“With her unique mix of bourbon-infused country blues,” Romi Mayes’ bio begins, “Romi Mayes will make you miss your mouth when sippin’ your beer.”

And judging from the road stories that the Winnipeg singer/songwriter shares with me, she’s no stranger to mind-altering substances herself either.

“I don’t know if I can think of one story that stands out,” she begins, “but my road days are never without their strange occurrences. Like the time Dustin Bentall, Kent McAlister, and I almost got kicked off the Vancouver Island ferry. Or the time Sam Baker, Gurf Morlix, and I were doing a show in San Marcos, Texas and I tried to outrun a train, pretty sure that racing it was a good idea, and almost won.”

Mayes doesn’t elaborate, which I find perplexing: doesn’t “almost winning” a race with a train usually mean dying? No time to clarify: she’s already onto her next story....

“There’s also the time I got so loaded after a gig in Houston and lost the rest of my crew and ended up singin’ karaoke with a bunch of old men with no teeth until my team came and found me. And the time I spent riding with The D.Rangers was definitely not without its adventures, either. We went across the country in a ’76 Chevy camper van that couldn’t pass a safety even if the safety inspector was your best friend and you paid him graciously.”

She pauses. “Or there was the time Chris Carmichael and I almost got kicked out of a motel in Sault Sainte Marie for doin’ some late-night pickin’ and boozin’ in the bathroom of the motel (where the acoustics are the best, by the way). We moved it outside onto the roof of the van, which didn’t please the neighbouring motel visitors either. Before convincing the management to let us stay the night, I believe I mooned them.

“Some really embarrassing things can happen, too,” Mayes continues. “Like the time Billy Joe Shaver and I were doing a show together in Toronto and he called me up to sing with him on a song I didn’t know the words to and I had to fake it in front of a silent room of well over 200 people watching.”

Mayes has just one more: “I think one of the craziest shows I ever had was a solo show in Omaha. I was hanging out with some locals before the show and they gave me some mushrooms to eat (the psilocybin type). I just had very little, as to not get too messed up, but they were really strong and they were hitting me full force by the time I had to perform to a packed room. I remember getting through the show just fine but there were some moments where, well, I had to really try to keep it together.”

She sighs. “The list goes on and on.... Let’s have some beers sometime and I’ll tell you more classy stories. Basically I’m pretty sure ridin’ the highways with me is like ridin’ a tornado.”

Mayes plays the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in Gallagher Park this weekend. I suggest putting your beer in one of those toddler-type juice containers.