Friday, July 24, 2009

*Backslidin' Baptist Truck Stop*



It's a long and twisted tale, but there's a story behind this poster and every word,
name and image on it. 


For the sake of starting off on a good foot, let me clear a couple of facts. I walked in to the kitchen the other evening and my good friend Robbie Toulson was pulling this huge damn roasting pan out of the oven. You know that camping cook wear with the speckled ceramic coating. It was on of those, but bigger than any I'd ever seen. So, Robbie pulls this thing out of the oven and it fills the kitchen with an interesting aroma. Not putrid, but not the freshest thing you ever smelled either. You know how corn beef & cabbage can stink. It was kind of like that. This roasting pan's no less than 30" long, a foot wide and a foot deep. He pulls the lid off and it's a crust on top, all the way to the top, to the brim. I said "What you got a possum under that crust." We all laughed, 'cause the thing was so big it might of been true. Turns out it's layers of rice, roast beef, and a two inch biscuit crust. So, there's really not any possum in a possum pie. You can call it creative licence or just damn silly, but that's where our Possum Pie came from and you can get some on Monday night at Little Kings Shuffle Club.


I'll finish this yarn here directly. Gotta go pick up some posters from the printer.
'preciate ya,
Boo Ray


Man, we had a good time. The Possum Pie got damn devoured. Fester sang "She bent over to pick up her Bible & I saw her thong." Nate Hale brought his great sounding kit and hosted some bangin' jams. Paul Lee & Scotty brought their rigs and played their ass's off all night long. Tonks sounded like million bucks. Adam Payne sang killer. D Marler & Laney killed it. Ty brought the "Hostile Pentecostal Revue". Todd White sounded great. Carlton Owens showed up and stomped a damn hole in the floor. Everybody played. Everybody had a real good time.

Musicians in Attendance  10/4:
Nate Hale
Paul Lee
Scotty
Carlton Owens
W. Tonks
Adam Payne
Ty Manning
Todd White
Sean (drummer)
Biker Lee
Adam Poulin
Anna Innecken
Big "E"
Fester Hagood
Laney Strickland
D. Marler
Boo Ray


The approximate Line up next week is:
Mike Dekel
Daniel Hutchens
Abby Owens
Charlie Garrett
Adam Payne
Ty Manning
Fester Hagood

And yes... They'll be Possum Pie next week too.



---------------
The Backslisin' Baptist Truck Stop at Little Kings Shuffle club was another damn good Monday night. October in Georgia starts to cool off a little bit and get comfortable. 


Right at 10pm De El and Robbie and I loaded up a couple of guitars and a Possum Pie and headed down to the club.  They were just finishing up the trivia night when we got there. I think the last question was something about a Thinn Lizzy song.


We loaded in and some regulars gathered on the side walk; salutations, a smoke, hauling some equipment and setting up the sound. Charlie Garrett brought a drum kit and we set that up alright for a couple guitar players. Scotty Nicholson brought his key rig and his guitar rig. Paul Lee set up his bass rig and did the rest of the PA set up, since he's just damn good at it and we don't mess with him. 


Man, I sure was glad when Mike Dekle walked in the door carrying his guitar case. Mike's a monster song writer. He wrote "Scarlet Fever" for Kenny Rogers,  Don't Love Make a Diamond Shine (Tracy Byrd), Someone Must Feel Like a Fool Tonight (Kenny Rogers), and Size Matters (Joe Nichols).


We get all set up and try one. Hell, sometimes the first one after a long one can be rough as a cobb, and it was. We're just missin' every other damn change and just not even close to it. I ain't mentioning any names but God all mighty, ain't you all ever heard Jail House Rock by Elvis. 


Mike's standing there and I'm thinking "he must think he just stepped off at the damn late night detention hall. If you ask him, Mike will tell you that "Boo used to rent a place from me" and I did, but I've written with him at Warner Chapel in Nashville too. Hell, I'll get a song cut by somebody before too long and he'll be proud I wrote with him. 


Mike grabs up his guitar and commences to singin'. He sounds great right off the bat and tells us some cool stories about the songs, plays 4 or 5 and say so long. We're off and running. I make sure and play a George Jones song as Mike's walking out the door and it sound just fine. About that time Daniel Hutchens and his wife arrive. 


Charlie Garrett  jumps up with his outfit and kicks in to a killer sounding guitar jam. Charlie's cool. He got some Neil Young and some Petty in him. 
I go over talk with Daniel for a minute and he get's up when Charlie's done. Daniel and William Tonks on electric kick some cool songs, and played a couple staple Bloodkin songs that sounded great too. Daniel calls up Carlton Owens and Paul Lee and they get on a good blues stomp for and ride out for a minute. 


Not a bad way to spend a Monday night. Man, every body who showed up,  played and sounded mean as hell. Ty Manning got to a real cool place on the guitar with a funk jam. Hell, he's funny with all his gospel parodies and can make the party happen, but he can tear it up on guitar too. 


About the time everybody's Jack & Cokes started getting hungry, Robbie's Possum Pie was there waiting like a sacrificial varmint.  


Fester Hagood had an early call time the next morning and almost eased off without singin' for us, but he jumped on the mic and sang a brand new song, knocked our socks off. We all played 'till about 2am or so. We'll be back next week with some more cool characters and Robbie said he's making something or other for us to eat.


I appreciate you all,
Boo Ray 






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