Big Fat Cow set to celebrate its new EP Behold The Soil! with a two-week tour

Big Fat Cow // Photo by Fawn Lies

As one might expect from its name, Kansas City’s Big Fat Cow play indie rock with a country tinge. Originally started as a solo project from guitarist and vocalist Noah Cassity, with assistance from producer Kole Waters, Big Fat Cow is now a four-piece, featuring Cassity on vocals and guitar, Waters on lead guitar, Alex May on bass and vocals, and Matt Chipman on drums.

Their new three-song EP, Behold The Soil!, hit streaming services on the first of the month, and to celebrate, Big Fat Cow is hitting the road for a two-week jaunt through the South and the Midwest. It kicks off Thursday, August 22, at Wages Brewing in West Plains, Missouri, before winding through Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma, and ending at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence on Wednesday, September 4.

We spoke with Big Fat Cow to discuss how the band came to be, expanding from a solo folk project, and what they’re looking forward to on this tour.

The Pitch: This all started out as a solo project from Noah. What has it been like as each of you have joined the band and what’s it been like for you, Noah, as folks have taken this from a solo project into an actual band?

Noah Cassity: Well, they just flesh things out. They are able to shine lights on stuff that maybe I pigeonholed before, because they’re all conceived within myself, but that can be a bit constraining when it comes to some of the more exponential type stuff that we need to get done. Alex is able to flesh out the harmonies and all the things that I didn’t know—some of the accents I need to make and clarify certain things. They just shine lights where, before, I was walking around in a dark room. It really brings me up.

Alex May: It’s been a dream. You sit and you think to yourself like, “Oh man, I wish I was in a band because I’d have people to work with things on and people to help me build up the things that I’m good at,” but until you get in and do it, there’s all these doubts like, “This could not work. It could be not exactly what I’m thinking it’s going to be.” However, after the first day that we all met together, I remember driving back back with Noah to his apartment and we just sat in our car and he looked at me and was like, “This is really good, right? I’m not dreaming here. This is really good.”

It’s been so easy to work with Noah and the rest of the band, just to take these songs that Noah has brought to us and crafted and bring them together to a fuller Big Fat Cow sound.

Matt Chipman: Yeah, it’s definitely felt very, very casual in the amount of business and work that gets done, but I wouldn’t have it any other way—Even though my in to this band was knowing Kole who produced the first Big Fat Cow record and helped put that together. He was my only connection, but I feel like, even after the first time that we all got in a room together and were able to chat about what’s the kind of sound that we want to go for, going from this very analog record to a live band—How do we want to translate that? It has felt so casual and so fun along the way.

There hasn’t been any stepping on any toes or anything like that. We’re all very understanding people of each other and each other’s creativity, as well. It’s been the most easygoing and fun project that I think I’ve been a part of like for this long.

Kole, you were there to produce that original solo recording by Noah. What’s it like to go from producing to being a member of the fuller band?

Kole Waters: At first it was like, “I’m helping a friend out” and “Well, I really like this music. I’ll contribute some stuff here and there, but not gonna impose myself into this thing.” Then, it turns out I was like, “Oh, we need some people,” to, “Well, I’ll perform a little bit. I’ll just listen to these songs and just add a little bit here and there,” and then suddenly we got shows scheduled out and we’re writing more stuff and I’m like, “Oh, damn. Okay. This came really naturally. So I guess we’ll keep going.” I’m having a great time and I think the music sounds great. I wouldn’t find the same sound with any three other folks. That’s how it feels to land in there.

You all have gotten to play some really interesting shows this summer. The EP release was at BLVD Tavern. You played at the Folk Alliance offices down there in the Crossroads. What are the advantages to getting to play these unique spaces, especially as you’re finding your feet as a band?

May: I think I think one of the biggest benefits for me is that the the other bands that we play with at each of these different types of venues is that they change so drastically, and so, it’s very fun and informative from a performer’s perspective to see how all of these different individuals from different genres of music, different walks of life, how they are performing—”What is it that I can take from their performances that I wouldn’t be able to get if all we did was play one certain type of venue with one certain type of band.”

Chipman: Yeah, I think it helps that all four of us even come from playing like a bunch of different styles of music anyways. A lot of us come from singer songwriter stuff, some from metal/hardcore adjacent.

Waters: Between the four of us, Alex exists very largely in the theater and classical world and Matt has been in a metal band for quite some time that’s just only slowed down recently. Noah’s been in all sorts of weird random stuff, and then, I’ve existed in church music. I guess Matt existed in church music too, for a while, as well, and I was involved in jazz, too, throughout all my college years, and they are various hardcore or emo bands and stuff like that. We all come from kind of different places, but a similar understanding at the same time.

Chipman: I had this thought the other day that was like, “Collectively, we’ve all covered pretty much every other genre of music. Why can’t we do something more country or country adjacent?” It’s cool to see. We ended up doing that a little bit more because never in a million years would I have thought, Oh yeah, I’m going to join a country-punk adjacent type band, before and then here I am, having the time of my life.

Alex and your publicist were talking when I first hopped on the call about this idea that you’ve just played an EP release show and whether that there’s a come-down after this. Alex was saying that it’s more an energy boost than anything. Is that the case for the rest of you, knowing how people are responding to this music now that it’s out there in the world?

Waters: It’s always an experience that’s validating and humbling at the same time. On one hand, it’s like, “Wow, people do actually want to hear this” and then the other hand, it’s like, “Well, we put a lot of time into this and we really like these songs, so why would we be the only four people who like these songs?,” too. It’s both, and especially after such a long lull for so many people when it comes to performing—2020-2022, not a lot happening—it feels amazing to connect to people like that.

Even just getting to perform these songs and seeing people react to them in real time is such a beautiful thing and it lets me know I’m doing what I need to be doing right now.

Chipman: For sure. Having the EP out and then especially having this coming tour planned, as well, and we’re already going to be talking about other things, recordings or other stuff that we’re going to be doing in the future. It feels like, if anything, the EP coming out almost feels like we’re a train getting put back on the track. It feels like the momentum isn’t really going to go anywhere and we’re still going to go respectfully at our own pace, but also we’re planning and scheming ahead.

Big Fat Cow’s summer tour kicks off Thursday, August 22, at Wages Brewing in West Plains, Missouri, and winds up at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence on Wednesday, September 4, for a Harvest MOOOn homecoming with Western Cuts and Carter Combs. Details on that show here.