Mighty Mike Schermer – The Legend of Michael Ray Pickens & His Old Man Country Band
At first thought — this was some old Tex Ritter-styled “Get Along Little Doggies” type music but boy, was I wrong. Mighty Mike is cut from the same cloth traditionally as Tex, but Mike’s material is sharp & clever & though it’s drenched in Country & Western sweeps, he sings with open-hearted sincerity & knows the genre.
The first had its moderate attraction but “There’s a Song About That,” “Two Whiskey Bottles,” & “The Last Lie (I Ever Hear You Tell),” hit the ball out of the park. There are Ritter flavors but Mike also has the humor & beauty (“River In the Rain”) of the late Roger Miller.
There are 10 original honky-tonk country tunes dipped in with a little blues & stirred not whipped on The Legend of Michael Ray Pickens & His Old Man Country Band (Drops August 2/Finedog Records/Little Village/39:03). Recorded in San Jose, CA & 2 studios in Reno, NV the set was produced by Mighty Mike & Kid Andersen (guitars/banjo).
While these songs may not grab the ear of a heavy metal fan or punk rocker, they would turn the heads of an Elvis Costello. It has fine lyrical storytelling elements that are precise in the country context. Even “Just Short of the Big Time” reeks of a great tale being told in its title. That’s how you sell a song!
If some grow weary of the C&W overtones Mighty Mike goes raunchy raw in a J.J. Cale manner that churns nicely into cream as he proceeds. That’s evident on several songs. Humor comes in a novelty dose with an oom-pah-pah featuring a female Sue Thompson (“Norman” “Paper Tiger”) child-like voice that was top 25 fodder back in the early 60s. But as silly as “I’m Stuck” is it’s done in good humor & competent as well. Anyone who can sing the lyric “poop on your shoe,” gets my vote & it’s danceable.
What’s also worth a mention is that though this music is vintage, written & performed in the way that it is you have to imagine yourself looking at a restored 50s car. Simonized, buffed & shined up, glistening in the sun, polished black tires, fuzzy dice & you — wishing…wishing you had one too.
Highlights – “There’s a Song About That,” “Twenty Whiskey Bottles,” & “The Last Lie (I Ever Hear You Tell),” “Just Short of the Big Time,” “I’m Stuck,” “Dale Watson Moved To Memphis,” “Going To Jalisco’s,” “The Only Thing Wrong With My Baby” & “Exit Through the Gun Shop.”
Musicians – Mighty Mike (guitars/vocals), Joe Mckenna & Joe Kyle Jr. (bass), Kris Landrum (piano/accordion), Charlie Joe Wallace (pedal steel/dobro), Paul Revelli (drums), Annie Staninec (fiddle), John Halbleib (trumpet), Gary Lynn Floyd & Ms. Kimmy Pickens (vocals).
Color image courtesy of Bob Hakins. CD cover photo by Jerick Image. CD @ https://mighty-mike.com/home & https://littlevillagefoundation.com/mighty-mike-schermer-legend/