The Mike McClure Band Does It Their Way                                                           Dennis and Brenda Kippa  Always looking for new music, we were listening to various artists on the music player “Spotify” when we heard our first song by Mike McClure. It was a remake of “Into The Mystic”, which is a decades-old song by Van Morrison.  This song is what Brenda refers to as her “all-time favorite song in the whole universe”,  and remakes of it have fallen far short, according to her.  However, the version by Mike McClure was as good as it gets (other than the original), and it really won us over. We immediately sent for all three available CDs and marked our calendar for the first chance we could find to catch him in concert.  We knew we had found another amazing artist.  Mike's sound is a little bit country and a whole lot of rock and roll. The music industry puts a label on this blend of music, calling it Red Dirt music. Mike McClure was originally part of a band called The Great Divide. They recorded many albums, which won rave reviews and kept them touring heavily during the 90's.  As a front man, Mike was said to give great performances every time they played. But as the story is told, this is the part where the band's management company hired a new producer to “take them to the next level”. The first thing the producer did was change the sound of the band, which proved to be a horrendous mistake.  As soon as the first CD was released, the fans heard the difference in the sound and did not like it. Worse still, Mike McClure did not like it, either.  He was not happy that the band had given up the sound that had brought them to the dance. The ensuing turmoil led to the breakup of The Great Divide and Mike went out on his own.  Eventually,  he formed The Mike McClure Band and they set off to reclaim the Red Dirt music that they and their fans had been missing. Ironically, along the way Mike had also started to produce music for a number of other artists, being careful not to make the same mistakes that his old producer had made. The band consists of Mike McClure on vocals and guitar, Tom Skinner on bass,  and Eric Hansen on drums.  Their first album together, released in 2005, was called “Camelot Falling”.  The previously-mentioned “Into The Mystic” is on this one. In 2010, they released not one, but two albums,  “Halfway Out Of The Woods” and “Zero Dark Thirty”, both of which were produced by Joe Hardy. Hardy also contributed vocals, keyboards and guitar to several cuts. All three albums utilized guest musicians to give each song the full measure of McClure's vision for the songs he penned. Our opportunity to see the band perform came this past weekend in Idabell, Oklahoma.  On the two hour trip to the venue, we listened to all three CDs all the way there.  As is often the case with performers that are new to us, we arrived still uncertain exactly what to expect. The place was completely full of eager Mike McClure fans. Clearly, most had been following his career for a long time. Those sitting next to us used the extra time by telling us their favorite stories about the band and their music. At the appointed time,  in walks a scruffy-looking bald guy, wearing a scruffy white t-shirt, bermuda shorts and tennis shoes. This was our man, Mike McClure.   A fan sitting next to us leaned in and explained with a big grin, “that's the way he always looks”.  After a sound-check that seemed more like a part of the performance, the band launched into a wild ride of a show.  We didn't know all of the songs, but we didn't need to. A highlight for us was provided by bass player,  Tom Skinner. Sitting on a stool in a darkened part of the stage, Skinner quietly played his bass all through the show.  When it was his turn to step up to the mike, an eruption of crazy applause welcomed him.  We can't tell you what he sang, although it was so wonderful that we were moved to record the performance with our video camera. Even in listening to it again, the title escapes us; however it was so earnestly and beautifully delivered, with lyrics so moving... well, this is why we go to these things, folks. We feel safe in reporting that everyone was thoroughly entertained. There's no doubt about that at all. But when the end of the show arrived, they simply exited the stage. No “goodbye”, no “thanks for coming”, no nothing. The lights came on and they were gone.  No need to shout for more;  it was over.  Hey, it was his show. He cut up and joked with the audience all the way through.  We loved him, same as everyone else who was there. We got the idea that this time around, Mike McClure is doing it for the sake of the music and for those who love it the way he does.