It has been a big couple of years for Mike and the Moonpies. The Texas-based honky tonk champs have had several firsts since the pandemic tried to kill live music. They’ve made their Grand Ole Opry debut, played the legendary Ryman Auditorium, and embarked on their first European tour.
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On Friday, October 6, the band released its second live record: Live from the Devil’s Backbone.
Last May, the band recorded their two-night engagement at The Devil’s Backbone Tavern in Fischer, Texas. The result of that recording session is a smoking-hot 22-track collection of live country music. They released their first live record, Live from the WinStar World Resort and Casino, in 2016.
In an interview earlier this year, frontman Mike Harmeier said they wanted to make sure the two albums were different. “I tried to not do anything that was on the WinStar record. There’s a couple of songs that are on there, but I wanted to steer away from doing anything that we’ve recorded before.”
The only song that appears on both of Mike and the Moonpies’ live albums is “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance.” The rest of Live at the Devil’s Backbone is new live material. To be fair, it wasn’t hard to gather new material. After all, the band has released four albums — Steak Night at the Prairie Rose; Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold; Touch of You: The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart; and One to Grow On — since 2016.
Live at the Devil’s Backbone gives the listener a taste of what a band with more than a decade of near-constant touring sounds like live. Drummer Taylor Englert and bassist Omar Oyoque lay down grooves that sound tailor-made for the dance floor. Harmeier’s vocals are nearly flawless throughout the recording. Additionally, he and Catlin Rutherford share guitar duties to flesh out the band’s honky tonk sound. However, Zachary Moulton’s pedal steel is often the star of the show, giving the band that signature Texas country sound.
In short, this is one album that country fans won’t want to miss.
Live at the Devil’s Backbone Track List
- Introduction/Growing Pains
- Paycheck to Paycheck
- Country Music’s Dead
- Smooth Shot of Whiskey
- Getting High at Home
- Wedding Band
- Beaches of Biloxi
- Steak Night at the Prairie Rose
- Rainy Day
- Brother
- Whose Side You’re on
- Danger
- Social Drinkers
- Miss Fortune
- You Look Good in Neon
- Hour on the Hour
- Road Crew
- Dance With Barbara
- Cheap Silver
- We’re Gone
- London Homesick Blues
- Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance
Photo by Dave Creaney Photo
