Cows Go Moo, the rock band aged 13-15 that’s tearing up the territory
If you look at Cows Go Moo’s website, cowsgomoo.ca, you’ll find out that it’s a six-piece youth-aged rock band “carrying the torch for the next generation of rockers and live music enthusiasts.”
You’ll find out they’ve been touring and playing festivals since the members were 10 years old.
And you’ll find out that the band has been mentored by Speed Control’s Graeme Peters, who has long been known for championing youth-led rock music in the Yukon.
But in order to get the full image, you have to see the band live: Peters goes as far as to say they’re one of the best bands he’s ever seen perform, not just for a group of kids.
“One thing that’s kind of hilarious with this band, when they play, they’re one of the most professional bands I’ve ever seen,” he says. “You know when you see a garage band, it might be alright, but when these kids walk onstage now, it’s a ‘holy f**k’ moment.”
It’s funny now to think that, at one point, the band was just a project for something to do at a time when there just wasn’t much going on.
“During Covid, me and my neighbours were all pretty bored and we didn’t really have anything to do during spring break,” says drummer Hannah Welsh, going on to say her parents asked Peters to help her and her friends learn a few rock cover songs for fun.
“Eventually it started growing and we loved it so much that we started doing it one night a week.”
As the group came together, it quickly became clear that this was a band with potential to go beyond basement jam sessions and onto the stage, the studio and beyond.
When Peters approached guitarist Thomas Kefke, saying he was looking for a guitarist for a new band he was working with, Kefke accepted the opportunity, saying Peters had made an impression on him as a musician and was someone he looked up to.
“I had not been playing guitar for very long at all,” says Kefke. “But I played one practice with them and they invited me to come back. It was great.”
Being aged 13-15 years old, the young musicians in Cows Go Moo have to balance their passion for rock ‘n’ roll music with school and other responsibilities–something that actually gives them inspiration in their songwriting.
The first single they wrote together, aptly titled “Responsibilities,” laments the reality in which they’re forced to lick the floors, clean the doors and feed the horse.
“We decided we were going to go into our neighbour’s basement to jam, and within an hour and 30 minutes, we had written our first single,” remembers lead vocalist Luke Welsh, Hannah’s brother. “It’s all about how we hate responsibility.”
This year, half of the band members are busy in programs at the Wood Street Centre school programs, but with their music being as much of a commitment as any of their other responsibilities, the six of them always make the time to practise and play.
“We’re all in outdoor programs, so it’s been very difficult for us to get together because we’re all on trips,” says Hannah Welsh. “Somehow we find one night a week where we can get together and just play for fun.”
Of course, if a band is going to play shows and release music, it needs to have a name. After cycling through many suggestions, the group landed on Cows Go Moo–but not without a game of rock paper scissors between the members who brought forward the top two options.
“Basically, we were at band practice and we needed a name,” explains keyboardist and second vocalist Louis Larson. “We went through a few names with mixed quality, and I suggested Cows Go Moo because that’s the only thing I learned in daycare.”
Larson fought a tough battle against the name Hell Priest, but he prevailed and the band became Cows Go Moo.
“I’m pretty cool so I won,” he says. “That’s the story and it’s never changed.”
When asked about their influences, the answers from each musician are somewhat surprising, given their age; they all cite bands and artists who changed the landscape of rock music decades before these young rockers were even born.
“Led Zeppelin is such an inspirational band for me,” says bassist Connor Israel. “I’ve loved them since I was nine.”
For guitarist Quinn Israel, nobody comes before original guitar hero Jimi Hendrix. “He just really sparked the love of guitar for me,” he says.
And of course, there’s Peters himself.
“Graeme is just one of the greatest people I’ve ever met,” Kefke says. “He’s taught us how to do so much stuff–we would not be where we are now without him. He’s a great teacher and knows so much about music.”
For his part, Peters credits the band members’ parents, praising their encouragement and their willingness to sacrifice their living room once a week for rocking.
It’s clear in Cows Go Moo’s music that these musicians grew up on the classics as other members shout out generation-spanning metal acts Metallica and Iron Maiden, but that’s not to say they haven’t found their own sound as well, somewhere between hard rock and old-school metal.
While they still pull out some well-known covers onstage, Cows Go Moo has an entire set of original material, having released a three-track EP, Fresh Cuts in 2023, a two-track package, Under Annihilation and a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” in 2024.
As much time as they’ve spent in writing and recording sessions, Cows Go Moo have also been busy with local shows, tour dates and festival appearances.
“This past summer has been very busy,” says Kefke. “We did quite a few shows all over the place.”
Starting its season with some Whitehorse gigs, the band also graced the stages at Skagway, AK’s Fourth of July festivities, Yellowknife’s Folk on the Rocks, and the Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines, AK, before returning to Whitehorse with an all-ages Halloween bash at the Boiler Room last Saturday.
They’ve also played local events such as Arts in the Park and Blue Feather Music Festival and opened for Speed Control on several occasions.
With the whole band being best friends, playing shows and travelling isn’t all work. As Hannah Welsh puts it, it’s “like going on a big trip with your best friends.” The players share fond memories of hanging out together, seeing new cities and going swimming after their shows.
With their sights set on continuing into a long future, Larson has one festival he’d like to return to. “If this gets back out to Folk on the Rocks, we really want to come back, like really bad,” he says. “I would do anything to go back.”
