GALACTIC COWBOYS Reunion Shows: Photos, Video Footage Available

GALACTIC COWBOYS, the Houston-based band that made a name for itself with its hard-hitting music and penchant for sarcastic humor, made its long-awaited return to the stage earlier this month with three shows in its native Texas.

The three shows — in Dallas, Austin and Houston — reunited vocalist Ben Huggins, bassist Monty Colvin, guitarists Wally Farkas, and drummer Alan Doss on stage for the first time in nearly a decade. Dane Sonnier, who played guitar on the first two COWBOYS records and remains an extended member of the family, joined the group for several songs.

Check out photos from the August 14, 2009 concert at Stubb's in Austin, Texas at this location.

Fan-filmed video footage from the reunion mini-tout can be viewed below.

"The COWBOYS," as they are affectionately known, played their last show together on December 10, 1999 in Dusseldorf, Germany , before parting ways. "We were cruising in our starship just off the shoulder of Orion and got sucked into a wormhole," said Huggins. "For the past nine years, GALACTIC COWBOYS have been living in an alternate universe where, in large part, we lost touch with one another. It took almost 10 years to find one another again. Immediately we boarded our starship and came out the other side of the wormhole ready to rock!"

Or, as Colvin added, "We thought it would be fun. Fans have been asking us to do this for years, but we finally felt like it was the right time for us to get back together and just have fun playing some shows. Well, that, and we finally decided to put aside our intense hatred for each other!"

The band performed a mixture of songs from all of the COWBOYS albums, with an emphasis on the earlier recordings. The group, however, did not showcase any new material. "It's like when you go see the STONES and they say, 'Here's something off the new album!'" said Colvin. "That's usually when everyone goes to the bathroom."

GALACTIC COWBOYS released its debut album on Geffen Records back in 1991 on an unsuspecting public, combining progressive metal with a style of vocals influenced by THE BEATLES and the heavy playing style of thrash bands such as ANTHRAX. They have been described as "possibly the most melodic metal band ever." The band called it quits in 2000 after a string of well-received albums on Metal Blade, a loyal cult following and years of successful tours with bands such as KING'S X, ANTHRAX, and DREAM THEATER.

For more information, visit www.galacticcowboys.com.

(Thanks: AllMetalAllTheTime)