Search - Two Dollar Pistols :: Step Right Up

John Howie's burly baritone will shake your walls as he leads his Chapel Hill, North Carolina, mates through this appealing live collection of hard-core honky-tonk. While they add a tinge of Scorcheresque energy to the proceedings, the Pistols play straight-up country, complete with whining steel and fiddle. Guitarist Steve Howell (formerly of the Backsliders) and guest steel player John Neff know exactly when to step in with fluid twang (Howell) and aching cries (Neff). The sterling covers of honky-tonk heroes Jones, Tubb, Owens, and Young tell only half the story; Howie's booze-and-tears originals fit in surprisingly well with the tough competition. --Marc Greilsamer