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Dead Confederate

Who? Hailing from a combination of Georgian cities(Atlanta, Augusta, Athens), John Watkins (keys), Jason Scarboro(drums), Brantley Senn (bass), Hardy Morris (guitar/vocals), and WalkerHowle (guitar) create the guitar-driven retro rock of Dead Confederate.Having already shared stages with the likes of the Black Lips,Deerhunter, Yeasayer, and Dinosaur, Jr., DC’s self-titled EP care ofthe Artist’s Organization (TAO) arrived last month; a studiofull-length is expected in 2008.

What’s the Deal?Though the band is pinned as producing the same kind of indie rockaesthetic à la My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses, Dead Confederatedabbles in darker shades than their compared predecessors. From theraspy, unrestrained shrieks of “The Rat” and the psychedelic guitarwail on the vivid “Tortured Artist Saint” to the intimate acousticlayers of “Memorial Day Night,” Dead Conferdate echo the Drive-ByTruckers’ bittersweet southern rock angst with the smoke-heavy swaggerof the Black Angels. Although southern Civil War soldiers may remainsix feet under, Dead Confederate’s sincere versatility drives home thatrock’n’roll is damn well alive and kicking.

Fun Fact:During his freshman year of high school, vocalist/guitarist HardyMorris sat at the same lunch table as guitarist Walker Howle — thatequals a total of 180 lunches. Howle, however, insists that he doesn’tremember his future bandmate even existing. Morris tells SPIN.com, “Ithought we were friends.”

Now Hear This:
Dead Confederate – “The Rat” DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
Dead Confederate at MySpace

Talk: Would you go to the grave for Dead Confederate?