By GORDON GUILD
Photos by SHAE MERMIS
Lone Star troubadour Dale Watson isn't one to conform to the status quo.
With a husky Texas drawl and retro swagger, Watson is making country music the old-fashioned way just like the man in black himself. Watson says it best: I'm too country now for country; ain't that just like Johnny Cash?
Wary of the modern incarnation of country music, Watson avoids the "C" word altogether by creating his own genre of roots music: Ameripolitan. Heavily influenced by western swing and traditional Americana, Watson's teary-beer ballads and twangy two-step tunes hearken back to that vintage honky tonk sound. Knucklehead's Saloon was bursting at the seams last night with hip youngsters and plain good ol' folks. Watson and his band, the Lone Stars, had transformed the Missouri bar into a Texas honky-tonk beer joint. The sounds of steel guitar slides and a whining fiddle kept the crowd twirling on the dance floor. With his signature southern twang, Watson proclaimed to the crowd: "You ain't in Kansas anymore."
Watson stays true to the roots of country music, serenading the crowd with lyrics about drinking hard liquor and aching from a broken heart. Watson discovered a crowd pleaser in his new song "Wizard of Oz." (Watson joked to the crowd, "I'll probably get sued on over this one.") This clever ditty started off with a soft fiddle playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as Watson joined in on guitar, and blossomed into a crowd-chanting drinking song: Tequila and whiskey and beer, oh my! The same theme continued with "Whiskey or God" and "Misery, Whiskey, and Gin." (Apparently each of Watson's emotions is paired with a corresponding liquor.)
But don't count this bad boy out of the Grand Old Opry just yet. Watson and his Lone Stars can churn out boozy heartbreakers with sentimental lyrics about "shedding a tear - just one more for her." But just as dancers flocked to the floor for a teary western waltz, Watson turned the pace around with his clever banter and crowd-pleasing showmanship.
With his salt-and-pepper pompadour piled high, Watson looked at himself in Knuckleheads' video monitor and asked if the "old can be turned down on the TV," while running his fingers through his hair. Then, bragging in true Texan form, Watson preached to the crowd to confess: "Its okay to admit that you can't two-step. Just come to Texas and we'll teach ya." The steps came from the microphone to the floor: quick, quick, slow, slow - quick, quick, slow, slow, until the lesson transitioned smoothly into a song about a girl teaching Watson how to two-step for the first time.
Modern country can give those who remain true to the classic honky-tonk and western swing a real "Nashville Rash." Dale Watson and his Lone Stars are a rare breed, and refreshing breath of fresh air for traditionalists and newcomers alike.
Partial Set List
Whiskey or God
Pretty Girls
Wizard of Oz
Misery, Whiskey, and Gin
The Frog (Jerry Reed cover)
Honkiest Tonkiest Beer Joint
Tell 'Em I Ain't Here
Hey Don
[Unknown '70s Country Cover]
Fox on the Run
Hair of the Dog
Tequila and Teardrops
Texas Boogie
Quick Quick Slow Slow
Nashville Rash
Sit, Drink, and Cry
Dragon Fly
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