The Dexateens
Debuted: October 12th, 2009
“Down Low”
'Down Low' is a denial of the way things have been traditionally handed down and a realization of the way things actually are. We tend to revisit that general theme from record to record. We all embraced that punk rock 'kill your idols' mentality, but in the heart of that place where Faulkner wrote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." -Elliott McPherson
Gallery:
The Session:
The Dexateens
About:
I get kinda cracked up when I hear new bands that look and sound like they
crawled out of the rural South, but hail from anywhere but (oh... hi there
Williamsburg). This is, of course, nothing new. I mean, we (and by we, I mean
The South) did in fact invent Rock n Roll one-half century or so ago, so it's
really not a problem. We're used to it... it's cool. It just amuses me a little,
that's all.
I guess authenticity does a lot for me these days, which is why I love the Dexateens so much. Simply stated, they are the real thing. Forming in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1998, The Dexateens have been together for just over a decade now and it shows. These guys know what they're doing, so you Brooklyn-based country rock bands should probably take some notes.
On stage, there's this raw energy that flows between these guys as they thrash into and on top of one another. By the third or fourth song they're each drenched in sweat, not all of it their own, mind you. It can feel like a Pentecostal revival gone terribly awry and you thank the Lord God Almighty that you are lucky enough to be there in the room with them. You realize about halfway through that you are, truly, blessed to be a part of all this.
There's a certain growl that has crept into frontman Elliott McPherson's voice over the years. It's mellow, yet bitter, like a good Tennessee whiskey, the perfect vehicle for his ever-maturing songwriting. It's a sound that can only result from year after year of countless late nights of bringing down the house each and every time they are on stage. It's just what they do.
So here's to one of the truly great Southern Rock & Roll treasures. Here's to the Dexateens. Roll Tide!
Cheers.
-Joe Baine Colvert
I guess authenticity does a lot for me these days, which is why I love the Dexateens so much. Simply stated, they are the real thing. Forming in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1998, The Dexateens have been together for just over a decade now and it shows. These guys know what they're doing, so you Brooklyn-based country rock bands should probably take some notes.
On stage, there's this raw energy that flows between these guys as they thrash into and on top of one another. By the third or fourth song they're each drenched in sweat, not all of it their own, mind you. It can feel like a Pentecostal revival gone terribly awry and you thank the Lord God Almighty that you are lucky enough to be there in the room with them. You realize about halfway through that you are, truly, blessed to be a part of all this.
There's a certain growl that has crept into frontman Elliott McPherson's voice over the years. It's mellow, yet bitter, like a good Tennessee whiskey, the perfect vehicle for his ever-maturing songwriting. It's a sound that can only result from year after year of countless late nights of bringing down the house each and every time they are on stage. It's just what they do.
So here's to one of the truly great Southern Rock & Roll treasures. Here's to the Dexateens. Roll Tide!
Cheers.
-Joe Baine Colvert