Spotlight: The Redbelly Band

It seems a little simple, but it bears repeating: Southern rock does not begin and end with Duane Allman. The Redbelly Band is Southern born and bred, and has been known to step out on a blues improvisation or two. But the band's palette is wider than that: The group offers a deep-seated soul that sashays between the grooves and commingles with a rootsy underpinning, similar to the rustic R&B vibe of the band.

"We call it Southern soul rock 'n' roll. It's not Southern rock in the terms you think of with Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd Southern rock, but it's rock 'n' roll and we're all from Georgia," says singer/guitarist Hardy Morris.

The band began back in the late '90s as a high school band. They separated for college and playing became more sporadic. Hardy's brother, Dawson, originally the lead singer, eventually left the band, as did another member. In January of last year, the remaining four members relocated to a house in Atlanta where they set about doing this full time.

"Once we all decided to take it seriously, we had to have some sort of a change. Something to help the band solidify things and provide a breath of fresh air to start anew," Morris says.

The start began with new keyboardist/backing vocalist John Watkins, another Augusta native. "He saved our band," Morris says. "We'd seen him play in Augusta for years, but he was always in a band. So when his last band broke up, we just attacked. He's an incredible piano player, organ, Fender Rhodes. He's by far the most musically talented person in the band, and on top of that he's an even better person."

Watkins has been a catalyst for the band's ever-evolving sound.

"We started out with real Southern rock - we had songs about dusty dirt roads and the river. The rednecks loved us. We got to college and stopped playing as much. So when we did get a chance to play, we were just happy to be there. We'd get all stoned on stage and start grooving out," says Morris. "Now we can still do the grooving kind of thing, and that's enjoyable to a point, but you have to change things up, and the energy level lately has been more in-your-face rock 'n' roll."??