Quarterlifeparty

Written by Dylan, occasional contributor to Quarterlifeparty.

I have been looking to catch a Dead Confederate show since I first got into their EP for “The Rat” last summer. That song made me interested, but it was “Tortured, Artist, Saint” that truly drew me in. I listened to the follow-up LP a lot late last year, too. Still, I thought their strongest songs were from the EP; “Memorial Day Night”, in addition to the other two. The LP, Wrecking Ball, has some good songs, but lacks some of the raw bite of the earlier effort.

Last Friday, the band headlined two nights at the Larimer Lounge as part of the Indie 101.5 “Birthday Blowout”. You have to wonder where a movement is once you have a genre-specific namesake station on conventional radio, but it’s a decently broad rotation. It was also Restaurant Week in Denver so we arrived a bit late, well plied with wine and food. It must have been slippery out, too, because people were dropping like flies. “Down goes Frazier!”

The Dead Confederate set was great. They were loud and dark, like their records. Jason Scarboro’s drumming is frenetic. It’s great to hear a band who’s soul and drive come from behind the kit. In stage presence, Dead Confederate recall moody grunge; not only does singer Hardy Morris have the requisite floppy matted hair in his eyes, but the soaring guitar riffs he generates with Walker Howle echo Stone Gossard. No surprise here, as the band has been associated with The Artist Association label created by Gary Gersh, who is best known for working with Nirvana and others.

Sonically, the Athens, GA quintuplet veer into alternative country territory. On songs like “Start Me Laughing” Morris’ vocals capture the gritty angst of crooners like Ben Nichols (Lucero) and many of the great singers that have been associated with The Drive By Truckers. Dead Confederate finds a common thread between the two genres; a sound that conveys bleakness and torment. Hey, we all knew the 90’s were coming back. Hardy Morris and his band are tapping into it in a way that reflects a fresh take in a new time.

Here is a video of an in-store they did in Georgia to give you a taste:

And them in denver last year:

Tags: , dead confederate