Onstage with the folk Wylie & the Wild West

Real cowboys themselves, Wylie & the Wild West delivered a bona-fide country music performance.

The group’s mix of traditional cowboy tunes and western swing definitely got toes tappin’ and led to loud hand clappin’ – especially when singer-guitarist Wylie Gustafson let out a yodel.

“We found out last night, Bangor truly is yodeler territory,” Gustafson said Saturday at a performance at the Railroad Stage.

The group, which was performing in Maine for the first time, is Gustafson on guitar, Scott Wilburn on steel guitar and fiddle, Ray Doyle on guitar, and Dave Reynolds on drums.

All hailing from out West, they shared a little bit of what life is like on the ranch and range with songs like “Saddle Bum” and “Buffalo Gals.”

“How about that?” Gustafson said. “They’re applauding for yodeling.”

Gustafon’s pure and crystal-clear voice smoothly transitioned from cowpoke ballads such as “Montana Moon” to heel-stompin’ tunes such as the “Jitterbug Boogie.”

“I just want to hear him do the Yahoo thing,” one audience member said, referring to Wylie’s famous three-note yodel for the Yahoo.com commercial. And the audience wasn’t disappointed. Before the show was over, Wylie let out the famous yodel for a cheering crowd.

Ending the set with what Gustafson called a “real cowboy campfire song,” band members kicked up the heels on their boots and received a well-deserved standing ovation.

– Aimee Dolloff