Written by Eddie Ferranti

012The fun in covering live music is discovering new venues. In the case of the Redneck Country Club in Stafford, Texas it is a case of rediscovering a blast from the past.  RCC is celebrating five years of running this October.  We had supported it the first two years, but dropped off because of the inability to have a seat if you were not a member.  When we saw a favorite band of ours, Mike and the Moonpies, were coming we decided to take a shot.  It turned to be a great idea indeed.
From the moment we entered the red carpet treatment was top notch. Rico and Kim made sure that we had great seats and the 30 degree draft beer did not hurt either.  The place is under renovation to provide more cover outdoors. Plus a SUV size BB-Q pit will be installed to provide even more delicious food by the Holidays for company partys and such.  What was delicious this night though was how well the band fit this place to a tee. The last time we caught them was last April in Galveston for the Third Coast Music Fest.  These cats are tireless road warriors who have really amped up their already tight stage presentation. Mike Harmeier is out front with a guitar and running the show wonderfully.  The guy has a knack of saying the coolest things, but never bogging down the gig in the least.  Catlin Rutherford is a beast on lead electric, Kyle Ponder pounds away on the drums, Zachary Moulton is a stud steel/electric guitar player, John Carbone really adds to the mix on keys, and Omar Oyoque thumps bass with a lot of animation to boot. Out of the shoot they opened with a three prong guitar buzz that lit the fuse on a night of honky tonk rock and tender ballads.  MH has a touch of Dwight Yoakum which he wears well.  “Willie, Waylon, and Me” is a Hayes Carll tune that they did quite well. “Steak Night at the Prarie Rose” is their fifth album and the title cut brought out the dancers big time.  RCC has a nice space in the front of the stage enabling two steppers to spin and twirl to their heart’s content. M&MP just keep the songs rolling with Mike steering the solos all around the horn from steel to keys!
054The packed house loved “Never Leaving Texas”, “The Last Time”, and “Rambler Gambler”.  Buckets of beer and shots of booze that were smoking did not slow down this well oiled machine one bit.  Loved when Catlin slammed a shot while Mike gazed at him.  He replied it was a “coping mechanism” issue!  Classic.  It has been five years running that we have followed this killer band and they seem to be getting better.  Their ability to do Molly Hatchet type country rock and shift gears to dancehall spin-and-go dancing is sweet.   It was their second appearance at this club and judging how well it went they will be back.  With a very comfortable amount of seats for non-members and a cool bar it has definitely jumped back on our radar.  The over all pristine condition of the facility was impressive and refreshing.  Rico says because it is member sponsored they demand it.  What is wrong with good seating, cold beer, excellent sound, positive attitude, smiling faces all around, and delicious “Texas Size” pretzels?!  Nothing in this reviewer’s eyes.  Give RCC a shot……….theredneckcountryclub.com!
Eddie “Edge” Ferranti
Senior Editor
Houston Music Review