VIDEO PREMIERE: Cowboy Mouth Scores Big With Anthemic Live Cover Of The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait”

You’ve got to hand it to the drummer-lead singer — a rare breed in rock history, mostly spotted in the classic rock wilds. But when it comes to Cowboy Mouth, we’re talking about a punk-rooted, high-octane force of nature whose legendary live shows in their native New Orleans are the stuff of myth.

Cowboy Mouth is to the bayou what The Tragically Hip was to Canada — a band fronted by a similarly whimsical, electrifying showman. That man is Fred LeBlanc, the ferocious singing drummer who leads the charge. When Cowboy Mouth hits a festival stage, crowds stop in their tracks. “Wait… what is this?” they ask. And then they stay. It’s a scene that’s repeated again and again at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where the band has become a beloved fixture.

Now, Glide is premiering (below) Cowboy Mouth’s blistering take on The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait.” Set against a montage of footage from Jazz Fest, House of Blues, Rock’n’Bowl, Antone’s in Austin, and more.

The video captures the band’s enduring energy and cross-generational appeal — fans young and old, polished and gritty alike. Taking the melodic, anthemic heart of Paul Westerberg’s songwriting and running it through the Cowboy Mouth firestorm proves an innovative and powerful move. These Southern sons don’t just cover it — they own it.

“In late 1983 through the middle of 1984, I was kind of lost, thinking my life as a musician was over because my first band, The Backbeats, broke up. While playing the South Louisiana frat circuit in a rockabilly cover band called the Mistreaters, I also spent some time in Athens, Georgia, taking in the thriving music scene there at the time. Staying with some buddies who went to UGA, I got turned onto bands I never heard of in Louisiana: Hüsker Dü, The Minutemen, Jason & The Scorchers, and the Replacements. These groups were very different from what was being developed in mainstream American rock at the time. Harder, edgier, and relatable to a kid from New Orleans who loved the connection between Delta blues and punk rock. The newer bands were perfect for the energy-filled angry young man I was at the time, especially after The Clash broke up. My favorite of these newer groups, The Replacements, particularly captured my ear and heart. Not only with their devotion to classic pop and punk rock but also their attitude of IDGAF to the entire music industry,” says LeBlanc about the track.

“Can’t Hardly Wait” presave

Catch Cowboy Mouth on tour this summer – dates below

6/06 – Elkton, MD – Elkton Music Hall
6/07 – Reston, VA – Reston Concerts on the Town
6/12 – Navarre, FL – Juana’s Pagodas
7/11 – Chattanooga, TN – Barrelhouse Ballroom
7/12 – Huntsville, AL – Furniture Factory Bar & Grill
8/16 – Savannah, GA – Coach’s Corner (w/ The Ain’t Sisters)
8/17 – Isle of Palms, SC – The Windjammer (Sister Hazel’s The Hang)
10/9 – San Antonio, TX – Sam’s Burger Joint
10/10 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater 
10/11 – Plano, TX – Love & War in Texas