How would you describe the band’s style?
It is a traditional rock and roll style of music with a punk rock attitude. Kind of like The Rolling Stones, we attempt to add a Southern gospel twist to our music. This is what makes us different from many other rock bands.
How has the Southern experience affected the band’s music?
Growing up in the South has had a huge effect on the band, especially the football tradition that is very important to the Southern culture. Our love for the Crimson Tide has been a great benefit to our band. This is one of the things that has helped bring success to our band. Once we discovered that the Southern sports tradition could help our band, we started shouting Roll Tide during our shows. It got great reactions in the state of Alabama, but not so good ones in rival states like Louisiana and Tennessee. Nonetheless, a reaction is a reaction. One of the goals of a rock band is to get a reaction out of the crowd.
What is the new production the band is currently working on?
Our newest production is titled “Teenage Hallelujah”. It is centered around being a great father while currently being inside of the band. This can be very hard to do at times. The production also make references to the spiritual traditions in the South. Our band has various amounts of spirituality in it. Some of us grew up in the church; while others did not. We also include elements of living a spiritual life after death. The production is actually a resurgence of our first production titled “Teenager” that was released in 1998. We have really grown as musicians and men since then.
How did the band tie their southern roots into their new production?
We use several experiences we’ve had and witnessed during our time in the South. In fact, one of our songs, “Eat Cornbread Raise Hell”, stems from one of the bars that was once in downtown Tuscaloosa. The bar was covered with murals. One of them said “Eat Cornbread, Raise Hell.” We thought it described a Saturday in the South. To us, Saturdays in the South are all about eating good food, having fun with friends and families, and watching a few good games or two. We also have a song that references former Alabama football player Jimmy Johns’ story about how he was charged with several drug charges and how he turned his life around.
Tickets for The Dexateens’ show are available online at druidcitymusichall.com
