Cole Furlow is a lion. Carrying a mane of thick black curls that glitter with silver, like the tinsel from your childhood Christmas tree, he roars as Dead Gaze on his recently released, self-titled album.
He’s heavier set, but he’s graceful and you can tell he’s seen a few adventures and knows how to carry himself around a stage, a guitar strapped around his shoulders. He’s a musician, and that’s all he’ll ever be.
“I have to make songs because that’s what I’m here on earth to do,” he tells me during our interview. I’ve met him on the balcony of City Grocery, we’re both equipped with PBRs and our personal caches of cigarettes.
He’s friendly, knows the bartender, tells me a brief story of a time here when drinks flowed and smiles traveled, says hello to people as they walk in, old friends – this is his domain. He’s from Jackson, but an Ole Miss grad and Oxford resident.
He eases back into a wooden chair. It’s not often you see someone this at ease, but he’s ready to kick it and lights a Marlboro with a silver Zippo.
“I’ve been getting paid to make music since I was twelve years old,” he tells me. “Now, by no means was that some professional band, but we rehearsed three times a week.
“Now with this outfit, (Dead Gaze), I’ve been doing it since 2008 or 2009.”
Furlow pauses here, his eyes wander off the porch, and blows out cigarette smoke.
“When that time came around for me to start making Dead Gaze, it was past due. Like I’ve been needing to do something like this. I was late to the game in some ways.”
I’ve been listening to his album throughout the summer, picking it up on the day of its release in May. The record is printed on a clear, red plastic and the sound is pure, cleaner than the cassette that got stuck in my car’s stereo. The songs are hypnotic and so is the album as I watched it travel around in circles on my record player.
The self-titled “Dead Gaze” is a compilation of Furlow’s earlier work and the first full length LP he’s released, but it’s packaged together nicely with the help of Fat Cat Records. The sound is textured and has a pop sensibility, but it is without a doubt rock ‘n’ roll.
But in case your nose is dribbling and your mouth is oozing for a fresh Dead Gaze album, Furlow’s newest record will be dropping Oct. 22.
Titled “Brain Holiday,” Furlow tells me it will include 100 percent new songs and a very clean, thoughtful sound.
“Every kind of sound we put on the record, we did a lot of a deliberation to make sure that we all thought that was the most diplomatic decision for that song or that sound.”
Though the album is very much his baby, he brought on some bandmates for the recording. Jimmy Cajoleas and Jim Henegan added some guitar work and Alex Warren worked the drums.
“The stuff that they brought to the table was invaluable,” Furlow says. “Stuff I would never have thought of, things I would never have dreamed of putting on there, but then when they put it on there it’s like, ‘oh well, this song can’t be without this now.’”
The name “Brain Holiday” comes from a hazy morning after a heavy bout of good times with pals. Furlow and Henegan groggily decided to jam, while at the same time paying a debt with wooziness and splitting headaches.
“I got on the drums and he was on this Juno keyboard. He hit this weird arpeggiating, weird thing and it sounded a lot like Willy Wonka. Like that theme.”
Furlow starts humming it me.
“You know this weird, very psychedelic thing.”
Furlow added some minimalist drums and then they had something they called the “Wonka Jam.” But like many early morning ideas, the “Wonka Jam” was lost and forgotten, until Henegan brought it up when they had some time while recording the new album at Sweet Tea. Furlow wanted to see what happened, and so they started to record. The name for the album comes from that early morning.
“I just thought about the whole time, when I made that song, when Jim and I were actually writing that song, we were still in this weird state of mind. We were just kind of waking up, we were kind of still in a dream state, were kind of elevated in some way.
“And then we figured out that it was this Brain Holiday.”
The hope is to extend the “brain holiday” onto the listener.
“I just kind of want it to slam-dunk you in a comfortable way,” Furlow says.
“Brain Holiday” will come out Oct. 22, but Furlow won’t be plopping down in a La-Z-Boy, guzzling suds.
“It’s always about making the next thing. It’s not about sitting here and slamming the one you’re on right now. Obviously you want that to be good and how hard you worked on it will show, but the truth is it’s all about getting it done and making the next one.”
