The Dexateens Tell the Stories of the South

There's just something great about the rock music coming out of the south as of late. It seems to know a little more about life than most. Or maybe it's just more honest. Whatever it is, the Dexateens have got it – big time.

With music that takes its time telling its stories, the Dexateens show their world in pictures (the "blue jay squawking on the window sill, the blackbird stomping on the moto kill, the scare crow standing in the clothes I wore" in "Trail") in people (in "Grandaddy's Mouth") and in ideas (in "Naked Ground"). Through it all, their twangy electric guitars, steady drum beats and the unintiminating voice of singer Elliot McPherson combine to make The Dexateens' sound a winning one.

The Tuctuscaloosa, Alabama-based band is busying themselves playing small club shows around the south for the present. If you want to see them, make some noise in your town. Til then, check out their latest album, Singlewide.