Molly Hatchett

38 Special

Have you looked into some Tedeschi Trucks? Based on what you've posted, this has some of the elements you're looking for. A fantastic concert, and it has a bit of everything.

.38 Special, Molly Hatchet, The Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd and so on are all fine recommendations that obviously do draw influence from southern styles, they are all bands that were born out of the fusion of genres I'm talking about, but they all sort of embody the dilemma I'm talking about too. All of these bands have moved forward into new styles that stemmed from the sweet spot that The Allman Brothers mastered, they've all moved into Arena Rock territory, the organic rootsy aspect has long been swamped in mountainous amplifier stacks and elaborate stage shows.

Derek Trucks' various side projects are all great too, the instrumental talent is phenomenal from almost every angle, the performances are very good, and the style is clearly within the realm of what I'm talking about, but the problem with Derek Trucks' projects to me is that they all seem like vestigial remains of what was The Allman Brothers. They all shoot for that standard of quality and get very close instrumentally, they can play as well and as precisely, they may be musicians of similar caliber, but the songwriting never seems to come close, it all kind of feels lifeless and in-genuine, bands trying to emulate a certain sound, mood, and atmosphere rather than living it.

But aside from my complaining, thanks for all the recs, it's all damn good music, just too far evolved from the roots jam band sort of style I'm looking for.

Shot in the dark.



Also: Second Coming, Spencer Davis and Don Gibson.

Some older...


The Flying Burrito Brothers-Six Days On The Road


New Riders of the Purple Sage 5/29/72 Complete Performance


Can't You See (1977) - Marshall Tucker Band

And some newer...


NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS - Mississippi Bollweevil (Live at High Sierra 2013)


HILL COUNTRY REVUE acoustic "Hill Country Revue"


Don't Need You - The Mallett Brothers Band - From The Extended Play Sessions

That's all I could think of at the moment.

Well dam dude. You really have a precise thought about what you're looking for in this particular sound search. For a jam band approach, maybe try some Widespread Panic. They have some mostly blues/grass roots style stuff.

^ Yes, Plankton - between Epoch and the original Allmans, the bar is being set pretty high!
This guy isn´t a real contender, but his composition Lakota has a kind of leisurely High Falls vibe to it I think - and given that his video clip has only received 210 hits, I think Johnny Roth deserves at least some attention:-

I really don't think what I'm looking for is all that unlikely, and I think it's pretty simple to describe. Just take something passionate and genuine like that wicked Sonny Boy Williamson harmonica track that FRED HALE posted above and throw in a band of great musicians that aren't just passively holding a backing track together, give all of them room to perform (which is exactly what allows The Allman Brothers to soar above everything else). I think Lisna knows exactly what I mean, and again Lisna's recommendation is definitely on the right track, just underwhelming. All of the older tracks Psy-Fi posted were great too, excellent within their genre, but very standard in terms of songwriting, tons of skill but less ambition.

I don't want it to look like I'm being ungrateful towards the recommendations people are posting in this thread, these recommendations have already introduced me to a lot of great stuff I didn't know about before, I just want to milk the discussion for all it's worth. If we don't shoot for a certain standard of quality we're just tossing names around, this is about digging and trying to unearth something unique that sits above the rest. Blues and country, like all genres, are so heavily saturated with generic traditional bands, we have to be critical to find the real gems.

In the meantime, another example:



Something like this, but with more instruments, harmonicas, maybe a bit more complex percussion, and if miracles exist, a banjo.
There had to have been groups of musicians that heard stuff like this and went "Damn son, we need to beef this up, lets get a bunch of musicians doing it at the same time".

I think you should listen to Gram Parsons. He may not be exactly what you're looking for, but both his solo albums, especially Grievous Angel, are pretty much flawless, as is Live 1963.

Something like this with a fuller band and more instruments would be so good:



Imagine how killer this would be with even just a harmonica bouncing alongside the guitar.
But again, it's just a virtuoso being propped up by a backing band. We need bands with excellent musicians in every corner.