Concert Review: Kinchafoonee Cowboys

The Kinchafoonee Cowboys hit upon a winning formula back when they were founded in 1991: well-loved classic country evenly mixed with catchy, backwoods original anthems. Fifteen years later, they haven’t strayed far from that combination, but hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“The Foonee” had a homecoming of sorts last Friday, Oct. 6, 2006, at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Ga. The band perfected their rowdy, crowd-pleasing performances at University of Georgia fraternity parties while the members were still students.

The energetic band delighted a packed crowd of liquored-up football fans the night before the Georgia/Tennessee game. Although the band does not have the musical chops to succeed in album sales—their three studio albums have only a small but loyal listening base—they know how to entertain live. Their original songs are catchy enough that even those unfamiliar with the band were soon belting out the choruses. The set list shunned tear-in-your-beer ballads in favor of foot-stomping declarations of country pride.

Band members Chris Scarborough, Glen Tennyson, Chad McGrath, Keith Comartie, Jason Fuller and Shane Cannon are all from Albany, Ga., and took their name from a creek near their hometown. Lead singer Tennyson shared the band’s loyalty to all things Georgia from the stage. Their anthem “Sic ‘Em Dawgs,” available as a CD-single, brought the loudest cheers of the night and is played at Sanford Stadium during every home football game.

Cannon adds a unique sound element to the band as a harmonica player whose sweet melodies manage to steal some attention away from the dynamic Tennyson. Conspicuously absent from the band’s line-up, though, are the steel guitar and the fiddle, both long-time country music staples.

The crowd also roared its approval as Tennyson spotted a high school friend in the crowd, introduced him and then played Garth Brooks’s “Friends in Low Places” upon the friend’s request. The band obliged another fan request and played Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys.”

The band took the laid-back atmosphere a little too far by allowing a drunken fan to wander around the back of the stage holding a beer can. His stumbling and occasional ventures over to the band members while they were performing were distracting, but admittedly funny.

The self-written Kinchafoonee songs don’t have much variety and sound like they have the same handful of twangy guitar chords, but Foonee originals “Cowboy Ways” and “Eggs, Toast, Grits, and Bacon” stand out as popular favorites that had the small contingent of Foonee groupies pumping their fists in the air all night long.

The Foonee know exactly who they are—a bunch of guys who love to have a good time while playing music. Their playful attitudes allow them to laugh about fumbled chords and provide audiences with an enjoyable and lively show.

The Kinchafoonee Cowboys will help kick off the legendary “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” at the rivalry Georgia/Florida football game where they will open for Hank Williams Jr. on Oct. 27, 2006, in Waynesville, Ga.

—Anna Fry