Cody Landress-Gibson Gets Things Started

Like many artists with punk rock roots and singer-songwriter aspirations, Cody Landress-Gibson cites Texas songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark as influences. Hints of the former’s visceral worldview and the latter’s storytelling gift flavor Landress-Gibson’s new four-song EP Beginner’s Luck.

The rustic analogies in “Beginner’s Luck,” the aptly-titled tales of heartbreak “Misery” and “Leavin’,” and an emotional tussle with losing a grandparent titled “Fade” offer a brief yet potent sampling of a talent who’s fared well over the past year or so in a couple of highly-competitive songwriting contests. Each track captures an artist willing to spill his hopes and fears for the sake of a country song.

Just as Blaze Foley’s infamous songwriting career began while hanging around the West Georgia region, Landress-Gibson comes to us from rural Gordon County – a historically relevant spot on the regional old-time music map and home of the state’s official fiddling contest.