One look at their name will tell you what Poi Rogers is all about. This Santa Cruz based duo tossed the cowboy country western ethos of the Sons of the Pioneers with the warm tropical stylings of Hawaiian style lap steel guitar music and came up with something all their own. Gerard Egan slings the guitars, both acoustic and steel, and Carolyn Sills anchors the proceedings on standup bass, while both swap lead vocals and sing sweet harmonies.
It’s a winning formula that mixes roughly equal parts Western swing, cowboy campfire songs, Commander Cody and Ennio Moricone, all done with big smiles and lots of Cali sunshine. And they’re dog lovers to boot!
Their spare instrumental style, especially the steel guitar and bas combo, makes them sound bigger than just a duo, partly due to a production style with a certain amount of reverb. Altogether, they put out an updated version of vintage country-western styles, often with a wink and a nod. As in the winning opener “Don’t Steal My Covers,” inspired by the couple’s dog Cowboy and his antics at bedtime. Title song “Twilight Blues” puts the steel guitar out front with the couple’s sweet harmonies.
Hawaii and its steel guitar stylings have featured in country music since Jimmie Rodgers sang the mildly bawdy “Everybody Does It In Hawaii,” and this duo’s “Why Oh Why Have I Not Been To Hawaii” slots into that tradition nicely. Carolyn sings solo on this one and Gerard acquits himself nicely on the steel. Also of note are a couple of tracks that both feature Gerard’s whistling: the closing track “Moon Over Montana,” an arrangement of Jimmy Wakely’s 1946 cowboy tune from the movie of the same name; and a medley of songs from the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns starring young Clint Eastwood, “The Dollars Medley,” which also lets their two dogs in on the act.
Twilight Blues is short, sweet, lighthearted and fun.
(Poi Rogers, 2025)
