There are a couple of good ol' boys making country music at Durty Harry's on Sunay nights. They are Mike Lee and Gary Blodgett, and they are two of a kind. I mean they really are Two Of a Kind! Both use remote mics and play fine electric guitar. Well, Gary also plays mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and probably everything else that makes music. Both sing like birds.
I've known and enjoyed Mike for years. He's a wonderful musician and singer. You've probably heard him do all kinds of music from classic rock to reggae, but you haven't heard Mike Lee until you've heard him sing country. He's everything you could want in the genre.
Two Of a Kind begin with Joe Diffie's current hit, "It's Always Something." Gary plays mandolin on this one, and it's excellent. Both men also sing marvelous harmony. They use sequences for the bass and drum sounds that are well done. Now it's Gary's turn. He sings, "I Really Want To Be With You," which is not technically a country song, but hey, Hootie is a Georgia boy, and it works. Mike's harmony shines. Gary switches to electric guitar for a great new arrangement of a Statler Brothers classic "Flowers On the Wall." Mike Lee plays great country lead. This one is really fine, so ask for it. There's nobody in the business nicer than the Statler Brothers.
Next we hear Allen Jackson's "Crazy `Bout a Mercury." Like Two Of a Kind, Allen is a big boy, and Lord, is he tall! Gary Blodgett does great Allen Jackson. This is a fine duo with a big sound. Mike almost makes us cry with Keith Whitley's lovely ballad "You Say It Best" (when you say nothing at all), recorded again recently by Allison Krauss. Mike's slide work is perfection. We lost Keith to the bottle a few years ago. Gary also plays some hot lead. Now he brings out the fiddle. Do we have talent in this town or what? Mike sings another from Allen, "WWW dot Memory." John Anderson's great "Seminole Wind" is one of my all time favorites. This fine song has great vocals, great harmony, and great playing. Don't just ask for it, beg for it!
Mike says, "Let's get the rednecks fired up," and plays George Straight's hit "Ocean Front Property In Arizona," which says, "If you buy that, I'll throw the Golden Gate in free." It's a difficult call, but the best piece is Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down To Georgia." Gary smokes his fiddle on it and sounds wonderful. I'll tell you an inside story about this one in the Ridenour Report, so turn the damn page already!
Dwight Yoakum's "Guitars and Caddillacs" gets the dancers motivated, then it's back to two guitars for "Kiss This." You'll love it. Country music is often poetic, nearly always poignant, and really down to earth. Maybe that's why it's the most popular form ofmusic right now. Sunday night, Durty Harry's, 9:30. Check it out.
Stay cool.