Article Contributed by 1888 Media
Published on 2026-04-20
Psychedelic Cowboy GARY VAN MIERT Soars Higher with 4th LP of Cosmic Gems as The Sensational Country Blues Wonders!
Gary Van Miert, the New Jersey-based “Psychedelic Cowboy,” returns with his fourth LP of cosmic gems as The Sensational Country Blues Wonders! The 10-song collection, Music Sounds Better When You're Stoned, arrives June 19.
Leading the way is the title track, which hits streaming platforms on Cannabis Day (4/20).
Listen on Spotify:
Music Sounds Better When You're Stoned
Watch on YouTube:
Official Video
The second single, the Alice in Wonderland-inspired “A Mad Tea Party,” drops May 15, followed by third single “Stoners Circus” on June 5.
“The songs on this album are about time, weed, the universe, and mortality,” explains Van Miert.
Channeling Hank Williams on a sojourn with The Beatles in their psychedelic phase, Gary’s potent blend of classic country, blues, gospel, pop, and rock finds him at his most musically adventurous and consciously enlightened.
The artfully arranged 10-song LP follows his acclaimed predecessors: 2024’s If I Stop Moving, I’ll Fall From the Sky, 2022’s The Adventures of a Psychedelic Cowboy, and 2020’s blues and country excursion The World Will Break Your Heart.
His astute acumen adds a sincere gloss to psychedelic pop songs, a genre once widespread on AM Top 40 radio and FM stations in the 1960s. Bands such as Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Electric Prunes, and The Chocolate Watchband come to mind.
Over the years, many radio stations and programs including The Blues Club, Radio Free Phoenix, The Dr. Yeti Radio Show, Krushnation, WTUL (New Orleans), Prairie Public (KFJM), and WFMU (Jersey City/Hudson Valley) have played his songs.
Music has been the muse of his lifetime. Having sung and played old country and blues songs for years, mostly as a hobby, Van Miert came up with the concept for The Sensational Country Blues Wonders! as a vehicle to start performing within the vibrant art and music scene in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The Sensational Country Blues Wonders were designed to replicate the original instrumental lineup of acoustic rhythm guitar, electric lead guitar, and upright acoustic bass used on the first rock and roll records by Elvis Presley at Sun Studio in Memphis.
Blending classic American musical styles like country, gospel, and blues with a distinct vintage flair and theatrical presentation, Gary is often recognized for his colorful outfits, retro cowboy aesthetic, and performances that celebrate the spirit of classic Americana, especially 1950s and 1960s honky-tonk and gospel revival music.
His alter ego, “The Psychedelic Cowboy,” adds a playful, surreal twist to this style, combining heartfelt storytelling with a touch of irony and psychedelic visuals. Van Miert’s work is both a sincere tribute and a clever reinvention of traditional roots music, drawing on influences like Hank Williams, Elvis, and gospel quartets through a modern, artful lens.
As a lead-up to the album, which sees Van Miert utilizing skilled session musicians at Nashville Master Tracks, a pair of weed-friendly singles will fill the digital sphere. The title track fittingly lights the way on 4/20, while “A Mad Tea Party” dispenses May 15. Each single will be accompanied by a clever animated video, with an additional visual for “Stoners Circus” melting screens beginning June 5.
For the lead single, “Music Sounds Better When You're Stoned,” Van Miert offers, “Just stating the obvious here, in a fun way. One small aspect of the cannabis experience is that getting high enhances one’s enjoyment of music. For the official visual, I envisioned a big Busby Berkeley musical production. It would feature me dancing with hundreds of showgirls dressed as joints. Due to budgetary constraints, I was unable to do that and had to settle for a vividly rich animated video.”
On the touring front, Van Miert and his band have gigged extensively in NYC and New Jersey at many esteemed events and have shared bills with Marshall Crenshaw and The Smithereens at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival, while also opening for Evan Dando of Lemonheads fame.
No matter where his interdimensional travel takes him, one thing remains the same: music sounds better when you're stoned. He’s done the research. He knows.
Accolades:
“A Brilliant Gathering of Interstellar, Sitar-Drippy Country & Blues Symphonies Straight From the Mothership.”
— The Rocking Magpie
“Brilliantly fuses classic country, blues, and gospel, deftly managing to achieve the commendable goal of honoring his influences while at the same time creating songs that gloriously stand on their own.”
— Americana Highways
“Has a natural facility for crafting solid country songs with clever word play.”
— Country Standard Time
