band Name To Release 'Hot Sass'". Forbes. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  2. ^ Drenovsky, Jimmy. "Liz Cooper & the Stampede: Answering the Questions that Matter". Marquette Wire. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "10 More Tiny Desk Contest Entries We Loved". NPR.org. March 21, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  4. ^ "Athlete turned music artist Liz Cooper is giving 'Hot Sass'". Spokesman.com. November 11, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  5. ^ Webmaster (August 31, 2021). "Liz Cooper". FEMMUSIC Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "Liz Cooper". Soundwave Music Media. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  7. ^ "Liz Cooper Owns Up to Her Shit on New LP Hot Sass". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Liz Cooper: Hot Sass". Spectrum Culture. October 4, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  9. ^ Webmaster (August 31, 2021). "Liz Cooper". FEMMUSIC Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  10. ^ "Review: Liz Cooper – Hot Sass". Maximum Volume Music. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  11. ^ "Liz Cooper – Hot Sass Review". Clunk Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  12. ^ "Liz Cooper". Soundwave Music Media. May 28, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  13. ^ "Conquering Hero: Liz Cooper returns to Gainesville". RAD Music and Arts. January 19, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Show Review and Interview: Liz Cooper". Americana Highways. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  15. ^ "Music Review: Hot Sass by Liz Cooper". Guitar Girl Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  16. ^ Glide. "ALBUM PREMIERE: LIZ COOPER & THE STAMPEDE GET LOOSE AND WILD ON PSYCH-MEETS-INDIE-ROCK EP 'LIVE IN CHICAGO'". Glide Magazile. Glide Publishing LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  17. ^ Weiner, Natalie. "Pop, Rock and Jazz Concerts to Check Out in N.Y.C. This Weekend: Liz Cooper & the Stampede". New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  18. ^ Warren, Bruce. "Liz Cooper & The Stampede's 'Window Flowers' Channels Classic Sounds To Soar". NPR. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  19. ^ Drenovsky, Jimmy. "Liz Cooper & the Stampede: Answering the Questions that Matter". Marquette Wire. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  20. ^ "[No Country Premiere] Liz Cooper & The Stampede Drop Live Video For "Thieves"". No Country For New Nashville. April 12, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
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