I was hanging out at The Salamander Grill, in Hartsburg, MO one night, when I saw that, on a table card promoting upcoming entertainment. I thought “Oatmeal For The Foxhounds? This should be interesting.”
    That night I bellied up, ordered a cold beer and saw some tables of people I hadn’t seen at the Salamander before, and assumed they were there to see the band. You see, generally, people don’t find the Salamander Grill by accident.
    Then they started playing. And I liked them. They were playing a mix of classic rock, blues, oldies, and a handful of today’s hits. Some Johnny Cash for good measure. And their originals were as good as anything I’ve heard recently. Just two guys and two guitars. No drum machine. No fancy keyboard with special effects. Just bare bones music. I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it as much 10 years ago. I did that night. My ever-changing musical tastes are in a “basics” phase right now. I’m worn out from over produced music that, in my opinion, is prevalent in all genres and formats today, Rock, Pop or Country. It’s not bad necessarily, I’m just in the mood for something different. There’s something cool about hearing a great song, broken down to it’s simplest form. “Beast of Burden” by the Stones. The Eagle’s “Peaceful Easy Feeling”. “The Mighty Quinn” by Manfred Mann. “Tears In Heaven” by Clapton. Green Day’s “Time Of Your Life”. “I Walk The Line” by Big John Cash. Three hours of great songs with just two guitars, a couple of foot-powered tambourines and killer harmonies. For me it was an enjoyable evening.
    Then throw in the occasional trivia question between songs, where the correct answer earns you a small package of “Instant Oatmeal” or an “Official O4TF Refrigerator Magnet.” Now THAT’S entertainment!

This website (c) 2003, 2004 by Banastre Tarleton and Timothy Rowland