Run Over Twice

It’s like listening to a mixtape full of Johnny Cash and Guns ‘n’ Roses. A little twang here, a little rock there – all Mike Amabile.

With band Run Over Twice, Amabile has managed to create a sound that rivals masters of the alt-country meets rock ‘n’ roll genre like Whiskeytown and Wilco.

Amabile says he never intended to become an entertainer – it, like most things in life – was a long and winding road.

“I took a guitar class in college as an elective to learn how to read music because I wanted to play the harmonica,” he explained. “I kept on playing guitar – went to Sam (Sam Houston State University in Huntsville) – got a couple of local gigs and decided I could try to pursue it.

“Later, I spent a summer in Colorado as a ranch hand and I performed for the guests,” he added. “Everybody was very encouraging and I decided to see how far I could take it.”

Turns out, he can take it pretty far.

With gigs lined up solid around the Houston area for the foreseeable future and a new CD “Better Side of Me” for sale, Amabile and Run Over Twice are quickly becoming household names in and around Space City.

Born in Connecticut, Amabile grew up in the Kingwood area but now calls Spring home. Though his career as a musician is relatively new, Amabile said he’s living most folks’ dream.

“I’m paying my bills doing something I love,” he said. “I’m making better money than I would be at any of the other jobs I could have gotten straight out of college. I never have to wake up in the morning and say I hate my job. I feel lucky.

“When I started doing this, it didn’t take very long for it to turn into my dream,” he said. “It wasn’t my childhood dream, but it’s really cool.”

Growing up in the hotbed of musical ambivalence – otherwise known as Central Texas – where you’re as likely to hear Cajun and Jazz as rock or country on every street corner, Amabile said he’s had a varied list of favorites over the years. From Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Stone Temple Pilots and Pink Floyd, to a little Motley Crue thrown in for good measure, his tastes are all over the pop culture music map.

Now that he’s had time to fuse all those years of musical experimentation into a career, Amabile said he’s got loftier goals for the future.

“I would love to visit every continent,” he laughed. “It’s a big goal, but you’ve gotta stretch yourself.

“The world is so big and so many people never get to experience it,” he said. “Musically, I want to keep going in the direction I’m going. I want to make a comfortable living off my original music and be able to relate to people.”

Whatever happens in the future, Amabile is happy to be having the time of his life right now.

“My worst day is still better than most people’s good days,” he said. “Thank God for that.”

“Better Side of Me,” the new CD from Mike Amabile and Run Over Twice, is available on the band’s website, as well as iTunes.com, CDbaby.com, ourtracks.com and Snocap.com.

- The Conroe Courier