Rock me mama like a wagon wheel. I have heard these seven words shouted at my favorite “beer drinking institute” (or BDI) many times in the last four years I’ve been in college.The shouter is, more often than not, an intoxicated woman wearing cowboy boots.

Depending on the band playing that night, she may or may not appear to be out of place.

A wide variety of artists play at this particular BDI – string band and bluegrass to jam and jazz – and almost all of them are subject to the same treatment, “Hey man, play Wagon Wheel!”

On Sunday, I was listening to a local bluegrass band play original songs. It brought me back to my Alison Krauss days – when she was still at Rounder, about 30 pounds too heavy with fuzzy brown ringlets crowning her head.

It was solid, wholesome bluegrass music – the kind that makes you tap your toes and whoop between songs.

And then it happened. The beer asked for the requests, and on cue the woman in the cowboy boots shouted, “Play Wagon Wheel!”

Amazingly, the band complied. They did a slow rendition of the Old Crow Medicine Show song that was probably the most relaxing thing I’ve heard. They pulled it off.

However, this isn’t always the case. I’ve seen bands flounder to follow the fast pace and raging energy of Old Crow on stage. It can’t be imitated.

And I think it’s unfair for beer drinkers at any local bar to ask bands to do so.

It’s unfair to the talented musicians who offer Johnson City a variety of entertainment and sweet tunes.

Every time this happens to a band, I want to shake their hands afterwards and apologize. “I’m sorry,” I would say. “I know you’re a calypso-influenced hillbilly gothic group from St. Louis, and you never expected to get a request for the only good song ever written that mentions Johnson City.”

It’s gotten to the point that, when driving down the road, I skip “Wagon Wheel” on my OCMS CD’s.

I can’t handle it anymore. Luckily, my friends feel the same way. “The funny thing is, those people probably aren’t even from here,” a good friend of mine said recently at our favorite BDI.

I’m not of the belief that Old Crow fans can’t be Lady Gaga fans. But next time, I’d love to hear a bluegrass tribute to “Pokerface.”

I also would agree that, on some level, being a native Johnson Citian means having a love for the song “Wagon Wheel.”

I love the song. I have belted it around campfires and in the shower. But, I believe in using the song’s power for good.

The people of Johnson City need to agree on ending the torture of local and visiting bands.

At the very least, I’d love for patrons of Johnson City bars to stop shouting requests and to start listening.

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