Listening to Tishamingo’s newest release you can’t help but think: Damn! That there’s some hard Southern rockin’ blues! As a band their sound has coalesced and aged since the band formed, over the past five years and the three records they’ve released. They’ve been consistently musically solid, but they seem to have found their identity on this record. You’ll be reminded of early ZZ Top, the Allman Bros., Aerosmith and Zeppelin. The blues tinged, jam band sound is just the thing for dirty neighborhood bars and rock ‘n roll parties. These boys formed their band right here in Northern Florida, though they’ve moved on to Athens, GA and are now based there. Their Southern roots definitely show on this album with more than a smattering of soul, Deep South blues, hard driving rock and country.
Setting the tone for the album is the gritty ‘Get on Back.’ Their label of a neo-hippie jam band is stretched as they flex their collective musical muscles, though I’d say that the label still sticks. ‘Tennessee Mountain Angel,’ touted as the most Skynyrd-esque, was the weakest of the tracks with a fairly derivative sound that veered a little too far into the area of country music for my taste. (Not that I don’t love a good country album, but this isn’t a country album). It’s redeemed somewhat by the last verses, when it picks up a bit and comes back a bit to a straight ahead rock sound. The last track, ‘Devil’s Love Song’ was a fun, gimmicky, song but in some way it seemed slightly out of place on this album. Listen for Jess Franklin’s contributions on his electric piano, which rocks nearly as much as Cameron Williams and Franklin’s guitar lines.
Tishamingo is well on their way to stardom, or at least some measure of fame. Like Mofro, they headlined the third annual Down on the Farm Festival in Quincy, Florida. Not only that, they recently toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special and Sister Hazel on the “Gimmie Three Days” cruise. They’ve been all over the tour circuit, hitting Europe twice and cinstantly touring the U.S. They played at Bonnaroo in Tennessee, playing to a capcity crowd despite a time slot against the very popular Radiohead.
As Tishamingo proves on The Point, they just play damn fine music. It doesn’t do anything ground breaking and pays homage to a ton of bands, but it does distill some of the things we like about Synyrd, AC/DC and classic jam bands. It’s simple, and more importantly, it’s fun to listen to.
Their live shows are what built their enthusiastic fan base, and you can catch them live on March 17th at the Great Atlantic Seafood Festival in Jax Beach. If you can’t catch them live and you like a great jam band and Southern rock, pick up a copy of their latest CD and rock out!
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