Band of the Week: Southern Bitch

Hometown: Athens, Ga.

Members: Pictured above [L-R] Chris Ellenburg (drums); Chuck Bradburn (bass); Wendy Musick (vocals, guitar); Adam Musick (lead vocals, lead guitar)

Fun Fact: Frontman Adam Musick says one of the band's favorite pastimes is "going out in the yard and throwing horsehoes together."

Why you should check them out: This quartet is the genuine article; Southern Bitch puts on earnest, hard-rocking shows that feel right at home in both lonely highway dives and indie-scenester hangouts.

For fans of: Drive-By Truckers, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Bottle Rockets

Adam Musick is a simple man. You wouldn’t know it watching his band Southern Bitch, all swagger and strut and long hair a-flying, but Adam—a carpenter by trade—is happily married to guitarist Wendy and wrote one of Southern Bitch’s fan favorites, “Free Man Now,” about kicking bad habits (“I think we’re here to learn lessons and grow as people,” Musick says). Offstage, the frontman is a little more country and a little less rock ’n’ roll.

With a two-and-a-half-acre spread in the country and plenty of dogs to keep him and his wife company, Musick is a bit removed from the lifestyle of many of his contemporaries. Growing up in Abingdon, Va., he was influenced by the gospel music he heard in church (both his grandfather and uncle are preachers), the country music of the Carter Family Fold in Mendota, only 20 miles from his hometown, and the classic rock his dad listened to. Later, bands like Jane’s Addiction colored his approach; the alternative-meets-classic-rock style is a hallmark of the Southern Bitch sound.

The band grew not only from the melding of these influences, but also from the musical (and legal) marriage of Adam and Wendy, who met at the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Tempe, Ariz. When the two completed their training in 1998, they married, relocated to Athens, Ga., and started the group, which was originally an Americana outfit. But that was a long time ago, and listening to Southern Bitch’s current album, Snake In the Grass, it’s obvious the band has evolved considerably.

When the album made its local debut in late 2004, its weighty political themes—war, leadership, patriotism—were especially timely, but Musick says he wrote the album to be more than a period piece.

“I made a conscious effort to not make the whole album political," he says. "I wanted it to be a complete idea, and to flow. I was looking at the world around me, and I just wanted to make an intelligent statement, to get people thinking.”

Musick has plans to phase out his carpentry business this year and take on music full time, writing songs, recording other band’s shows at Athens venues like the 40 Watt Club, and touring with Southern Bitch.

“The way I look at it, if you only put half your time into something, you’ll only get half the results,” Musick says. He and the band’s efforts seem to be paying off. They’re well on their way to completing their next album, which deals with “life in a rock 'n' roll band.” So while Musick is hard at work, he still recognizes the need for people to have some fun.

“It’s important to entertain people, especially in times like these,” Musick says. “People need to feel good.”