Thursday 14 November 2013

Trost - 'Cowboy'

Thursday I'm in Love...a chance for me to share some of my favourite songs and memories and be a crap cowboy...




Trost - Cowboy (2008)

Having proved, in spectacular fashion, my inadequacies at cattle rustling last time out, I thought I'd better redeem some cowboy bravado by trying my hand at the ultimate Wild West pastime, Poker.

I used to be quite partial to a game of poker, playing with friends and the like but shit got real, at home, playing with the family. It would probably be during the course of an evening, a few drinks, music and a game of cards. It was all pretty high stakes stuff, a 5 pound buy in would get you approximately 100 matches (5p per match), starting bets would be between 10-25p and the maximum pot would probably be £10. We'd carry on until we would run out of drink, matches or steam whichever was first, often losing track and almost inevitably end up playing for a CD instead.

My wife hails from up t'north and it was on one of our trips visiting her parents that I first experienced poker at a Casino in the bright lights of Blackpool. Whilst my missus and my in laws were smashing it up at the Roulette wheel, I thought it was time to mix it up with the big boys on the Poker table. I was feeling confident, I had recently beaten or managed to win a CD off Old Pa and repelled a spirited two pronged comeback from my sister and Old Ma so it was definitely on. With a tenner's worth of pound coins I approached the table, I felt like I was in one of those gangster films where they'd walk all in slow motion nodding at the other players in acknowledgment as they take their place at the table. There were three other douchebags at the table that didn't seem to be any threat and the game was Five Card Stud, my game of choice. Unlike Texas Hold'em there are no blinds to play, so when the cards are dealt it's straight into the action. I was dealt a pair, what a good start, I thought, I'd throw caution to the wind and start off with two pounds (unheard of at our home games). I did think I got a pretty strange look from the dealer as I brazenly slid my coins to the centre of table, the player to my left smirked then reached into his blazer pocket and withdrew a wad of twenties, placing three notes atop of my measly offering. The other two players matched this and it was back to me to call or raise, "bloody hell", I thought, "I gotta get out of here!"

My finest hour!

I was so out of my depth, I had to leave immediately but had to somehow style it out a bit. So I gazed at my cards one more time in consideration, tapped my fingers on the table, shook my head, slid back on my chair and left as quickly as possible with my tail between my legs, the only secure place where I couldn't be seen would have probably been up Blackpool tower. I don't think I would have been as lucky getting away with this showing of Poker incompetence had I been in a saloon in Tombstone, I'm pretty sure a six gun would have taken care of that.

I think I first heard 'Cowboy' from a Word Magazine sampler and remember instantly liking it, it's a bizarre ride, with eerie atmospherics and some of the best drum breaks this side of Dodge. Trost is Annikka Line Trost, a singer/drummer hailing from Germany influenced by Punk/Electronica and 'Cowboy' is taken from her second album, 'Trust Me'.





Trost on Bronzerat Records...


Have a listen to some of my favourite tracks on my Spotify playlist below or click here to read some more of my favourite songs.

Related Posts

Trost - 'Cowboy'
4/ 5
Oleh

10 comments

comments
avatar
Anonymous
14 November 2013 at 07:25

High stakes indeed! My own card playing experience barely extends beyond a game of rhummy with the kids at Christmas time, so I can't talk. Nice story and fascinating tracks.

Reply
avatar
14 November 2013 at 07:57

Thanks SB, Rummy...now there's a game, I should probably stick to that.

Reply
avatar
14 November 2013 at 10:07

I like that, in for the kill like a lamb to the slaughter...I used to like these little card sessions and as for Trost great stuff, new to me...on the search!

Reply
avatar
14 November 2013 at 10:53

'Youre not from 'round here bowah!' I can just see you with your tenner's worth of coinage amongst those fat cats wads of cash. Swift exit stage left! Like the track too!

Reply
avatar
14 November 2013 at 20:43

I laughed out loud at the part where the guy pulled out the wad of 20's - oh to have been a fly on the wall and seen your face!

Trost is new to me and great. I've gone straight over to emusic to download the whole album.

Reply
avatar
sfw
15 November 2013 at 10:33

Great track, great story. I cannot play cards at all.

Reply
avatar
C
15 November 2013 at 18:26

Great post - I can imagine how you felt! -- and I love the track too (especially the drumming!)
Casinos seem like another world, I've never stepped foot in one and can't imagine ever doing so, although really we should try everything once shouldn't we?!
In my 20s used to meet up with friends every weekend to watch video nasties (remember them!) eat crisps and Mars Bars, drink cheap lager and... yes you guessed it... play drunken card games, including Poker. Thankfully no £20 notes were ever to be seen.

Reply
avatar
15 November 2013 at 21:38

Thanks for the comment C. I'm unlikely to venture into casino for fear of ridicule now. I haven't watched a 'video nasty' for years (I'm far too squeamish) but the crisps, Mars bars and cheap beer sound like an ideal evening to me.

Reply
avatar
15 November 2013 at 21:39

It wasn't much of poker face I can tell you. I probably heaved.

Reply