Mike Lusher - Parchment Farm & Osage Lute Interview

When and where were you born? What was your childhood like and how did you initially get into music? Was music something that was relevant around your household, or was this something you found entirely on your own? Do you have any siblings?

March 13, 1954. St. Louis, Missouri. My Dad was a truck driver that didn't finish high school. Mom had a high school diploma and they got married about a year after Mom graduated. She worked in several shoe factories during my youth. I have one younger sister. The family struggled economically and money, and Dad's drinking, were usually the cause of tension in the house. However, the radio was almost always on in the house, and Dad would let me play the jukebox when we'd go to the tavern. My Mom's sister married a drummer in the mid-'60s and that was the beginning of my passion for music.

What would you do for fun back in the day before music took over? Who were among some of the first groups, or artists that left a heavy impression on you? Did you participate in any groups prior to forming Osage Lute?

Before becoming possessed around the age of 13 by music, I liked to fish, hike through the woods, played city league spots, etc. Like many, Elvis was my first influence. I remember being coaxed to sing "Hound Dog" when I was very young. Mom had some records like Duane Eddy (Rebel Rouser) and The Everly Brothers (Bird Dog) that I remember playing a lot. Of course, the tavern jukebox exposed me to many great country artists of the day: Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash. My first major influences were Ginger Banker with Cream, Ian Paice with Deep Purple, Mitch Mitchell with Jimi Hendrix.

How did you meet your other band mates and what were your first impressions of them? When and where did you guys initially get together to jam/rehearse and what was the initial chemistry like between you guys and the other members?

My first clear recollection of hearing Jeff play was July 4, 1970 at a local music gathering. He played the Star Spangled Banner by Jimi Hendrix, and nailed it. I was blown away. However, I'm pretty sure we had met when we both lived in St. Clair, Missouri, around 1963. My only memory of rehearsal was in the garage of one of our manager's properties, near Gray Summit, Missouri. We obviously threw together enough material, and some originals, to do a show July 4, 1974 at Chuck Berry's Farm in Wentzville, Missouri. I really have no memory of how the four of us got along.

How did the name for the group come about? When and where did the band make their live performance debut and what was that experience like? Tell me about writing as well as recording the explosive single that featured the two tracks “Shoot Scooter/Watch Em Shine.”

At the time, there were groups like Kansas, whose name reflected their roots. Mid-Missouri was the ancient home of the Osage Indian, and the music focused on two guitars, thus Osage "Lute." At least, that's how I remember it. I'm not sure when/where our first gig was. I only have vague recollections of the Chuck Berry Farm fiasco, that was early in the band's history. We did play the hotel lounge bar during the Ozark Music Festival in Sedalia, Missouri, later in July of 1970. I don't remember, but Jeff filled me in on that craziness. No real memory of these events.

What eventually happened to the band after ‘74? Did you continue to play music after that record came about? Did you join, or participate in other outfits during that time? What have you been up to in more recent years?

Jeff and I joined a band called Back Jack in late 1974, and it lasted through most of 1975. Our biggest gig was opening for Charlie Daniels and Rush at the KSHE Kite Fly in Forest Park (St. Louis), Missouri. April, 1975. The reported attendance was ~80,000, and I was late! Don't ask. I started driving busses and trucks in the entertainment industry in 1977, and did that off and on through 1999. In 1990, I got clean and sober and went back to college. I got my Bachelor's in Civil Engineering in 1996, my Master's in 2004, and my PhD in 2018. I retired from the University of Missouri in Rolla in 2019. I've moved back to Union and have been practicing with Paul Cockrum and Ace Williams, two old friends whom I played in a band with in 1972-73, Parchment Farm. It's been great fun and I look forward to playing out in public, soon.

When you reflect back on the band, what are you most proud of?

I am very grateful for havng the opportunity to travel with and play music with some quality musicians during our heyday with Osage Lute and Back Jack.