Mr. Johnson And His Loaded Dice was exactly what I was hankerin’ for – a fun, upbeat and lighthearted ride that reminded me of cowboy ballads gathered around a campfire. It wasn’t so country that it made you want to shed a tear while drinking out of a mason jar filled with whiskey, but it was just the right amount of honky tonk that warms your heart and makes you recall good times. Mr. Johnson himself has a great set of pipes if I may say so, and sang beautifully. They all were like a cross between Johnny Cash and Devil Makes Three, and they were just what I’ve been looking for, the perfect first taste of Reno country concerts. 

“It’s about playing music that's relatable to the people,” Zachery Johnson, lead singer of the band, said. “It’s all about coming together [to] get rid of the shit from the day, from the week, from life, from everything, and it’s always been that.” 

There’s something about Western country that hits different for me. Sure, you’ve got Appalachian and bayou, Bible belt and panhandle, but when you get me out into the desert with the dust and the sagebrush and the wind rushing over the Sierra, it makes you feel something poetic. Mr. Johnson And His Loaded Dice captured that essence in a way that felt nostalgic, but with a fondness and tenderness, which is exactly how Western country should feel. The desert can be unforgiving and cruel, but we have an undeniable connection to it, and the spirit of that bond was evident in this band’s music. It’s the kind of stuff that calls you home.