Coming to you from the studios at the Illinois rock and roll museum on route 66. It's the rock and roll Chicago podcast Hey everybody, it's Ray the roadie and this is Hollywood Mike, how you doing Ray not too good No car troubles. Yeah car troubles car troubles.

Tell me about it Do you think you only got a hundred thousand miles on this thing? And I'm having some issues and looks like I may have to get rid of it and get something new. Oh, no Yeah, I was looking at a Bronco It's a that's kind of a country car. Yeah, and how's that? How's the Bronco? No, it's it's beautiful car They want $70,000 for it.

Oh, wow. You believe that $20,000 above sticker price exactly exactly and they're and they're selling them It's crazy, but uh, you know, I thought I'd look at a country country kind of car, you know today Why are you in a country mood? No, I'm actually very excited about our guests tonight. And why is that? It's a band called straw dog and they're a country bag and bag Paul please edit that out It's a band called It's a band called straw dog in our country band.

All right, so let's say hi to straw dog. Hi guys Oh We're live we are live we are live So now we introduce ourselves to the to the world and let us know who you are and what you do in the band I'm Gary. I play lead guitar and backup vocals and I sing one song Very good one song.

What song is that Paul some prison blues? Okay, Johnny Cash. Yeah, I wonder what I got that little boy Yeah, I should sing more of it. No Dolly Parton.

No, no, she does. Yeah You'll hear about her we are close to the prison, right? Yeah. Yeah.

I just I'm on the work release program Hey, whatever works, yeah, who's next here? Hey, I'm Kevin. I play the drums and Glad to be here. How many songs you sing? I don't see no I just keep the backbeat going.

There you go. And he carries around a head in the bag. That's right Yeah, that's what I thought.

I was ahead. That's the country bag. Yeah He's not allowed a microphone, you know, that's what James You know drummers should not be allowed to have a microphone whatsoever They don't say they don't say a whole heck of a lot But when they do you're either gonna get arrested or well, sometimes you'll get laughs most of the time arrested I So I'm Paige and I do the vocals, so I'm the Dolly Parton girl, all right And last but not least I am James and I am the bass player guitar player lead singer Whatever it takes this is gonna be fun.

I can tell right away. Yeah, it's gonna be real good So who started this shindig who put it who put all this together James did yeah, tell us the story How'd that come about I moved down here from Canada and didn't hand it off. Yeah A Canadian country music, huh? Just fishing and stuff, right? Yes, this idol was Anne Murray Yeah, have you really yeah, have you ever seen that Anne Murray episode of Family Guy? Yes, do we shoot sir? I Was pretty good the first time I heard that no, no you have to see the episode He falls in love with Anne Murray and finds out that she doesn't write her own stuff.

So she's like you're lying to me And he kills her. He literally shoots Anne Murray blows her head off. It's great So, but please continue yes, we didn't mean to Yeah, I got back into playing a little while ago and then I met Kevin and I joined his band that he was in for A while and then we kind of parted where you left we left.

I left he followed and I stole I stole all their band Were you are you from Canada as well? No, okay. No issues. All right.

No, that was that other band the country band as well Yeah, it was Northwest side of Chicago and basically lived in Oklahoma lived in Oklahoma for six years and got the bug of playing some country But yeah, no just the northwest cider Up around there, right, right. Yeah. So what does they? What does a north sider? Living in Oklahoma finding country music to say I got to come back and I gotta do this stuff Uh, I'd have to say that when the drums were packed away for almost 15 years and They were still in Chicago and I was in Oklahoma and when I came back I said the first thing I gotta do is get a house get a basement and the drums are going down there and from there I'm spend History in the making and you went with country music.

That was yeah, that was just the way actually Yeah, Jim pretty much From the last band that Jim and I were in I just said, you know what? I got the country bug right now let's go ahead and Continue and Jim said well We got to find us a guitar player and we got the guitar player and then we got to find a singer, right? Right. So everything's good. Okay.

So then how long were you in Canada? I was born there like 30 years. Okay, and it wanted to move here 96 96. Okay, so you were right you were kind of right at the height of country music in this area There was oh, yeah I mean every I mean every corner in Chicago had some kind of country bar Even if it wasn't a country bar, they were starting to have country nights in the whole bit Yeah, we toured down here and we first came down.

I went to a place called doomus walkers. Oh, absolutely I've been been there a thousand times ranch. I've been to Canada like ranch.

That's where I met my wife. Oh, really? Yeah, Tuesday might have been that night. We were Could be Tuesday Tuesdays was ladies nights, right? Yeah, and we were there every single Tuesday and I met my wife there I have to get on that ranch.

Yeah, we met my wife at doomus walkers. Oh, wow Wow, and that was that's that one was in Arlington Heights. Yeah off a bus.

He and yeah Busy over there. It was in the basement. Yeah, it was sucked for loading.

Right, right Oh, yeah, that was terrible. And then then there was also Whiskey River that was around for a little while Yeah, and then what's the one that's up north like I've even played there and I can never remember it Oh Geez, don't dance Sundance. There you go Sundance.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's still around Yeah, that's still around in Canada group played there last summer.

Actually. Yeah, so yeah, no kidding So you came here so when you I'm it always intrigues me because I don't think a lot of people realize that there is actually a huge country music following In Canada. Oh, yeah, people don't people don't realize that they really don't and you know And I'll tell you what, I travel a lot for business and I go to other countries and everything It amazes me how other countries know so much about the arts here in the United States But nobody in the United States knows anything about the arts in any other country And that's the truth.

Yeah, and I sit here and like I said, I I picked Anne Murray out of my head because I think that Might be the only person So tell us a little bit more about about that like You know, who were you influenced by growing up in Canada with you know country music wise? Up there that's mainly like William Jennings Willie Nelson and stuff like that. Okay, Shenandoah, right, right You know when you get into the 80s 90s and all those vocal bands, you know, Diamond Rio and stuff like that course and done Right. Yeah, we I toured for like 20 years since I was 15 years old.

Okay. All right What about what about specifically Canadian artists that were in the country genre? Like Shania. Okay.

Oh, that's right. Okay. Yes.

There you go. Shania Twain. I've heard of her before.

Yeah Yeah, she's not bad Yeah people like her and then, you know, I'm Michelle right and Michelle right. Okay. All right.

Yep So mainly those and then we did a lot of American artists and then just toured we toured down here for like four or five years Okay, one all the way down south and then come back up and opening up for like You know Travis Tritt mark. That's not You know people like that and what what bang was that it was actually called Chris Cranky and straw dog Chris Cranky and straw dog Yeah, he was a six-time world banjo champion. Wow.

Oh, wow. You can play any instrument. That was awesome So, how'd you end up with the name straw dog? From my brother.

Yeah. Yeah He came up with the with the name and then we we added on to that name and then when I came down here Yeah, I still had his logo. Okay, so that's how we started out the band.

So he passed away and then as a tribute Used his logo. It's not you. Okay anything.

Okay, there was so there was nothing there were no Legal reasons as to why you couldn't use the name. He's not to take it. Yeah, it was pretty much mine It was available.

It was good. Excellent. Excellent.

Excellent. All right, so after Kevin came along who was next Be Gary. All right, that's me.

Talk to us Gary. Yes Actually, I came from a top 40 dance music band pop dance Well, sometimes we play rock and roll, all right, and I I found out through a talent agent I'm not gonna mention any names No names mentioned was it someone that everybody in Illinois would have heard of oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Okay. All right And this tip and this talent agent said well the straw dog is looking for a guitar player All right, because I was in a band called hooked on sonics for from 2002 to about 20. Oh you heard of them? Absolutely.

Yeah, well, you don't want to hear about them and You know, we don't want to go there Okay until about 2017 and I got bored after about a year and then the talent agent said well straw dog is looking for a band and when I Talked to James. I said, well, what do you think he said? Well, I Don't know. He said you're coming from a funk dance Band to a country band, right? They were tracking everything and he was like sitting there playing rhythm and I was going yeah, what a waste I know And wait in the in the previous band.

Yeah in the previous band. We he started doing a lot of tracking Okay. All right Yeah And I would I would play to a track of a guitar track and I wasn't highlighted as much right and then when I Auditioned with James he's like great.

I mean the first time I said great and then the second time I think I was not feeling well, and he goes what happened to the other guy What happened to this guy, yeah, where is he? It was a toss-up, but we need a guy to sing Johnny Cash and you have a deeper voice. So you got exactly He looks like George Strait, I know yeah Nobody even told me that until I started wearing a cowboy hat right and like he said as soon as he saw the hat He's like you look like George Strait No, no And then every now almost every other time someone says you look a lot like George Strait and that's why he plays country music now I'm not as rich as him Just you fits or the boot fits there you go. There you go.

I have a lot of fun doing it You know, I'm in fact We played it a few places where the sound engineer said, you know, I saw you in the other band But you were I didn't know how good you were until I saw you in this man. Well, that's good I'm grateful to be in it. No.

Yeah, absolutely. That's a good feeling I you know, I can't imagine I know guys that playing a lot of bands like that and you know The they shall not be named but yeah, I just I just couldn't I couldn't I don't know if I could do that No, no, I mean you must have you must have ran on stage like a dog with the gate left open I Yeah It was like the chains were off me and and I was able to feel free To a certain extent to do whatever I want to do play how I want to play. Excellent.

Excellent. Excellent. Well, good good I have a feeling it's gonna be good and we have Paige over here Yes, I was the last last edition You found me I never have been in a band before until this band.

This was the first one I joined Wow Okay, definitely the the nervous Nelly at the beginning But I feel like I've really grown in the last few years and it's been such a blast so much fun Were you um more what a karaoke Queen? No, I was the shower singer. Nobody. Nobody would hear me sing And how did he hear you in the shower? Okay, we had another band it was listening to their singer in the shower or something remember that yeah, yeah I didn't see anything.

That's not the one That's not it either. Oh, well, I Couldn't hear it. Oh, this keeps going in and out.

Okay All right, so it was an audition There was a real audition. Okay Yes, and we we blended well together and and I just took off from there So what possessed you to go to the audition since you were only a shower singer? I've always I've always enjoyed music. I've always wanted to do music, but I have never been Brave enough to do it.

So I decided at that point in my life few years back I was ready to kind of take that jump and Give it a try and it kind of just all fell in place. I mean, I love being in this band Did you see an ad? No, you found me on On band mix. Oh, wow.

Gosh. Yeah, so he had reached out Some of you never met just yeah, let's just go to the garage and right, right Barrels in the corner. Yeah Never that reminds me I have to check my band mix account.

I haven't looked at that in probably 15 years. Yeah Yeah, well, well, well I think it's time to put your money where your mouth is. Mm-hmm.

I think so I'd like to hear a song sure Oh Oh Oh Very nice Standing an applause button, but there's something going on funky over here tonight. We're not gonna no applause. Yeah, we're here.

Yeah We could do real ones. Did you hear yourself a little bit better toward the end of that? Cuz I was I wasn't yeah, I was messing around with the knobs over here I've noticed that all of these levels are up a little higher than that. They normally are there's something going on in here tonight So we're just gonna have to just gonna have to deal with it.

Yep That was that was nice, you know, not bad for a shower singer. I gotta tell you no not at all Yeah, yeah, especially there's no reverb in this room whatsoever. So I was just like this is gonna be good Yeah, this is great.

She's gonna sound like Tom Waits in this thing No, I sounded fantastic that was great, you know what I noticed the most about that I will tell you this every time somebody, you know shows up at a at a jam or an acoustic Jam and I think we haven't had somebody come in in the studio before and bring a cajon with them Every time I hear somebody play a cajon, I'm like I can do that shit, you know, I'm because all you hear is Right. No, you beat the crap out of that that actually sounded great. I mean you used every inch of that.

Yeah No, but I was totally I actually watched you used every section in that box Expensive box that he's sitting on top of that's right. Got a lot of different tones on that. That was great I really like that fantastic.

That was awesome I'm Christy from crime cave podcast I've had a huge interest in true crime since my days of watching marathons have snapped back in the mid 90s I needed an outlet to talk about the cases that have haunted me for a very long time With each episode under 20 minutes. I shine a light on some of the most bizarre cases in the last 50 years Join me in the crime cave Hi, I'm Rick Anthony I'd like to thank my radio brothers Ray the roadie and Hollywood Mike for allowing me to tell you about my podcast The someone you should know podcast we spotlight musicians authors and interesting people and we like to say we're making a difference one Artist at a time the podcast is heard twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays And you could check it out on your favorite streaming platforms and on the web at someone you should know podcast.com That's the someone you should know podcast with me Rick Anthony making a difference one artist at a time So were you a country singer in the shower? Did you sing? Look what you did. I think I think that's an original country singer in the shower.

Yeah, that's the title of a song No, what was it? What did you like to say country country and then I mean some pop pop. Yeah. Yeah mostly country Okay, and I think you guys said this, but how long have you four all been together? About five years in October with her really excellent.

Okay, so I mean by this point you are a seasoned singer at this point You're not just not just a shower singer. It's not like we you know, you know took you right out of the bathtub So yeah, no, I thought you meant wedding showers I was off on a different tangent here if I want dad jokes I could go talk to Scott He's He's the other guitar player in Cadillac group, he's the king of the dead jokes Man so, where do you guys play? Where are your favorite places to play? And do you just stay around Chicago? Where do you guys go? Oh Bourbon Street is or not Bourbon Street above city is good. Oh, yeah Thirsty beaver we play there Crestwood.

I we've played there many many times. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely There's so many of them we played So you guys you guys play bub city quite often we have lately Okay, do you guys have you guys heard of the simple remedy? Yeah, okay so the place that we were talking about earlier where we host the jam at the studio the Singer in that band Laura is the owner of the studio.

Oh, really? Yeah, absolutely So yeah, and I know they play pub city quite a bit. Yeah, probably about once a month or so Yeah, then you like Yankee Cowboy or something? Yeah. Yeah, I think the one guitar player works there actually Oh really from Yankee Cowboy? Yeah, huh? No kidding.

Okay. Well, hey if that that works whatever gets you in, right? Yeah Absolutely. Do you guys work on any original music at all? Yeah, I write all the time Yeah, yeah, dearly and you guys perform some of it we do.

Yeah. Yeah, and and you played a cover right now, man Come on Okay, all right also so the songs that you write you're you're the lead singer yeah pretty much We can do we did I like a pandemic song when you're welcome to use country singer in the shower for your next song That'd be a good name for a song, right Country singer in a shower Country singer in the shower. Yeah, I don't know you got to figure that one out guys.

Yeah Mmm, it's a start a lot of words. All right. Yeah Singing in the rain be singing in the shower Well, he's finding that you guys do all your own booking.

Yes. I do it all you do. Yeah Why are you guys even here? I'm just here to play And you book the band you write the songs you're in your bass player in the band Right, but brought an acoustic guitar with you obviously you do you do some of the singing so I mean you're pretty much driving the Train and everything right? Yeah, pretty much.

Yeah holding auditions in your garage. Yeah. Yep spying on girls in the shower.

Yeah And the one she gave you now is not the real one All right, let's hear another one sure let's do a studio original Senate Oh original song of ours called San Antone. It's all about a party trained He's rolling I Didn't like that I Almost got me laughing really loud on that one. I wasn't expecting the choo-choo part Little hints of John Anderson in that I think yeah, then it did a little bit a little bit of that kind of feel to it I like that Yeah, so what was your first gig like page? It was intimidating.

It was an Arlington Heights. Well, so we did a coup stick for a little bit first So we did we did acoustic first for a little bit a couple gigs were acoustic which is a little bit more Not easy, but just a little more Warming up sure it was it was easier to get in the swing of it and then my first full band gig Definitely at the Fed first felt like a deer in the headlights But then then you get into it and then you get more comfortable and you know again these guys make it so easy to have fun on stage so that helps when you're out there on stage and then I Upgraded to a wireless mic. Ooh, and that kind of you know step things up a little bit too, which has been fun So well, that's good.

Yeah, and ever since you started doing this, you know, I I say professionally because I mean, yeah It's not a hobby, right? You know is it a hobby but I mean, you know if and the reason I say that is because if If you're scheduled to do something whatever your hobby is whether it's golfing fishing or whatever and you get sick, right? Well, guess what? You're not going golfing. You're not going fishing or whatever But if you've got a cold you're still singing, you know, because we're not being we're not finding another replacement for you The last minute, you know the gig so I mean it's it's morning is the hobby since doing that Have you branched out musically not necessarily other projects, but do you feel like you've grown as a musician if you wanted to Maybe learn other instruments get into music a little bit more. You just kind of content doing what you're doing So I I mean definitely like piano.

I used to play piano Right now I teach some piano, but I don't necessarily play it for myself. That is one thing. I would like to do But like by day, I'm a teacher and a mom.

Okay and a wife So, you know the band it is My escape and my fun. Yes It is a you know a job in a sense because we are a working band But it definitely I don't view it as that. I feel like it's my my time for me But definitely would like to branch out with recording a little bit more We do want to take you know, those next steps to do a little bit more with recording our own songs and demos and things Yeah, yeah, everybody's doing that nowadays because it's becoming easier and easier and easier Yeah, I remember when I recorded my first demo probably cheese.

I can't remember when it was that 1994 1995 or something like that. It was like it was so expensive. But nowadays not you pretty much need this You know and when we first started doing it a CD burner You know is pretty crazy but a lot of bands are doing that more and more have you guys ever done any recording we we have Yeah, I He James get was very insistent and said, you know, we got a we gotta start recording more we gotta start recording more all right, and It would be great to Have Paige bring out the piano, you know after a while.

Yeah. I heard she's really good I don't know. I only saw a few videos of it.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, why not? I know sure give me a shot, especially when you're in the studio because you can make mistakes right we can fix those watch Yeah, no, do you guys have any anything recorded right now any kind of demo where people can find music or iTunes Amazon music Apple music.

Okay Is it the original stuff or is it? Okay, excellent. Excellent. Yeah.

Well, that's good. Let everybody know about that for sure. So yeah get people out.

What are you guys playing next? this week or at Saddle up. Oh You're at Santa Laura. Okay.

Yeah. Yeah, and then later on down the road We're doing some fests in September and then we have Will County Fair at the end of the month and in August there. Okay, so that's Try to get more festivals you try to spread it around acoustic trio because we'll go out as trio to okay to get a break you know, we'll go off and bang out some guys tunes and yeah, I'll rock it out for a little bit and then And we'll do duo just to you know, keep the voice in shape.

That's cool. Okay. Yeah I don't want to be screaming for four days in a row So it kind of like put some duo stuff in there.

So we don't have to you don't you don't want to scream for Now when you're playing three four a week for about six months no, yeah, I know how it is. Absolutely. Yeah.

Yeah We're all I'm sorry. I'll go ahead. No, so people are looking to find you social media wise wherever where you located.

Where can I find you? That's what that's exactly what I was gonna say. See you and I were right here. Yeah, we are.

I mean we're in sync Well, we have our website it's HTTP whatever slash colon, whatever they call it straw dog net So basically straw dog dot net. Yeah, right, right. Okay, we're on Facebook and we're on Reverb Nation and okay Yeah, I know all the music outlets that you mentioned.

Yeah, very good. Very good. Great.

Great. Okay guys Thanks a lot for coming out you guys Good And good for you page that you were able to put it together and get out there. You sound great I mean we went through two other singers before her believe it or not.

I didn't want to get into it, but We don't want to go there no, no, I mean I just I'm sorry. I'm starting to notice a pattern here. We don't want to talk about his last band We don't want to talk about the last two singers.

Yeah The comments may do not necessarily reflect what rock and roll Chicago podcast considers. Okay, so yeah, you know, it's not us Tim, right? You can contact our attorneys at do we cheat him and how All righty guys, thanks a lot. All right.

Thank you guys Well, there you have it straw dog. That was strong dog. Yes, it was.

I enjoyed that original song I did too and I'm instantly I'm glad to see there's other people that sing in the shower like I do. Yeah, well She might sing in the shower, but probably not like I do. Oh Thanks, thanks.

Thanks a lot. I Thought I sounded pretty damn good. Although every time I've spied on you in the shower.

I didn't hear you singing Oh, well, you know when I do sing though, the dog usually joins that He howls harmonies, it's amazing. Oh just off in the distance. Yeah.

Well great in the art He's in the yard. Okay, you can hear me singing. All right Sleep tonight with that image of you showering with your dog.

Oh, no, no, no. No, he doesn't he doesn't he takes baths Great bunch of people great music. Sounds good.

Get out there and see them the plane everywhere I'm over the place. See you some North South East West. Well, not East.

I'd be the Laker Sorry, everybody. Thanks for joining us once again Check us out in next week for another exciting episode of the rock and roll Chicago podcast. See ya later Hi, I'm Joe.

I'm Joe. I'm Joe. I'm Joe.

I'm Joe. I'm Joe I'm Brian. I'm Justin.

I'm Luke. It's Tony and we're primal moon and Feel free to catch us on episode 153 of the rock and roll Chicago podcast The rock and roll Chicago podcast is edited by Paul Martin theme song courtesy of M&R Rush The rock and roll Chicago podcast does not own the rights to any of the music heard on the show The music is used to promote the guests that are featured Oh