Building a brand name in music today is nothing short of an abject shitshow. I should know—not only have I spent some 30 years building brand awareness, but I’ve been building that of my own band, Atomic Junction, for the past four years.
It’s a slog, it’s miserable—and from record executives to bookers, club owners and artists themselves—the industry outside of Nashville is relatively perplexed as to where it goes from here.
This brings us to The Cold Stares, a thundering, exceptionally talented blues rock outfit led by Chris Tapp out of Evansville, Indiana (but originally from western Kentucky). And whether you know it or not, you’ve more than likely heard their music as it’s been featured on ads for Dodge trucks and Monster Energy, on the show “Animal Kingdom,” on ESPN, in the video game Cyberpunk 2077, and yes, on blues rock and outlaw country radio.
For the past decade, the band has toured the world …