John and Joie play.

I dislike the Rolling Stones.

That being said, John and Joie Johnson of North Meets South may be the only people who could make me like a Stones song.

On Monday night, I drove down to the Deli in Norman to see North Meets South in concert. They played for two hours on the little stage, performing songs ranging from Waylon and Willie’s “Good Hearted Woman” to Adele’s “Someone Like You”.

As they finished with “Folsom Prison Blues”, a white-haired man standing by the bar spoke up. “You guys can’t finish with Folsom Prison,” he said. “I’m from Reno. You don’t go to prison in California for killing a man in Reno. Play something else.” The rest of the bar began to chant.

“One more song. One more song. One more song.”

John strapped his guitar back on and we began to cheer as North Meets South burst into a rollicking rendition of “Paint It Black” to end the evening. Continue reading →