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How does one define southern rock? Obviously, you must dig deeply into the early 1970’s where perhaps it was at its best, to obtain a true answer. Lynrd Skynrd, along with The Allman Brothers, brought southern rock to the forefront unlike anyone before. The raucous energy flowed freely, with lyrics and sounds that permeated the spirit. The south was renowned for its free spirit, where bootleggers used to run the backroads with moonshine, and many honky tonks played music through the night for those looking to raise hell and have some fun. Skynrd and the Allmans were able to tap into the soul of these kindred spirits, telling stories they had lived, or at least wished they had lived at some point.
Leap forward more than 30 years, and what has changed? Well, country music is now pop and southern rock wannabes who have no idea who Duane Allman was. Real country has gone underground, and is now emerging once again as alternative. Sure there are a few bands who have attempted to wade into southern rock, but without the passionate energy, they mostly fell flat. Perhaps Skynrd and the Allmans set the ladder too high, and spoiled any attempts to even try this feat.
Enter Jacksonville, Florida’s own Hurricane Doyle. Of course one CD does not create a legend, but you must get off the ground before you can fly. Like many artists before them, they began with high hopes….got knocked down…dusted themselves off…made some changes….and tried once again.
Lead vocalist Larry Mell Morgan began his trek hoping to conquer Nashville.
“When I came to Nashville from Florida, it was to be done full out with the bands, vans, and insomnia thing, to start churning out mainstream country songs to get rich,” stated Morgan. “So I took demos all over town, kissed a lot of butts in a lot of offices, and played the stereotypical Nashville songwriter-round circuit for a while. That’s where I met some of the guys that would go on to become part of Hurricane Doyle, and it’s also where I started to figure out that the songs I was writing were not necessarily tame enough for Music Row.”
Once Morgan had hit the wall, a very fortunate opportunity was presented that opened a new door. Morgan was asked to perform at a benefit show. He quickly gathered some friends to put together this one time show.
“I didn’t have a band yet, so I called up a few of my new songwriter buddies (MikeyMike and Matt Ramsey included) because I knew they had the chops to get through a short set. We did not even have a name for the band, so we decided to name the band after Doyle Hargraves, Dwight Yoakam’s character from
"Sling Blade."
You got to love the creativity on the name choice alone!
“The first night that Hurricane Doyle played, the songs that were the most fun and got the biggest reaction from the crowd were those raunchy, decidedly-not-for mainstream-radio tunes that I love to play. Everybody just had a blast. I knew then that whether I liked it or not, this was in my blood for good. Now I’ve blinked and Hurricane Doyle has been playing for almost five years.
Getting to the point of releasing the new record has not been an easy task. Five years of hitting the road, losing some band members to other acts such as Taylor Swift’s band, and financial headaches, have taken a toll on everyone. The good thing is, they have grown stronger and survived.
“If you can call making music a struggle from a perspective that doesn’t take into account people’s real-life problems then…hell yeah, it’s been a struggle. In contrast to the good-time, party atmosphere of a Doyle show, where everybody in the room feels like part of the act, the recording of this project was a really slow grind. It was a real challenge not only to try to re-create the energy and drunken fun of those live shows, but also to fight through all the financial issues that have stalled things over and over again. I want to stress again, though, that I’ve loved every minute of it, and nobody’s killed anybody yet, so I’ll take it,” laughs Morgan.
The new CD unleashes 9 songs, all written by Morgan, Ramsey, Michael “MikeyMike” Feeney, and Jason Gibson, a talented writer in Nashville. From the beginning, the record draws you in with the subtle opening chords on “Begging Sweetly,” almost like the listener is being taken slowly up the rollercoaster hill….before reaching the peak and heading quickly downhill on a non-stop thrill ride as Sellers enters on drums, beginning the memorable journey through this great record.
The downfall of many bands has always been their ability to capture the live energetic passion on a record. The strong instrumentals here only accentuate the outstanding lead vocals by Morgan. They seamlessly create a flow which allows the listener to envision the band playing within the same room, keeping them moving with the music.
It is also important to have some fun with your music, and Hurricane Doyle definitely does that well with the second tune called “Death of Me.” This hard driver is a lyrical phenomenon that flows effortlessly, enhanced by the harmonies of Ramsey. The tongue in cheek saying, turns into a literal living nightmare as the character within the song has created his own fatal attraction.
Along with “Death of Me,” “Got a Gun” perhaps stands above the others as one the strongest songs on a record full of good tunes. This tale hits home in this time of hard living, as the character debates how to handle his woe. Supported by a great acoustic guitar, the lonesome feel and angst are captured very well. This song almost has a Henley/Eagles quality to it, but when Walsh was playing guitar during the good old days.
There is honestly no let downs in this record. The energy flows well from song to song, each offering its own source of quality without sounding repetitive. This well rounded, multi pronged attack, along with the talented writing and singing, certainly are refreshing in a genre which has sorely lacked such a band in many years.
With the initial record out, Hurricane Doyle now must keep rolling, have some fun along the way, and continue to carve out their own niche.
“My favorite part of the whole music thing is playing live and writing songs, so we’re going to keep doing that, and hopefully find some time to promote this record and get it out there. We’re booking what our promoter Page Carpenter likes to call an “SEC Tour” of the Southeast for winter and spring, and hope to have another EP finished by early next year. I would like to make a live record as well, but I have to concentrate on not saying anything from the stage that would offend my mom,” laughs Morgan.
If you like quality writing and hard driving music, I highly recommend you pick this one up. You will not be disappointed.
John Walker
Americana Roots
August 24, 2009
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