‪@BobcatOneManBand‬

I usually use this intro to my song "Questioning My Sanity" but due to the high energy of this show, I decided to perform a different song, "Tear You Down" a much higher energy song as the second song in my set that night. I think the crowd was definitely listening to my rants that I have been going on for the past 25 years or so, except this time, it's much more fluid to the music. The feeling I convey with "Tear You Down" is much more forward and direct than "Questioning My Sanity," but the questions are still there.
The average age of the audience was about 20 years old, roughly the age I was when I discovered the scene, punk rock, psychobilly and making the lifelong friends who are still with me to this day. Every time I perform here, I feel the sense of renewal. Nothing stays the same, and these kids are hearing this music for the first time, so I have to make a good impression on them, send a positive message so they'll want to grow with the music
The music scene in Opelika and Auburn AL is one of the best I got to see in the country so far on tour. ‎@officialbardofbaldwincounty and ‎@BrunchWithRosie are two acts i can see going places with their music. Moving in the right direction. The personalities are definitely positive and uplifting. They seem to be community leaders.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bard the first time I played at Rock N Roll Pinball back in November 2023. We have the same group of friends (the folk punk scene) and knew a lot of the same bands. He's VERY active in our community. I got to listen to his work and really appreciate his approach to playing punk rock. It doesn't matter what tools you utilize to create your art, as long as it is good. That's what I love about the folk-punk movement. It's punk rock to the core of it, even with acoustic guitars (as he puts to good use) banjo and foot drums (as I like to utilize as opposed to a full-size bass drum) the songwriting takes more of a center stage than it does in most other genres, which is good, because when the song is the star, the music will speak for itself. The lyrics are also center-stage, and that is good news. He is one of the few folk-punk artists I know that sings into a microphone, and it's a relief to hear. This genre has a lot of really talented people who take the creation of their art so seriously that they forego the most basic tools of the trade and their music suffers because they can't get their message across. Not Bard of Baldwin County. The message of the music comes through loud and clear!
Brunch With Rosie was referred to me by a friend I met last time I was here back in March. They impressed me, too, because they really put their souls into the music. It's 3 of them, and it sounds like an entire army. The bass player alone sounds like 3 instruments because in addition to playing the bass lines, they play these cool upper register harmonics that really fill out their sound beautifully. Their chord structures are also very impressive. I really enjoyed how their guitar player has a subliminal approach to it all. Never overpowering, which is a relief to hear. Most other guitar players in that genre of music overplay or are too dominant in the mix, and the music suffers because of that. Not Brunch With Rosie. Again, they are the intermediary between the song and the greater community. This is very refreshing to hear and see.
I also love the fact that when this got too intense (moshing), they stopped for a brief second and made sure everyone was safe. It's the little things like this that build a beautiful scene like what we have in Opelika at Rock N Roll Pinball.
This show was standing room only and the biggest audience I have seen yet on tour. Our 3 acts were all at the top of our game, firing on all 8 cylinders the vibe was reflective of that. We will be appearing together again on Friday, February 28th, also at Rock N Roll Pinball, same lineup!
Thank you Andrew Reynolds aka The Devil for cultivating such a vibrant music scene in Opelika AL. It would not be the same without you doing what you do!