Southern Rock is Alive and Well

OK. So we are all annoyed by the guys yelling out "Play some Skynyrd" or "Freebird". And, yeah, that still goes on. The band doesn't appreciate it. Most of the patrons don't either.

But, you know what? There are plenty of bands out there keeping Southern Rock alive. Do they all play "Freebird"? Nope. Do they rock in the spirit of Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, Molly Hatchet, ZZ Top, the Allmans, Charlie Daniels, etc.? A resounding yes to that.

In the past I've been more than willing to say "Today's music sucks".  Well, yeah, some of it does. But some of it is really good. Here are some bands doing Southern Rock justice.

Whiskey Myers: My personal favorite. And, as a caveat, I can be swayed by the fact that they hail from Texas. Their latest record Early Morning Shakes is pure, unadulterated Southern Rock, no matter how it's categorized now.




Blackberry Smoke: I have to give them proper credit.  They were my gateway into looking for more modern Southern Rock. I first heard them and was intrigued. Are there really still Southern Rock bands out there? Yes, yes there are. And Blackberry Smoke is at the pinnacle.




Preacher Stone is pretty unknown but they bring it. Although they don't want to be known as a Southern Rock band, but rather a rock band from the South I'm including them anyway.



There are many more. And that excites me. Search, dig and find the music you like. Don't let anyone else dictate what you listen to.

Album Spotlight: Tyler McCumber Band - Saracene Sessions: Tape 1

Listening to Saracene Sessions: Tape 1 by the Tyler McCumber Band, I hear southern rock and country. I hear Merle Haggard and Bob Seger. I hear Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top. That's all good.

But what I hear mostly is Tyler McCumber. And that's even better.

Saracene Sessions is not going to be anyone's go-to summer feel-good record. No party anthems to be found. There's nothing wrong with that, this just isn't one.

Sometimes dark and brooding, this record has remarkable songs in the almost lost art of storytelling. And stories, it does tell.

You're not going to put this on the playlist for your BBQ or crab boil party. This is the record you put on while sitting on your deck/balcony/etc. with a glass of wine or bottle of craft beer and just take it in.

Here is "Don't Blame the Gun".


Dont Blame the Gun from Tyler McCumber Band on Myspace.

Tyler McCumber Band on Amazon

TheCheapSeats on Twitter

Album Spotlight Whisky Myers: Early Morning Shakes

Led Zeppelin, early Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, ZZ Top. I can hear a little bit of all of those in Whiskey Myers new album Early Morning Shakes. But what I hear predominately is pure unadulterated Southern Rock. Skynyrd, the Allmans, Marshall Tucker, Molly Hatchet, etc.

Any song on this album would slide nicely into any classic rock format. But that's not to say it sounds dated. It doesn't. Early Morning Shakes sounds as current as anything you will hear.

Coming out of Tyler, Texas, Whiskey Myers cut their teeth on the Red Dirt/Texas Country music scene. And you can hear those country influences on the record, but this really a good old-fashioned, in-your-face, Southern Rock album. The best since the late '70's.

The album kicks off with what, in my opinion, is the weakest track, the title song "Early Morning Shakes". But then the whole thing takes off and never lets off the gas with the Zeppelinesque "Hard Row to Hoe".

Another highlight is the single "Home" (track 5). Straight up Southern Rock the way it was meant to be played. That leads in to the next two hard rocking tracks "Headstone" and "Where the Sun Don't Shine".

"Reckoning" (track 8) and the album closing "Colloquy" show a more introspective and mellower side of the band. Both are excellent.

If you were ever wondering what happened to good Southern Rock, it's alive and well and it's name is Whiskey Myers.