Dead Confederate | |
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 Dead Confederate live at Bumbershoot 2009. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Augusta, Georgia,United States |
| Genres | Alternative rock,psychedelic rock,alternative country,grunge |
| Years active | 1997–2003 (Redbelly) 2004–2006 (The Redbelly Band) 2006–2015 |
| Labels | TAO/Old Flame Records (US) Kartel (UK & Europe) Spiderbomb Records |
| Past members | Hardy Morris Brantley Senn Walker Howle John Watkins Jason Scarboro |
| Website | www.deadconfederate.com |
Dead Confederate was an Americanalternative rock band, formed inAugusta, Georgia and based inAthens, Georgia. The band's sound was described as a mix ofalternative country,psychedelic rock andgrunge, and has drawn comparisons toNirvana andMy Morning Jacket.[1]
Childhood friends Thomas Hardy Morris and Walker Howle have played together since high school inAugusta, Georgia and along with Morris's brother Dawson hooked up with Jason Scarboro and Brantley Senn to form Redbelly in college in 1997.[2]
Redbelly's original lead singer Dawson Morris left and the band eventually went on to release its self-titled debut in October 2003 (recorded in Augusta in December 2002).[3][4] At this point the band was primarily asouthern rock-influencedjam band whose songs would often be 20 or 30 minutes long and were styled betweenNeil Young andPink Floyd.[5][6] Drummer Jason Scarboro later commented that the band had had its "share of playing 20- and 30-minute songs and really, it sucked—It's something that gets really old";[7] Senn also commented that "We knew we were making music that didn’t match the music we were into. We were going nowhere".[8]
A turning point for the band came when the members relocated toAtlanta, where John Watkins joined them and they renamed themselves The Redbelly Band. The Redbelly Band released an EP entitledUnderbelly in 2004[9] and what would become the Redbelly Band's last album,Petition To The Queen (recorded at Transduction Studios in Athens) in 2006.[10] The album featured the first version of the Senn-penned track The Rat, which was intentionally tighter than the band's previous looser, more improvised material.[7]
In late 2006, the members relocated to Athens, where Morris and Senn attended college. Taking themselves more seriously and writing tighter, more song-based material, they renamed the band Dead Confederate. When questioned about the new name, frontman Morris commented that it "sounded like we did; a bit dark, a bit militant, a bit southern";[11] Senn later commented that the Redbelly Band was "a terrible name".[12] After beating hundreds of bands to win the Open Mic Madness battle of the bands competition in Atlanta, the band was given the prize of two days' free recording at the city's Nickel and Dime Studios, where they produced a four-song demo.[13]
In 2007, formerCapitol Records president Gary Gersh, who had previously signedSonic Youth andNirvana toGeffen Records signed Dead Confederate as the first band on his new label TAO.[14] Radio DJ and record company scout Scott Register had seen the band play inBirmingham, Alabama[15] and had played the band's demo to Gersh. On January 22, 2008, the band released its self-titled debut EP, which was a collection of early recordings.[16][17] The new EP and an appearance at theSouth by Southwest festival inAustin, Texas resulted in some national exposure.[18]
On September 16, 2008, the band released its first LP,Wrecking Ball, on the TAO label.[19] The band recorded the album earlier that year with producerMike McCarthy in Austin.
The band toured the album nationwide, including shows withDinosaur Jr, and inEurope withA Place To Bury Strangers[20] andJ Mascis.
On October 10, Dead Confederate made its first national television appearance, performingThe Rat onLate Night with Conan O'Brien.[21] Four months later, the song spent a week at No. 39 on theBillboardAlternative Songs chart.[22]
In 2009, the band signed a deal with Kartel in the UK and Europe, which saw "Wrecking Ball" released on October 26, 2009, with a selection of the tracks from the band's debut EP as bonus material.[23]
The band released its second LP,Sugar, in North America on October 24, 2010,[24] and in the UK and Europe on September 13.[25] The album was recorded with producerJohn Agnello inHoboken, New Jersey, during record-setting snowfall, a factor that influenced the album's title.[26][27] Morris described the album as being "more upbeat and psychedelic" thanWrecking Ball and revealed that the band deliberately didn't work on the arrangements for the songs until just days before entering the studio.[27]
In the summer of 2010, the band co-headlined a US tour with Alberta Cross—the "DC/AC" tour, and also toured Europe andEngland in February 2011 as co-headliners with UK and Europe label matesThe Whigs.
In a February 2011 interview, Senn stated that the band was working on EP of b-sides from theSugar album sessions,[28] however this was never released.
Following a number of live dates with different drummers, the band announced in August 2011 that found member, drummer Jason Scarboro had left the band to "start a family".[29] The band set to work on their third studio album in early 2012 withAndy LeMaster andDrive-By Truckers producerDavid Barbe at Chase Park Transduction in Athens. The albumIn The Marrow was released in April 2013 via the band's ownRedeye Distribution distributed Spiderbomb Records,[30] which according to Morriss is a "kind of a culmination of all the stuff we’ve done"[31] and features new drummer JJ Bower[32] and guestsThayer Sarrano and Matt Stoessel.[33] In December 2012, the band released the EPPeyote People featuring tracks recorded following the album sessions digitally though their official website. The EP features guest musicians in addition to the band, and was potentially going to be released not as Dead Confederate but as Peyote People.[34]
The band's guitarist Walker Howle has concentrated on his artwork and work in architecture[35] as well as headlining local shows under several names including PigMan and Tia Madre.[36][37]
Bassist Brantley Senn has gone into web development and digital marketing.[38]
Keyboardist John Watkins has since performed locally with the likes of The Honey Sliders and Houston In The Blind.[39][40]
Morris as well as playing solo gigs as T. Hardy Morris and The Outfit[41] has formed Diamond Rugs withDeer Tick singer John McCauley andBlack Lips guitarist Ian Saint Pé.[42]
In March 2013 it was announced that Morris had signed toDangerbird Records and release his debut solo albumAudition Tapes in summer 2013 as T. Hardy Morris and The Outfit.[43] He released follow up albumDrownin on a Mountaintop in 2015.[44]
The band's original drummer Jason Scarboro now works as an electrician.
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