If you’ve had the opportunity to witness the bristling and twisted bluegrass spectacle the D.Rangers spill on their audiences, you’re probably already on your way to the West End Cultural Centre tonight.

Heck, even if you haven’t heard of the fun-loving, local twangsters, you might as well catch their epic finale.

The group came to be after banjo plucker Jaxon Haldane showed Tom “Twisty” Fodey some blueprints for a ramshackle stand-up bass he dubbed the “Muckbucket.”

Intrigued, Fodey challenged Haldane with the response, “If you build it, I’ll learn to play it.”

Once the Muckbucket’s presence invaded the living room, jam sessions among friends were inevitable. Rowdy evenings at the Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club would morph into all-night, song swappin’ hoedowns.

Out of this mess grew the D.Rangers, a snarling group of misfits rounded out by guitar-slinger Chris Saywell and mandolin abuser Aaron Goss.

The boys started kicking up dust around town with songs that ranged from lightning speed bluegrass breakdowns to tear jerking country ballads.

“We don’t try to play it straight,” says the rubber-faced Goss. “We never have.”

Guest musicians often join the band and friends onstage for a rendition or two, and local fiddle legend Don Zeuff is now a full-on member of the group.

After three stellar albums filled with “deranged” cover songs and original tunes that usually involve their personal experiences on the road and/or drinking, the band is about to quit playing live altogether.

As Winnipeg’s music fans gasp, Goss explains the decision.

“We’ve written a bunch of stuff and tried to record it, but it just wasn’t happening,” he said. “Nobody has got the time to commit like they used to.”

It’s no wonder – listing all the other projects that members are involved with would take most of this article.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on with younger folks right now, bands like the Magnificent 7s, Crooked Brothers, Oh My Darling,” Goss muses. “Seems like the scene is pretty healthy. Maybe we had a part in making that happen.”

Haldane’s recording studio is still in operation, and maybe this will allow time for them to record those unreleased songs.

The newer material will be featured at the concert along with two sets of gems from the back catalog.

The spirit of collaboration is still in the air as they welcome guests such as David Essig, Shuyler Jansen, Romi Mayes and Matt Allen.

Filmmaker Mike Maryniuk, who collaborated with the D.Rangers on the DVD Bushwackin’ will be there documenting the event.

“It’s something I’ll miss a lot. It has been a huge part of my life – the joy I derive from it,” Goss said, reminiscing on the good times they had playing together.

So head on down to the West End Cultural Centre where the whisky is sure to be flowing freely all night long.

Published in Volume 65, Number 13 of The Uniter (November 25, 2010)