Saturday's opening act promises a good time

Friday, June 8, 2012

By James R. Campbell

Nevada Daily Mail

If you're feeling down and out and want to shake the blues, the Charlie Horse Band will be a good place to go during Bushwhacker Days.

With well over a century of musical seasoning among the four members, the group will open for the Marci Mitchell Band at 7:15 p.m., Saturday, with a variety of traditional country music, much of it upbeat and all of it delivered with a verve that lead singer-guitarist Jason Richison says is meant to be uplifting.

"A lot of people say, 'I don't like the country music on the radio, but I like what you guys do,'" said Richison, a Fort Scott, Kan., car dealer. "If I'm watching people on stage, I want to enjoy myself. You see some musicians trying to act cool or tough, but I don't enjoy that much.

"We put our best face forward; and when it's time to perform, we go. There's not much time between songs. We go from one song to another and try to engage the crowd."

Richison will be joined on the Bushwhacker Days Main Stage on the south side of the Nevada Square by bassist Joe Willis of Nevada, drummer Rick Bevenue of Liberal and steel guitarist Doug Hudson of Walnut, Kan. The group has been together since 2008, having jelled in an eight-hour jam session during which Willis says they "never repeated a song and sounded like we had been together forever.

"We have a lot of fun onstage and it shows," said Willis, an offspring of his father Joe's Willis Brothers Band who played for 11 years on the Grand Ole Opry and was Roy Drusky's bandleader for 4 1/2 years. He is a retired registered nurse.

Bevenue grew up in Tulsa, Okla., with his dad Melvin playing drums for Bob Wills, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Hank Thompson at Cain's Ballroom and other places. Bevenue is a retired 3M maintenance employee.

Richison said the musicians "all sing some and ad lib.

"Rick likes to do the Ray Price shuffles and Doug does the sweet songs like 'Apartment No. 9' and 'This Time You Gave Me a Mountain,'" he said.

"Bushwhacker Days is rewarding because a lot of people see you and it's a fun setting. We did a spot there two years ago and I met Marci when she was about 13 at the Fort Scott Jubilee."

The Charlie Horse Band will play the Stockton Senior Center from 8 p.m. to midnight, July 20; and Eagle Ranch at Collins in St. Clair County from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., Sept. 1. The group will entertain at the Black Walnut Festival in Stockton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sept. 29.

"Instead of just being like a jukebox, we address the crowd and take requests," Richison said. "We play Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and other classic country.".

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: