The seven-piece act pairs musical versatility with magnetic stage presence
By LAILA AZHAR — features@theaggie.org
Cowboys After Dark, Davis’ beloved cover band, wasn’t always known as Cowboys After Dark. As Bernadette Albano, a fourth-year biological sciences major and the band’s lead vocalist, recalled, they adopted the cowboy theme after an early show.
“We had a really weird few weeks where we were called ‘The Electric Turtles’ or something like that,” Albano said. “Then we played a big night party where we all wore cowboy hats and stuff like that and we just thought: ‘Cowboys After Dark,’ and it stuck.”
The band began four years ago when guitarist Eric Aguilar taped up flyers around town looking for musicians. Over the years, they have become a staple of the Davis music scene, being voted Best Local Band for the second year in a row.
The band can be found nearly anywhere in Davis: from fraternity basements to Woodstock’s Pizza to The California Aggie’s very own Couch Concert.
Their setlists span decades and genres; Their repertoire includes Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr’s “Just the Two of Us,” CeeLo Green’s “Fuck You” and the crowd-favorite closer, Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”
As a seven-member group, the band is capable of performing these diverse setlists.
Alongside Albano and Aguilar, Cowboys After Dark includes Rose Mendoza, a fourth-year English and American studies double major, on the trumpet, Sam Dyer on keys and saxophone, Paul Zhu, a fourth-year psychology major and bassist, Mason Johnstone, a fourth-year biological sciences major and drummer, and Jacob Johnson, an animal behavior Ph.D. candidate, on the saxophone.
As Albano described, their best performances are often the ones which highlight the range of the band.
“We’ve played ‘Soul Sacrifice’ by Santana, and I really like that one because I feel like it really showcases everyone’s abilities,” Albano said. “We’ve got some really cool guitar solo stuff, the drums are very interesting, the horns take this cool James Bond-type line in the middle of it.”
Cowboys After Dark knows how to work a crowd. Their performances are high-energy and interactive, sometimes including lighthearted rap breaks or impromptu conga lines. As Aguilar noted, audiences often respond to the energy of their performances.
“Any band can stand there, play guitar and sing,” Aguilar said. “Especially as a cover band, we don’t want to just play a song as-is. In our shows, we’re always jumping, sometimes falling down, dropping drinks, and I think the crowds respond to that.”
As Mendoza expressed, the chaos works because there’s trust built into it.
“We’ve known each other a long time, and we’re very comfortable playing with each other,” Mendoza said. “I think the shows that we do are a space where we’re not afraid to have a lot of fun on stage, everyone can express their personality, musically and performance-wise, and I think that it’s fun for people to watch and connect with us while we’re doing our thing.”
Though they’ve performed outside of Davis, they show a special appreciation for the Davis music scene.
“Davis is at the next level,” Dyer said. “People take it seriously, which I really enjoy, and I think that’s reflected in the crowds. People have a ton of energy in Davis and they’re really invested in their friends’ bands or their favorite bands. It’s a special energy.”
Whether they’re closing out the night with disco anthems or diving into Santana deep cuts, Cowboys After Dark brings a sense of joy to every performance. Those interested in keeping up to date with this year’s Best Local Band, follow @cowboysafterdark on Instagram.
Written by: Laila Azhar — features@theaggie.org
