Southern rockers mine the best of classic and modern rock and make it their own ..read more

Artist: Heart of Pine Song: “Phetamine & Pearls” Album: TBD Genre: Americana, Folk Rock, Southern Rock You may have heard Heart of Pine before in one of our past New Music Fridays. The Athens, GA-based “Southedelic” band impressed me with their blend of Americana, folk, blues, country, southern rock and classic rock, so when I heard the track “Phetamine & Pearls”, I knew I had to throw some attention to the track. The band’s rhythm section opens with a Muscle Shoals groove, injecting a healthy dose of soul into the lightly funky track. The horn section heightens this, while the singer ..read more

Since their formation in the late 90’s, Memphis’ Lucero have subtly evolved, moving from alt country to cowpunk to southern rock to Memphis soul, and numerous points in between. On their 2018 album Among the Ghosts, the group delved into a moodier Southern gothic arena, and on their latest opus When You Found Me, they have used that jumping off point to return to a more straight-ahead rock sound that incorporates all of the influences and styles that have populated their previous records. The darker atmosphere of Among the Ghosts carries over to When You Found Me‘s first track “Have You Lost ..read more

Cornwall, England – I did my research. A rural county on the southwest peninsula of Great Britain, Cornwall is mostly known for its folk scene. And though I wouldn’t mind a new folk release, I was pleasantly surprised when the alternative-indie rock trio William The Conqueror came across my desk with their upcoming fourth album.  Excuse Me While I Vanish, I’m told, is an album that nearly wasn’t made. As many artists/creators experienced during lockdown restrictions, Ruarri Joseph (frontman) found himself often questioning his creative future. Sitting in this feared uncertainty, Joseph ..read more

Artist: Me Like Bees Song: “All Alone” Genre: Rock Feel good rock n’ roll is always in demand, likely because the supply is so low. Thankfully, Joplin, Missouri’s Me Like Bees are out there writing tracks like “All Alone”. Following the release of a number of EPs and their 2013 full length The Ides, the group has been releasing a number of singles, with “All Alone” being the most recent. Meshing Southern Rock rhythms with Beach Boys melodies, “All Alone” is the epitome of hip-shaking guitar music. Yet you would never guess it, with tongue-in-cheek lyrics like “Can’t talk to the roommate ..read more

They gave us more cowbell. Over their many years as one of the best unsung bands working their way across America again and again, Lucero have gone through a number of evolutions, from melancholy Americana to rowdy cow-punk to Memphis soul to moody Southern Gothic style music. On their latest release Should’ve Learned By Now, the band has stripped things down to the basics of good ol’ bar band rock n’ roll, keeping a bit of everything their fans love about them, while still finding little spaces to venture off their normal beaten path. And yes, that path has some loud, clanking cowbell on it ..read more

While The Dead Bolts may hail from Chicago, upon listening to their latest album Pretty and Burnt Out, you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking you had discovered a great new southern rock band. The group knocks out salty blues guitar riffs, shuffling R&B rhythms and brazen attitude with a complete ease, and the vocals are delivered with a twangy drawl that could be mistaken for the Kings of Leon. Tracks like “Keep it Moving”, with its country lilt and lyrics like “This sitting pretty shit ain’t good for the heart” would feel right at home in an Alabama biker bar, followed by the Stones-influ ..read more

If a song rocks hard, it’s fully okay to call it “Rock Hard”. That’s what Beyond the Badlands have done and do on their most recent release, The Black Hills Album. Formed by Cuda Smith in 2020 while he was deployed in the military, the guitarist/songwriter formed his group through musicians he met on the internet, and during the pandemic, the group recorded their parts all around the United States (and even in deployed locations in the Middle East). Their sound hearkens back to classic southern rock, with “Rock Hard” being a particularly banger-worthy track. Geared towards riding down long du ..read more

Any artist that would fit on a bill with Lucero is generally worth listening to, but the band knocked it out of the park choosing Morgan Wade to join them on their recent tour. I caught Wade and her band’s set at the Pico Union Project before Lucero, and was a fan starting with the first song. Wade’s voice carries the pains and struggles of hardship in every note, giving her songs, which deal with issues of mental health and addiction, an authenticity that can’t be faked. Though a petite presence on stage among her tall bandmates, as a performer she held the audience’s attention with a stoic ..read more

We’ve come to the end of the first month of 2020, and we’ve already gotten a lot of great music, with even more coming in today. First, we have the next opus from Southern rockers Drive-By Truckers, which clearly will have a political bent based on the first couple singles. Next, we have the amazing new record from Nathan Gray (see our review of his new album here). Finally, pop rock songstress Kesha has dropped her latest album. In songs, there are some exciting drops today; the talented Hayley Williams has released her second single from her upcoming solo project; Gorillaz are back wit ..read more