The musical duo of Double Shot consists of Dave Johnston and Jim Auld; Dave’s vocals and guitar combined with Jim’s pedal steel guitar create a unique sound that pays homage to many of your favorite songs. They play in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, mainly in bars and social clubs. Recently I caught their act in a Brookfield, Ohio, bar and sat down with them between sets.
Originally, I met Dave when he was the lead singer and guitar player in another band (Bishop Road) and eventually Jim joined them with his pedal steel guitar. However, Dave and Jim also formed Double Shot about ten years back. A couple years ago Bishop Road decided to take a break. Although they miss the sound of playing in a full band, Double Shot can set up in a relatively small area so many establishments can enjoy their sound.
Line dancers will appreciate their show because they not only play several classic line dance songs, but also many others that are easily adapted to line dancing depending on the tempo. For free style dancers, Double Shot performs some danceable rock songs and they also include some slow songs for couples. I actually didn’t dance and simply listened; Dave and Jim obviously enjoy entertaining their audience. I have always liked the sound of Jim’s pedal steel guitar!
Ironically, as long as I have known Dave, when I asked him how he got started singing in bands, his answer surprised me. He was living in Florida and learned how to line dance because “that’s where the girls were.” At some point, Dave picked up a guitar, and the rest, as they say, is history. In all my years of line dancing to bands he was in, I never realized that he could have joined me on the dance floor!
One of the songs Double Shot plays is “Wagon Wheel” – there are so many different line dances to this song. Here is the step sheet to my favorite one; there are a lot of opportunities to add extra turns into the choreography. One downside is there are two different adaptations of the song, each with its own restarts, so you have to be aware of which song it is. I learned this dance at the Dusty Armadillo many years ago. I wonder if they still dance this version there:
Take my advice and find Double Shot on Facebook to check out their schedule. They call their loyal fan base “Shooters” who will tell you that Dave and Jim are worth the trip!
