Recovery Time

The Dexateens Serve Up Rock & Roll, Straight-Up

originally published January 31, 2007

The Dexateens must be the punk crossbreeds of the Southern rock pack. These boys out of Tuscaloosa craft their music with the kind of earnestness that marks a singer-songwriter, yet they unleash a guitar fury that smacks of classic "I-know-it-when-I-hear-it" Southern rock mixed with blissful feedback that evokes Crazy Horse's proto-punk Rust Never Sleeps.

No, The Dexateens don't fit so neatly into any of those pigeon-holes that get tossed around too casually these days. They can purr, can croon, but most often they snarl balls-on Bondo-colored rawk, grinding and bluesy. At times, their twangy punk ventures into that somewhat elusive genre that was etched with Americana pissbucket blues and Texan solo troubadours.

Ultimately, what makes these Bama boys stand out is their soulful yowl, earthshaking honesty and earnest desire to touch the folks kind enough to give 'em a listen. And hardly an afterthought, there's that goddamn kerosene fire of a live show. "I think no matter what kind of record we put out, our show is gonna have a punk-rock approach," says Elliot McPherson, frontman and one of three guitarists for the band.

The group's albums have indeed evolved over the course of The Dexateens' career, and the release of the band's third album Hardwire Healing gets underway on Friday, Feb. 2 at the 40 Watt Club. The first two albums, both on Estrus Records, felt more urgent and raw, deeply affected by the Texas punk vanguard Tim Kerr, who produced. This third effort was recorded a year ago in Athens at Chase Park Transduction Studios, with Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers and David Barbe at the helm. Not only does Healing's more gentle sound reflect the easy-going atmosphere working with these two Athenians, but it also shows how the bandmembers have evolved and grown more confident in their abilities. Among the quieter moments are the melodic "Neil Armstrong," moody "Downtown" and sorrowful "Nadine."

"We tried to make a quieter record from the very beginning," says McPherson, "but I don't think we were ready for that," with tunes like "Naked Ground" and "Makers Mound" covering some of the noisier territory that built the group's reputation.

The Dexateens do enjoy recording and playing shows in Athens. "Athens is a lot like Tuscaloosa in a way, [it] just feels like a second home to us," says McPherson. "People here will try new music without someone telling them it's okay to like it," which explains why The Dexateens are playing one of their two scheduled gigs in Athens and as of yet have not booked a national tour.

"I call them surgical gigs," says drummer Craig "Sweet Dog" Pickering, referring to monthly weekend jaunts to play select shows. Although he defers to the family men in the band, he recognizes that he is the driving force to make things happen. He laughingly admits, "If it were up to me, I'd do 200 shows a year!"

"He's really the one who gets it off the ground and makes it happen," says McPherson. "Every band needs that guy. Sweet Dog's the guy who's always turning us onto stuff," he says. "He finds these things and gets infatuated with them. Once he wears them out, he turns them over to me." Among those discoveries are Captain Beefheart and Leon Russell.

"I like the way a lot of '70s stuff was recorded, how the drums sound." McPherson pauses a second to think. "But the last record that really killed me was Fort Recovery from Centro-matic." Also close to his hi-fi sits Jesus Was A Capricorn by Kris Kristofferson, Thee Headcoats, Flamin' Groovies, Bobby Bare Sr., The Replacements' Let It Be and Hootenanny, and the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo.

More than booking gigs, banging drums, and sharing music, McPherson readily credits Pickering with giving The Dexateens a second wind, one that swept them into the recording studio for the first time in 2000. Family obligations and day jobs threatened to end the band.

"Everybody had agreed to see it through, but Sweet Dog wasn't ready," says McPherson.

"Yeah, this band should've died about six years ago," adds Pickering. "I think we have something really cool, and I exhaust all efforts."

And those efforts lead The Dexateens to record with Bruce Watson in 2000. After gathering dust under Pickering's bed, these tapes were finally released by the U.K. label Dellorso in November of last year.

While McPherson fronts the band onstage and Pickering is busy bolstering morale and making things happen, both credit John Smith's songwriting for a large part of their band's appeal.

"John brings in these songs that are nicely arranged and easy to learn. He's such a good writer that the songs are easy to comprehend," says McPherson. "But my songs, we struggle with them, wrangle with them and then mess with them a bit."

Rounding out The Dexateens' roster are the ever-smiling Matt Patton on bass, who also fronts the mod band Model Citizen, and new member Nikolaus Mimikakis on guitar. Although The Dexateens don't systematically tour, their two albums on Estrus have drummed up fans abroad. Twice they have toured the United Kingdom and also toured once in Spain. They have landed in Mojo (which ran a complimentary review of Healing) three times.

Just last October, they played the 10th anniversary celebration for London's prestigious Dirty Water Club, opening for the Fleshtones and exposing the band to an audience rife with rock press and industry types, as well as the hipster regulars. They even dined with Pickering's single biggest influence: session drummer Andy Newmark, whose credits include work with Sly & the Family Stone, Ron Wood, John Lennon, Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, Carly Simon and dozens more. "Newmark's got a great feel, totally in the pocket," said Pickering.

And Newmark told Pickering that The Dexateens sound like "Ron Wood's little stepchildren." Still in touch, they owe the friendship to a drunken single-spaced fan letter after Pickering had found his hero's email address.

But creature comforts during the U.K. leg were skimpy and their morale was hamstrung by a cracked skull suffered by Smith. After the second U.K. show in High Wycombe, he blacked out, and did what Pickering described as a nasty plunge on the concrete. Unconscious and bleeding from the ear, he was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was admitted for a week's stay before he was given the green light to fly home.

"It really messed with everybody's head," recalls Pickering. By the time Smith was home safe, they were off to Spain where they played bigger shows and enjoyed more creature comforts.

"People sang along, knew the words, wanting us to sign autographs!" marvels Pickering. "It was nothing like I had ever seen before or any of The Dexateens!"

Back on the red dirt of home, The Dexateens' yowl grows more seasoned with each new recording. Meanwhile, the live show blasts forth with a fury true to the punk vernacular that bore the group. Dogged endurance binds these guys together as good things rise just beyond the horizon. To nick a line from one of their tunes, 'tis unlikely that these guys will have to trade infinity for an air show any time soon.

Gretchen Wood

WHO: The Dexateens, Dead Confederate, Wheels On Fire
WHERE: 40 Watt Club
WHEN: Friday, February 2
HOW MUCH: $5