Mighty Mike Schermer – The Legend of Michael Ray Pickens and his old Country Band

The blues is a genre that notoriously demands its artists grind out lifelong careers before receiving even a small measure of success. In that respect you might think that 57-year-old songwriter and guitarist Mighty Mike Schermer has only recently hit his stride. In 2022 Schermer acknowledged the long road he’s on when he named his eighth solo release “Just Gettin’ Good,” a title that his followers could only smile at. I mean, here’s a guy who has performed at over 8,000 gigs in all 50 US States and 25 countries around the world, played on countless recordings and has toured with such legends as Elvin Bishop, Marcia Ball, Charlie Musselwhite, Bonnie Raitt, Angela Strehli and then some. Mighty Mike Schermer ain’t “just gettin’ good”…he’s been good for a long time!

But as the great Yogi Berra once said, “If there’s a fork in the road – take it!” and that is exactly what Schermer does on his latest Little Village release “The Legend of Michael Ray Pickens and his Old Man Country Band.” Ten original tracks, recorded at Greaseland USA and co-produced by Chris “Kid” Andersen, showcase Mighty Mike’s range and knowledge of yet another classic American art form…honky tonk country…in his most focused and well-crafted album to date.

“My blues fans were like ‘oh wow you’re doing a country album?!?’ but honestly, from a songwriting and performance perspective, this album wasn’t THAT big of a stretch for me” says the artist now also known as Michael Ray. “Country music giants like George Jones, Ray Price and Hank Williams have peacefully coexisted in my soul and in my record collection alongside Albert Collins, T-Bone Walker and Howlin’ Wolf for as long as I can remember. Songwriters like Willie Nelson, Guy Clark and John Prine have been informing my way of telling stories since I first started writing songs. This is just the first time in my career where I feel like I have the freedom to write and perform all the genres I know and love. Thankfully Little Village is a label that eschews labels!”

The main difference for Schermer, and what both his die-hard fans and new listeners will instantly hear, is in the production. “We got real with the instrumentation” he says. Charlie Joe Wallace’s smooth pedal steel and dobro, Kid Andersen’s banjo and acoustic guitar, big upright bass tones provided by “The Two Joes”— McKenna and Kyle Jr.— lock up with Paul Revelli’s solid backbeat, Annie Staninec’s burning fiddle, and “HurrKayne” Kris Landrum’s understated, melodic piano to create the perfect soundscape for Mighty Mike’s Telecaster twang and heartfelt vocal delivery. Singer Gary Lynn Floyd provides the sweet harmonies so important to this style, and two beautiful guest vocal appearances by Schermer’s partner in both life and music, Ms. Kimmy
Pickens, will have you clicking the “repeat” button again and again.

“There’s a Song About That” and “Going To Jalisco’s” have the outlaw movement written all over them. “Just Short of the Big Time” gives a nod to early California country-rock, while “The Last Lie” and “Two Whiskey Bottles” sound like unearthed hits from Nashville’s Golden Era. But The Legend of… is no museum piece either…as Schermer takes on modern subjects like 2nd Amendment rights in “Exit Through The Gunshop” and the gentrification of cool music-centric towns in “Dale Watson Moved To Memphis.” These lines from the opening track “Country Roots” describe Mighty Mike’s journey into, and comfort level with, this style of music best:

“I’m here to tell you that country music, ain’t nuthin’ but the blues Songs of struggle and heartaches, told by someone who’s paid their dues”

And thus The Legend of Michael Ray Pickens and his Old Man Country Band is born!