BARBED WIRE BOYS – COWBOY COUNRTY 8/30/08

By Gary Scott / Executive Editor

Sometimes, I drop by country nightclubs without checking in advance to see who’s playing on that particular night. August 30th was one of those nights. Actually, I was there to promote our upcoming showcase with Ian Newbill, which was scheduled for the following week. I had my camera with me, just in case, and it was a good thing that I did. If you are anything like me, you like that dirty, blues-based sound of southern-fried rock. You know what I mean…the kind of songs that make you want to jump on your Harley and hit the open road. I’ve been to many bike rallies, and I can tell you that Barbed Wire Boys definitely fit the profile. Their songs really get the blood pumpin’, and it’s hard to keep from movin’ to the beat.

Don’t get me wrong, because these boys are country through and through. It’s just that they have that ‘grit’ that you would associate with bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, or .38 Special, so they’re in pretty good company. With Scotty “Boy” McCoy on lead vocal and guitar, Greg Erba on lead guitar, Tommy Dean on bass guitar and vocals, Dave Patt on drums and vocals, and Don Teschner on fiddle (among other instruments!), it’s obvious that this band has been together for a while…and if they haven’t, they certainly give the impression that they have. They really work the stage well together, and that’s an important aspect of their performance.

Too often, you see musicians simple holding down their own piece of the stage, possibly because they have been told that the singer always gets the spotlight, or maybe even because they just can’t wait to pack it up and go home. That is not the feeling that I got when I was watching this band. They are there to have a good time, and they’re not about to leave their audience out of the party.

Their set contained all of the cover songs necessary to keep the dancers on the floor, and they performed them very well. Their set is just about half and half, originals and covers, but I’m all about the original stuff, and let me tell you, these guys can write a song. My personal favorites would be the humorous, ‘let’s get down and party’ song, “Better by the Beer”, and “Double Shot”. Both of these tunes will go a long way to keep you partying, although “Double Shot” has more to do with the music they play, than with the consumption of alcohol.

Barbed Wire Boys kept me rockin’ along, and I recommend them to all of you music fans out there that like your country a little on the rough side, but don’t mind going home with the idea in your mind that just about everything looks better by the beer.