by Jay Mouton
posted June 12, 2004 (great scans of Jack and Paul at this site!)
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_51624.asp
A touch of warm, spirited nostalgia pervaded the humid air early Friday evening
on the first night of this year’s Riverbend Festival. That nostalgia was brought
to us via the melodic tunes and harmonies of a long time favorite of many music
lovers—Poco. I arrived near the bandstand just as the band was breaking into one
of their many hit songs.

While I’m not a Poco aficionado I can admit to being old enough to have heard
many of their tunes on the airwaves over the years. The band was kind enough to
give the audience what they came for and that, most definitely, was a big
helping of the band’s older hits, but they also dipped into a song from their
newest collection. The CD Running Horse is available in music stores and on the
band’s official website, which one can readily access by goggleing. One song
from the new CD, “If Your Heart Needs a Hand,” is definitely a radio friendly
tune. If we don’t hear this song on the Top 40, well, we can all chock it up to
“it’s who you know. . .”

The band was rippin’ up a blue’s influenced jam called “Cajun Moon,” with some
killer lap steel guitar work from Poco founding member Rusty Young, when one of
the band’s biggest supporters offered me some information on the band members
and what they’ve all been up to. Mary Breman, soon to be enjoying wedded bliss,
was kind enough to tell me that the band had recently recorded another
collection of songs up in Nashville. The CD was recorded, live, at the Bel Court
Theater, in Nashville, on the evening of May 20th, this year. This fresh music
should be available by late July.

When Mary and I finished our conversation the band was playing one of their
hits, an acoustic version of “Call it Love.” The vibrant harmony that meant so
much to the Poco sound over the years was clear and present for all to hear. The
guitar work was excellent and, when I closed my eyes, as a light breeze gave me
a moment’s reprieve from the heat, I could see myself as a younger man driving
down a southern highway going nowhere, just enjoying being alive—with the
backdrop sound of this song. Ahh, sweet memories brought forth from melody.

Poco the band still has that special talent that a group of musicians needs to
stand the test of time. I don’t know exactly what that element is, it’s probably
a mixture of many things that are, more than likely, imponderables. But, it’s
there. You can hear it in the way their voices blend together like vanilla and
chocolate—sweet to the ear like candy to the palate. You can see it in the way
the band members give a knowing look every now and then when the notes fall into
the air—just right. You can feel it in the way the fans sing along with the
band, and know the words. Yeah, you can just tell.

Keep on keeping on, Poco.

Jay Mouton
m_mouton@...





regards,

RDB
owner -
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