Woody Holler and his Orchestra straddled their saddles in Barrhead on Wednesday night and went riding across a wide-open musical landscape.
They climbed Western ridges, listened to the murmur of cottonwood trees, saw ghost riders thundering through a ragged sky and watched the moon hide behind a cloud and cry.
Long before Holler’s first trademark yodel bounced off the walls of the Barrhead Composite High School drama theatre, the audience had saddled up to join him for the adventure. They were with him every step and hoof print of the way, perfectly attuned to the mood of each song.
When he galloped through a blistering “Sweet Georgia Brown,” they thrilled to the pace and rhythm, and as he jerked the reins for Patsy Cline’s “If I Could Only Stay Asleep,” they cheered briefly before lapsing into wistful silence.
They could do little else, mesmerized by the searing, painful beauty of Richard Moody’s violin.
The terrain was familiar: landmark oldies such as “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” (Hank Williams), “Don’t Fence Me In” (Cole Porter) and “Ghost Riders In The Sky” (Written by Stan Jones and popularized by such artists as Johnny Cash). Yet there was nothing staid or tired about this performance, which was lit up by comedic banter between the players and the audience. Each number was infused with a fresh spirit, thanks to the ensemble’s virtuoso musicianship that never faltered, whether the genre was cowboy music, jazz, love croons, opera, or something in between.
Double bass player Daniel Koulack kept the music on track with an almost percussive beat, while Greg Lowe’s guitar licks were enthralling. The sound was modern, without compromising the original artist’s work.
Throughout the show people were tapping their toes and mouthing song lyrics. When invited to sing the chorus to “Don’t Fence Me In,” they complied with gusto.
The close, intimate atmosphere of the theatre created a good rapport between stage and audience.
Holler, who was raised in rural Manitoba, describes his Western swing style as “jazz from the saddle.”
It is easy to hear echoes of his idols – Jimmy Rodgers, Wilf Carter, Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby. In tribute to another hero, Gene Autry, Holler dug in his heels for a rollicking version of “Champion, The Wonder Horse.”
“For those of you who don’t know, Champion was Gene Autry’s horse,” he said. Holler exercised his tenor voice to close out the show with a rousing “O Sole Mio” and an encore rendition of “Red River Valley.”
