News Article in the Florence Morning News written by Nick Hilbourn,
French Horns and AM Radio: The Musical Trail of Rippin Dixie...
------Musicians don't come from genres. Follow any singer, any band and you'll find a trail of music that ranges far and wide. Jazz, blues, country, rock --American music has softened the lines between music styles and created heavy rockers who grew up on Miles Davis, bubble gum pop groups that listen to Waylon Jennings and country stars who like Nelly.
-----Add to that list a Southern rock group that cites the French horn, AM radio and air guitar as its musical beginnings.
Rippin Dixie is a four-piece band hailing from Sumter with Jeff Strickland and Vance Andrews on lead guitar, Billy Hatchell on bass and Charlie Martak on drums. They performed at Carolina Nightlife last Friday and Saturday night.
-----Follow Rippin Dixie back a little ways and you'll find a trail of music that includes everything from beach music to hair bands. Martak started out banging on a dashboard while an AM radio station played in the background and tooted on the French horn in high school. Hatchell rocked air guitar to KISS and played drums in his high school band. Strickland started on the guitar at 13 to impress the ladies. Andrews taught himself chords using his brother's guitar and eventually surpassed his older sibling in skill. Combined the guys have more than 25 years of musical experience with influences ranging from country music legends Porter Wagoner and Tom T. Hall to major musical powerhouses The Beatles and The Who.
-----Rippin Dixie fell together like a well-ordered piece of chaos. Each of the band members had come from groups that had fallen apart and were looking for a new firm musical foundation. Strickland and Martak had been friends since 1995, and both men had known Andrews through local music connections. Hatchell is a recent addition, joining the band in February.
Saturday night the guys delivered a firecracker show. Martak lit up the stage with a quick twack of his drumsticks and Andrews and Strickland replied with a thunderous curtain of electric guitar.
-----You could feel your stomach flutter when Martak's bass drum boomed on their opening song "God Bless Texas" and you couldn't help but smile when the guys swung into the Bob Seger classic "Old Time Rock & Roll."
But just as soon as Rippin Dixie sliced through a fast-paced, foot-stompin' rock 'n' roll anthem, they brought everything down a notch with sweet ballads like Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" or Travis Tritt's "Help Me Hold On."
-----The guys obeyed the cardinal rule of a cover band, which is never slow down. The group's dynamics keep you interested. Strickland and Andrews played to each other out in the crowd, Martak hammered a railroad behind a tangle of cymbals and snares and Hatchell held his bass like he was cruising in a Lincoln Continental.
-----The group has already recorded a CD of country and southern rock covers and, recently, performed at HD Spokes during Harley Davidson Bike Week in Myrtle Beach, playing the whole week in front of crowds of more than 3,000 people.
-----It goes without saying that anyone planning on going to see Rippin Dixie should expect a high energy show, especially at Carolina Nightlife, which encourages those akin to hooting, hollering and line dancing.
-----The future of Rippin Dixie looks promising. The guys are looking to open up their touring schedule outside of the Carolinas, but they say it's just a matter of making connections. A second CD also looks eminent. Strickland says he has a notebook full of original songs that he would love to get recorded.
----- For more information about the band check out their Web site, www.myspace.com/rippindixie
-----Contributed by Nick Hilbourn, 8 days band critic-----
E-mail here at Myspace or at Rippindixie @yahoo.com for booking information.
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