On Friday, July 8, the eve of Supper Club’s 74th anniversary, the Hoss Howard Band took the inside stage to a crowd of less than 20 people, but they didn’t let that deter them from a high-energy country show, worthy of the hundreds that showed up for Velcro Pygmies the following night.
The Hoss Howard band, of Cherokee, N.C., is Hoss Howard, Randy Mason, David McFalls, Keith Hightower, Jeff Edwards and Casey Kirkpatrick.
The band made the stop at Supper Club as part of their 2011 “Outlaws Tour,” playing covers like “Country Boy Can Survive,” by Hank Williams Jr. and Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls” with their own country twang.

Originals like “Twang Thang” and “Ready for the Ride” showed that Hoss Howard Band could hang its hat next to the likes of today’s biggest country names.

The band felt extra comfortable with the small crowd, playing their new song “Rain is a Good Thing” twice, after Hoss fumbled the lyrics the first time, but sure enough, the second attempt hit the nail on the head and had a few people in the crowd singing along for encouragement.

Howard took over Supper club Friday night with a unique, highly interactive stage presence. Before playing his original song, “I Love You,” he pointed out a couple in the crowd and asked their names: Alicia and Travis.

Howard proceeded to tell a story about his tour bus breaking down, meeting Travis and eventually going fishing with him. Howard said that Travis had asked him to write a song about the great love of his life (Alicia) and that this was that song.

The couple were thrilled, dancing for the entirety of the song around the nearly empty floor, cheering and thanking Howard afterward.

Eventually, the talent of the band filled up the empty spaces of Supper Club, providing for a show that any country fan would have enjoyed.

Hoss Howard is a name that you can expect to hear more often, with Hoss promising that great things are in store for 2012.

His journey as a country artist started off in an unlikely place—his mother’s deathbed. As Howard sat vigil, his mother, a former hospice nurse asked for a morphine drip, an ominous sign that the end was near. In some of her last words to him, she said, “Son, the world needs to hear your music. Promise me you will get into country music.” And so he did, spending 18 months in the gym and hours a day learning guitar and writing songs. Today, the Hoss Howard Band is a rising force in the country scene and is sure to continue fulfilling his mother’s dying wish.

Audience Reaction:

“Oh, this show was great, we’re having a good time.” - Bobby Ryan

“We looked them up on the Internet earlier, and we weren’t sure what to expect, but we came out and heard them in person and they’re awesome. I really like their originals.” - Seth Parker

“I concur. (with Seth) I’ve never heard them before, but they’re pretty cool.” - Laura Evans