Mike Beck and the Bohemian Saints played in Monterey to kick off the Cowboy Poetry and Music weekend in Monterey December 7. Working in an impossibly small space at the hip East Village Coffee House, Mike and his friends put on a sizzling country rock show that may have been the best bang for buck event around the bay in a long time. ( I mean really- a 5 buck cover for three hours plus of boot kickin' country rock of this quality?) As Mike put it quietly, "I have a few friends here tonight..." and did he ever!About half way through the first set, he asked his buddy (and mentor) Ian Tyson,

half the phenomenally successful 60's folk duo of Ian and Sylvia up on stage. Ian Tyson is the real thing, a singer songwriter who lives the cowboy life running his own ranch in the Midwest ( as he put it, the royalties from some of his songs pay for all the feed he needs).  Responsible for classics like "Someday Soon", "You Were on My Mind", "Four Strong Winds" this very real cowboy-singer-songwriter joined Mike and the band for some great interplay. And who was that  guy on drums? Well, listening to Mike and the band do it right on "So You Want to be a Rock and Roll Star and other Byrds' classics, the crowd was stunned to have Gene Parsons (Gene Parsons - Triste article - This Byrd Has Flown) of the Byrds handling drums.

Talk about a surprise gig. The band was obviously having fun and played its collective heart and soul out. Mike Beck weaves classic acoustic country numbers through sizzling crossover rock tunes and obviously knows what he is doing and where he is going. The company he keeps and their respect for him tells you a lot about the man. 

http://www.mikebeck.com/main.htm   

http://www.iantyson.com/pages/biography.asp