What do you think of when you hear the phrase “Southern rock?” Do you think about the triple-guitar attack of Lynyrd Skynyrd as they wail their way through “Free Bird?” Or, maybe you recall the Allman Brothers Band’s elastic jamming that brought country, folk, blues and jazz into the mix.
The Charleston group known as the Mason Dixon Band definitely plays Southern rock, but they’re not as heavy as Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers could be. And they’re a lot more concise.
The Mason Dixon Band’s brand of Southern rock is on full display in their new single, “I’m A Southern Gentleman,” recently released through Stoplight Records.
As the song opens, guitarist Wayne Dawes and harmonica player Brian Carmack lay down a nasty riff while keyboardist John Padlan leans on the Hammond B-3 organ sound. Those all might sound like common Southern rock tropes, but the rhythm is surprisingly laid back. And bassist Jerry Ray and drummer Timmy Feltner have a surprisingly light touch as a rhythm section.
As for the lyrics, they were written by frontman Roddy Akers, whose laid-back drawl suits the song perfectly. He wrote the song in celebration, he told the Charleston City Paper, of “a kind of man they don’t seem to make anymore.”
“The song has got a lot to do with Southern culture,” Akers said. “Lots of men in the past were Southern gentlemen, and I think we’ve lost part of that kind of generation, so to speak. I think it’s got more to do with Southern hospitality.”
When Akers spoke about how he wrote the song, he still sounded a little surprised by how easily it came together “It’s really amazing because I wrote ‘Southern Gentleman’ in 30 minutes,” he said. “I’ve been a songwriter for a long time, and sometimes a theme or an idea will hit me. I’ll just start writing, and it just comes out.”
A long-shared history
Akers, a lifelong lover of classic Southern rock music, has found the perfect conduit for his songwriting in the Mason Dixon Band. You can feel the quiet confidence in the playing on “I’m A Southern Gentleman,” and that’s because this group has been together for a while. Almost 20 years, in fact.
Akers said, “Back in 2005, I was writing songs for myself, and I was going out and singing with little bands here and there all over Charleston. And a guy by the name of J.R. McLeod (the band’s now-former guitarist) and I decided to form the Mason Dixon Band. J.R. said, ‘How about Mason Dixon Band for a name, Roddy?’ and I thought, ‘That sounds pretty good.’ It’s a Southern kind of a name for a band that plays Southern rock and country music.”
On “I’m A Southern Gentleman,” the first of several new songs that the Mason Dixon Band plans on releasing this year, you can hear echoes of their Spartanburg-based peers, The Marshall Tucker Band. That’s because Akers and his band worked out of the Spartanburg studio where the Marshall Tucker songs are made.
“We’re working with (former Marshall Tucker Band bassist) Tim Lawter up in Spartanburg,” Akers said. “We will be going back up to his studio soon to get some more songs done.”
Now with Stoplight Records backing them, Akers said that the Mason Dixon Band is preparing for a busy year of single releases including “Patriot Son” and “Nobody Parties Like Country Boys Do” and touring. In fact, they’re getting ready to launch their Country Boys Party Tour in April.
And Akers can’t wait to hit the stage.
“I’ve been singing in bands all my life,” he said. “I started singing on the piano at 5 years old with my mother, and I had my first band when I was 16 years old. We enjoy entertaining the crowd and getting them going. It’s just something that’s in my blood.”
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