Edwin McCain is an acoustic singer/songwriter who tours with his band on a regular basis, doing gigs pretty much all over the place, including both small and large venues alike. What sets McCain off from others is his use of storytelling in many of his shows. Although his main attraction is of course the music, he and his friends include funny stories between songs, which is kind of like inviting audiences to see what it would be like to sit around a campfire with friends and musicians.

Mile Marker doesn't actually have a main feature. Instead, it's broken into six sections, three of which make up the bulk of the DVD's worth.

Video Vault contains two videos ("3 a.m." and "Sorry to a Friend") and some short interview snippets. I'm guessing McCain doesn't have any other videos, or they would've been included on the disc. Although it's a bit disappointing to get so little music out of this section, the videos are a nice segue into the more lively and definitely more entertaining sections.

Live Music, available in either 2.0 stereo sound or 5.1 Dolby Digital sound (the only section on the disc with digital sound), features live performances of "I'll Be," "Radio Star," and "No Choice." There's a very short interview that's only available if you go the 2.0 route, but other than that, stick to the digital track. It's much sharper, deeper, and more enveloping.

Aside from the music, this section includes a few stories related to each song. It's these introductions that truly bring McCain to life. He's very energetic on stage, and through his body language and easy going nature, it's hard not to like him. Add to that the humor of "Radio Star," a song that sarcastically toys with VH1's "Behind the Music" television series, and it's obvious a McCain show would be worth the cost of admission.

Storyteller contains, you guessed it, stories. These stories are featured in either the uncensored or censored variety, with the latter beeping out the offensive words, which unfortunately ruins the flavor of the stories and should be avoided if at all possible. Most of the stories are fairly humorous, but they aren't as spontaneous or as fun as the ones caught on stage in the previous section.

After watching these three main areas of the disc, I found myself enjoying the show, but at the same time, wishing there was more to it. Although the stories, interview clips, and videos were fine, I wanted more of the live stuff. Not only was that the best way to hear McCain's music (thanks to the 5.1 sound), it was also the most entertaining section.

In a way, I see it like this—Edwin McCain fans will enjoy every last bit of this disc. For everyone else, Mile Marker serves as a great advertisement, not only for his CDs, but also his live shows. Wanting more isn't necessarily a bad thing most of the time. After all, it means there was something to like to begin with. But in this instance, I feel almost cheated. For plunking down my hard earned money, give me some more live footage, or at the very least, access to a few more songs.

THE VIDEO
The video of Mile Marker is pretty mediocre, but that has everything to do with the source material. Much of the footage is either taken with a hand-held home-video style camera or taken in dark concert halls/bars with harsh lighting. However, most of the interview clips are crisp with nice detail and bright colors, and the videos look great. In other words, there's nothing here that will make you wince or turn your head in disgust, but at the same time, there's nothing that will make you jump with joy and show your friends how great your television looks.

THE AUDIO
For the most part, Mile Marker is featured in plain jane 2.0 surround. It sounds good enough until you listen to the live music portion in 5.1 digital sound, which is when you'll ask yourself why the rest wasn't reproduced in the same way. The 5.1 mix is nothing short of awesome. With the surrounds used mainly by a clapping audience, the mix makes it as if you're actually at the show. The sax and guitar are so crisp during "I'll Be" that I actually turned up the volume. That may not sound like a big deal, but coming from a reviewer who primarily enjoys rap and R&B, well, you get the idea that this section of the disc sounds pretty dang good. The only disappointing part of it is that there's not more of it.

THE BONUS FEATURES
The primary bonus goodies on this disc are to be found in the section titled Extras. Here you'll find some behind-the-scenes footage of McCain in the studio and a parody of MTV's "Cribs" that showcases McCain's mobile home. This 8+ minute skit is pretty funny, but not exactly something to write home about.

Also available is a slide show and a discography that offers names, dates, and song titles for each of McCain's albums.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Surprisingly, I enjoyed Mile Marker: Songs and Stories from the Acoustic Highway quite a bit. Much more than I expected to. The acoustic music was great and the stories were entertaining. If you're an Edwin McCain fan you should run out and get this DVD if you haven't already. For casual fans or fans of acoustic music, this is at least a worthy rental.