The town of Lewisburg enjoyed a special musical treat on Saturday November 24th when Lone Wolf Revue played to a packed house at the Sweet Shoppe. The 5 piece string band featured: Paul Johnson on vocals and acoustic guitar, Corey Lee McQuade on the dobro and vocals, Mark Schimick on mandolin and vocals, Xander Hitzig on fiddle and vocals, & Charlie Hatcher on the bass guitar and vocals.

This was the 2nd official time that this band has played for a live audience. They performed a variety of folk covers by John Hartford and popular songs by The Band and The Grateful Dead as well as many other known artists.

The audience was pleasantly surprised when the band cut into “Eagles Dare” by the Misfits; punk rock played by a string band is certainly a fun and eclectic combination.

The group also did assorted jamming using instrumental pieces that allowed each band member to take turns performing improvised melodic breaks and passages. The vocals were really nice because there was a good amount of smooth harmony singing. There was a really good vibe going on, people were dancing, stomping and singing along with the band all night long. The small dance area in front of the band was filled with enthusiastic fans who were feeding positive energy to the band all night.

Each of the members of Lone Wolf Revue hale from different bands that have each enjoyed they’re own success and brilliant talents. Mark Schimick tours with Larry Keel’s bluegrass band and he also has recorded some solo material entitled the “Model-t Time Machine”; Mark told me that he plays at least 160 shows a year. Xander Hitzig was an original member of Johnson’s Crossroads, and he also tours the USA with Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band (BCBCSB). BCBCSB has already traveled back and forth across the country 15 times and they are about to head to Hawaii for a couple of months of shows there. Orion Hitzig, Xander’s brother, is also in BCBCSB. He came to sit in with Lone Wolf Revue during the second set. During this set, the band was really on fire with 2 mandolins “pickin and grinning”.

Charlie Hatcher has played bass for Vern’s Pot O’ Chili (VPOC). Charlie, who owns/operates Lewisburg’s music store, Alpha Music, also provides live sound for festivals such as the annual Poor Farm Fest in Williamsburg. During that particular event, Charlie worked with soundman Kenny Simmons (who also engineered the live sound for Lone Wolf Revue). Paul Johnson has been playing live music with Johnson’s Crossroads through several different lineups. He plans on continuing to rock fans & friends with his uniquely raspy and soulful voice. Based on the positive reactions of the crowd, Lone Wolf Revue already has a whole lotta love waiting for them the next time they decide to play a show in the town of Lewisburg, WV.

FIND LONE WOLF ARTISTS
Larry Keel: larrykeel.com
Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band: brownchickentrain.com
Vern’s Pot O’ Chili: facebook.com/vernspot.ochili
Alpha Music: facebook.com/alphamusicinc.wv
Johnson’s Crossroad: facebook.com/johnsonscrossroad

– Russ Detko, LBSPY 21 (Dec 3-17)