Mike Hosty From the "Oklahoma Music Guide Volume II" 2011 By Hugh Foley, Rogers State University Guitarist extraordinaire, songwriter of many insights, droll but wry vocalist, pedal bass player, one-man-band drummer, and between-song-patter-and-joke specialist, Mike Hosty (b. Wauwatosa, WI 09/21/70), has been playing bars and multiple genre events around Oklahoma City since 1990. Around 1995, he teamed up with drummer Mike Byars (b. Noble, 12/15/69) to form the Hosty Duo, one of Oklahoma’s most cherished contemporary live music acts for fans of blues, rock, hilarious songs that often reference the state, and music that can bound from polka and disco to country and right back to rock in the span of two-minute Hosty spiel in between tunes during a show. While he has received some national and regional attention (a song made it on Jimmy Kimmel, his “Molokai Cowboy” is a hit in Hawaii, and his “Oklahoma Breakdown” notched Stoney LaRue a #1 spot on the Texas Music Chart for April, 2007 – and becoming that chart’s #1 song for the year), Mike Hosty toils on a constant basis through the college towns and other appreciative spots he has developed through consistent touring in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Often, Hosty tours with Byars on Hosty albums, who provides a steady, hypnotic, beat on a stripped down kit of kick drum, snare, high hat, and ride cymbal. Byars is ready to take any turn with Hosty, able to provide a perfectly metered disco beat, a boom-chuck cowboy beat, a hard-driving blues-rock pulse, or the tougher rhythms of off-beat polka or reggae, not to mention the often-needed rim shot to accent Hosty jokes. When Byars is not present, Hosty keeps his foot-pedal bass in the truck and unpacks his own one-man band drum set, with kick, snare, hat, and tambourine all controlled by Hosty as he keeps time for himself. Both are superbly entertaining versions of Hosty-time, revered by the fans who go to shows, calling out the names of their favorite songs, and singing along loudly to choruses (verses often change on the spot). The most regular fans of Hosty’s antics show up like they are on a pilgrimage every Sunday night for his long-time weekly performances at The Deli, in Norman. Hosty’s albums are musical journeys through corn mazes of the wildly imaginative singer/songwriter’s mind and unique lens through which he views society, especially in Oklahoma. Mostly available from a cardboard box that sits at the side of the stage at Hosty shows, or his website, there are at least eight Hosty CDs released independently by himself with investments by Discover Card. While he doesn’t do as many of the songs from his first anthology (1992 to 1996), the second anthology Un Hombre Malo is a perfect place to begin getting to know his guitar work and lyrical adeptness on songs such as “Mr. T”, “U, Me and B.E.T.”, “Corndog”, “James Brown”, and “Chicken Bone 99”. The songs pack an added punch as recorded by Trent Bell at Bell Labs in Norman. Recorded by the duo, and just released on their name, Hosty Duo, the 2003 brown bag wrapper CD contains his clever song about being a married man working in bars all the time, “Married Man”, crowd favorites “Fraidy Hole” (the Oklahoma tornado song), “Fried Pie”, and the now legendary “Oklahoma Breakdown”, a song that encapsulates a novel of Oklahoma ethos in its 4:46 length. Stoney LaRue liked it so much he made a staple of his Texas shows, causing some Texas fans to accost Hosty south of the Red River and confront him as to why he’s doing Stoney’s song. In any case, the song’s slide guitar vibe, lyrical focus on forbidden (or at least past curfew) love down by the river bed in the back of a friend’s truck endears it to many fans. Hosty’s other 2003 disc, a sort-of stab at a country music album that starts laughing at itself halfway through, preserves live tracks from a Phoenix, Arizona show of 2002, and the standard crowd call outs “Truck Stop Shower Stall” and “Johnny Cash”. Hosty released two live discs in 2006 with many of his best-known songs as fans are used to hearing them, in a live environment, along with some new favorites developed to that point, “Linda Cavanaugh”, about an unusual affinity for an Oklahoma City television news personality, “Spamoramathon”, and “Disco Truck/Pole”. In 2008, he continued the disheveled guitar comedy with “Eat Yer Mac & Chees”, “Pterodactyl”, “Please Don’t Make Me Love You”, and, finally, a song titled after one of his more recognizable catch phrases when a joke between songs fall flat or just get missed due to general bar noise, “Tough Crowd”. With a quick wit as close to Groucho Marx as you might find alive today, Mike Hosty’s songs are intrinsically Oklahoman yet transcend their local connections into broad-based and humorous insights into society, his in-between song banter and jokes with instrumental examples are tear-inducing funny, and his musical skill is parallel to any others in the blues-rock world playing the stages of the Oklahoma in the current era. Local publications agree, as Oklahoma Magazine voted Hosty Duo one of “Oklahoma’s Best Bands in 2010” after being the magazine’s “Best Band” in 2009; and the Oklahoma City Gazette voted Hosty 2010’s “Best Singer Songwriter”; As of July, 2011, Hosty planned on going back into the studio in July, fulfilling a slew of regional dates through fall, 2011, and continued promoting his teen girl group, The Sopapillas, with their debut single, “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do”, on his own independent label. Mike Hosty Has opened up for the following bands R.L.Burnside,The Dempsey's, Blues Traveler, G Love and Special Sauce, Fiona Apple, Bob Schieder,Green LemonDwayne Burnside,Amy MCue,Asleep at the Wheel,Cedell Davis,T-Model Ford, Hank Williams III, The Why Store Dick Dale, Marcia Ball, Popa Chubby, Leon Russell,Deep Blue Something, Bo Diddley, Tenderloin, BR5-459, Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic, Walter Wolfman Washington, Bobgoblin, Juice, David Garza, Dr Hook, Roger Cline and the Peacemakers, Soulhat, The Hackensaw Boys, Bardo Pond, Rubber Bullet, Little Sister, Paul Thorn,Billy Joe Shaver,Cross Canadien Ragweed, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Wade Bowen, Stoney LaRue, Jimmy Lafave, Sound Team, the ChainSaw Kittens,Those Darn Accordians,Motet, Billy Goat, Madahoochie Dirty Dozen Brass Band,Rev. Paytons Big Damn Band, Dave Mason, Hairy Apes BMX,Pop Poppins, Hi Fi and The Roadburners, The Red Elvis's,Wild Peach,Jesse Dayton, Road Kings, Fortune Tellers, Joe BonamassaRev Payton's Big Damn Band,Justin Townes Earle,Papa GrowsFunk,.38 Special, Jacob Fred Jazz Odessey and, of course, Quiet Riot oh yeah, the 2005 Holiday Bowl in San Diego OU vs Oregon. American Aquarium, Los Lonley Boys, Ol 97's, and the Turnpike Troubadors Year by Year 2013 Mike Hosty Nominated for BEST SINGER/SONGWRITER by the Readers of OK Gazette gets 3rd Place behind Toby Kieth and Carrie Underwood 2013 Hosty Mentioned on Tonight Show with Jay Leno AGAIN, in the "Dumb Ads" segment for ad for a bar called Taboma again........ 2013 Hosty defeats several Suckah MC's 2013 Hosty Duo Best Band in Slice Magazine of Central Oklahoma Gets Second Place 2012 Hosty Mentioned on Tonight Show with Jay Leno AGAIN, in the "Dumb Ads" segment for ad for a bar called Taboma that read "Mike Hosty Plays with Himself" 2012 Mike Hosty Voted "Best Musician" by Norman Transcripts "Best of Norman" 2012 Hosty Duo in OKC Gazette's "Best Band" contest gets 2nd Place behind the Flaming Lips. 2012 OKC Gazette "Best Singer/Songwriter" Hosty voted 2nd Place 2011 Hosty Duo on their way to selling over 100,000 albums, at some undefined point in the future. 2010 Hosty voted OKC Gazette's "Best Singer Songwriter". 2010 Hosty Duo voted one of "Oklahoma's Best Bands 2010" by Oklahoma Magazine. 2009 Hosty Duo voted "Best Band 2009" by Oklahoma Magazine. 2007 “Oklahoma Breakdown”, writen by Hosty, the Number One Song on the Texas Music Charts for April 2007 and for the entire year! 2006 Hosty Duo "Worth Mentioning" in Best Bands OKC, Gazette loosing to the Flaming Lips. 2004 Hosty Duo plays Americana Music Association Headline slot in Nashville, TN with Asleep at the Wheel and BR-549 2001 March, Hosty Plays as One Man Band at SXSW at Lucy's Retired SurferBar on 6th Street with Cross Canadian Ragweed. 2001 Hosty Mentioned on Tonight Show with Jay Leno, in the "Dumb Ads" segment for ad for a bar called Taboma that read "Mike Hosty Plays with Himself" 2000 Mike Hosty Releases "Un Hombre Malo: Anthology 1997-2000" 1996 Album "Volume" released on HossTone Music Records. 1995 Mike Hosty as part of the band Heater release album "Burn One" 1994 Mike Hosty as part of the band Heater release self titled album 'Heater' 1993 Mike Hosty releases "Hosty and the Silvatones" on his record label HossTone Music 1991 Mike Hosty releases first album "Zulu King" with hit song "Its Just That Easy" now out of print 1987 Mike Hosty performs first rock show at the "MistleToe Bash" with legendary 'One Lane Bridge' 1979 A young Mike Hosty gets first Guitar, 3/4 Takeharu Special Classical, from Larsen Music in OKC,OK