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<\/p>\nAs a style of music, Southern rock is difficult to pin down. Even some of its most dedicated practitioners are at a loss when it comes to defining what exactly constitutes Southern rock. \u201cThat\u2019s a good question,\u201d says Abe Anderson of the Dirty Soul Revival. His reply is one commonly used in the interviewing game as a gambit to buy time while struggling to come up with an answer.<\/p>\n
After fumbling around valiantly, mentioning blues, country twang and a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll beat, Anderson shrugs. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he admits with a chuckle. \u201cI guess, being from the South and playing rock \u2018n\u2019 roll would technically make it Southern rock.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fair enough. There\u2019s some general agreement that bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Outlaws and Black Crowes made music that fits into the category. Other well-known groups \u2014 the Allman Brothers Band, for example, who drew from the jazz tradition \u2014 don\u2019t fit as neatly into the genre.<\/p>\n
But one important hallmark of Southern rock is its lyrical sensibility, one that draws from real life. And that\u2019s an area in which Dirty Soul Revival exemplifies the beloved style of music. Anderson says that his inspiration \u201calways comes from personal experience. That may be tragedy or something sad,\u201d he says, \u201csomething that affected you enough \u2014 even if you don\u2019t realize it \u2014 to start writing about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson says that there\u2019s often no specific intention to his songwriting. \u201cA lot of the time I don\u2019t realize what I\u2019m writing until I\u2019m about three-quarters of the way done with the song,\u201d he admits. \u201cSometimes I just start writing words that sound interesting to me, and then all of a sudden, I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, okay. That\u2019s<\/i> what this is about!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
He has found that writing from the heart can result in a song that speaks to listeners on a personal level. \u201cIt\u2019s important for me to write something that connects with the listener,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I find that that never happens if it doesn\u2019t connect with me<\/i> first. If I don\u2019t believe in it, it never comes across right. It sounds contrived; it sounds put on. But if it means something to me, then I can convey that in depth to the listener.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson sings and plays guitar, backed up by guitarist Brandon Hill, Duste Decay on bass, and drummer Tyler Wedge. Launched in 2014, the group \u2013 which originally featured Anderson\u2019s wife Jenni Lynn \u2013 grew out of Anderson\u2019s desire to move beyond the blues purist approach of his previous band.<\/p>\n
The Dirty Soul Revival released its self-titled EP in 2016, following that up a year later with the full-length Brave New World<\/i>; Anderson is a prolific songwriter, so there\u2019s plenty more new material to come. \u201cI\u2019ve got at least 20 songs that are done,\u201d he says, \u201cWe could go record them tomorrow.\u201d The challenge, he admits, is \u201cfinding the time to work it out.\u201d The band maintains a busy calendar of live dates; Dirty Soul Revival has shows booked well into August, including a number of festival appearances.<\/p>\n
And as energetic and powerful as the band\u2019s recordings are, being in front of an audience is where the Dirty Soul Revival is most in its element. With that in mind, Anderson says that the band is considering cutting a live album, one that captures the intensity of the group\u2019s stage presence. \u201cWe write a fairly broad array of songs,\u201d Anderson says. \u201cWe have stuff that\u2019s pretty mild and laid back, some that\u2019s pretty fast and heavy, and we\u2019ve got songs that are a little more groove-oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson explains the band\u2019s mission when it\u2019s onstage. \u201cI like it to feel like a show,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t want us to be like, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to play some songs,\u2019 and that\u2019s it. I want it to flow. I want it to feel like people are at a concert, not just there watching some dudes playing guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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