Here I am again mixing misery and gin ...

There are some things in life that a person should get to see and experience. For me, one of those things took place last Wednesday night at a little beer joint in Rockwall, TX. Merle Haggard played one of the most amazing shows I've seen and he did it in the kind of place his music is famous for. People say for "beer drinkin' music" you can't beat this guy so I went to see for myself. I had a few and it turns out they were right. One thing I really respect about this guy is that he's been playing with basically the same group of guys forever. You just don't see that anymore in any genre except for Willie and maybe a few others. You know a guy has been around a while when he announces he's having to play extra parts on the guitar that night because the steel guitar player is recovering from open heart surgery. You just don't see that everyday. So pop open a cold one tonight for Merle Haggard and the Strangers. I know I will.