A couple of Sundays ago I went out to the middle of nowhere till I found a place called The Big Oaks Lodge and heard singer-songwriter Jerry Strull play an afternoon's worth of Classic Rock hits and his own original tunes outside under some truly big oaks.
Jerry Strull soothing the savage beasts.
I was a bit concerned how Jerry's acoustic 'lonely troubadour' style would go over with the sizable crowd, about thirty, of bikers and their old ladies who make the Lodge a stop on their bike run through rugged Bouquet Canyon in outer Santa Clarita Valley.
Before Jerry even started his first song he expressed concern that a jeep had just arrived that appeared to sport a mounted 50 calibre machine gun.
Anyone remember "The Rat Patrol"?
However, to my surprise and considerable relief, the crowd seemed to love him. It was odd to see what appeared to be the cast and extras of the show Sons Of Anarchy actually taking seats right in front of him and quietly sit there drinking beer and really paying attention to the music. In a very gratifying gesture of honest appreciation the audience even came up one by one and left bills in his tip jar. Their comments were very complimentary and seemingly very sincere. These aren't the kind of people who feel the need to be nice or sensitive to the feelings of others. They are however an older crowd and Jerry's repertoire of Sixties and Seventies cover tunes must have brought back some memories and triggered a nostalgia in a crowd that had a very tough looking exterior.
The Big Oaks Lodge front parking lot.
The audience's attention and appreciation really touched Jerry and has made The Big Oaks Lodge his favorite place to perform. The owner and booker of The Big Oaks Lodge, which is a real nice hunting lodge style restaurant, also really liked his music and have invited him back. Oddly enough the sound of chopper engines worked right in with Jerry's music and really added a unique and memorable atmosphere. Check out his website, www.jerrystrull.com, for upcoming dates at The Big Oaks Lodge and come out some afternoon for Jerry's music and the Lodge's considerable ambiance.
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