Rural Route 4

No, I haven't taken any gravel road trips recently, though I'm definitely not opposed to the idea! :-) Last night I went to a show at a local bar here in Shawnee, Kansas, for a live performance by the band Rural Route 4. I wasn't sure what to expect, because I was warned that I might have to hear some Marty Robbins (and if you know me, you know I HATE Marty Robbins...just ask my friend, Mark! lol), but I was completely impressed with the entire show!

Rural Route 4 is a group of four guys with typical daytime lives who spend a few evenings a month making music as a great cover band. The band consists of:

Scott Heidner, lead and harmony vocals and rhythm guitar
Troy Heidner, lead and harmony vocals and drums
Terry Heidner, lead and harmony vocals and bass guitar (and the dad of Scott and Troy!)
Bill Thompson, lead and harmony vocals, lead guitar, steel giutar, banjo, and the "brass section" of the band - ya gotta be there! :-)

These guys do a wide variety of tunes that would please any music fan, from Merle Haggard to the Eagles to AC/DC, and not missing anyone in between. The harmonies are perfectly on key and the sound is incredibly smooth. They did not play one song I didn't enjoy, even though there were several that were unfamiliar to me. Heck, I truly believe that if they would have played a Marty Robbins song, I would have enjoyed it and never even known it was Marty!!!

One thing about them that definitely impressed me was Troy's ability to rock out on the drums while never missing a beat on the lead vocals he did. His harmonies were great, too. That takes some serious talent! They are also all very friendly and appreciative of those who come out to see them play. On breaks (their show was over 3 hours, so they definitely earned them), they mingled with the fans and I got the chance to chat briefly with Scott. They also took (and welcomed!) requests all evening and interacted with the fans from the stage area. It was a really fun night!

If you're local to Kansas City, Topeka, or Lawrence, I definitely think you should check them out. The music is great, the variety absolutely rocks, and the guys look pretty good, too! ;-) They do have a page on myspace that I found, too. You can click on the link or go to http://www.myspace.com/ruralroute4. I thoroughly enjoyed the show last night, and I hope to see them again sometime. For my Kansas City readers, they will be back at Jake's Place on Johnson Drive on May 22nd. The complete tour is on their myspace page. Hope you get to hear them!!!