The Dirty Guv'nahs - Somewhere Beneath These Southern Skies (2013)

A classic-sounding Southern rock band out of Knoxville, Tennessee, the Dirty Guv'nahs (frontman James Trimble, Hammond organist Chris Doody, pianist Michael Jenkins, guitarists Michael Jenkins and Cozmo Holloway, and brothers Justin and Aaron Hoskins on bass and drums, respectively) create an energized musical blend recalling the Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Allman Brothers Band, with a dose of Americana and the Band tossed in for seasoning. The band formed when the members were attending university in Knoxville, and what was initially supposed to be just a couple of occasional gigs really took off, and the band quickly developed a loyal local following. The Dirty Guv'nahs won a university battle of the bands contest and thereby earned studio time to record their 2008 debut album, Don't Need No Money, and their energetic and inspired live shows garnered them opening spots for acts like the Zac Brown Band, Wilco, and the Levon Helm Band, among others. Their eponymously titled sophomore album arrived in 2009, and a performance slot at Bonnaroo led to a recording session that same year at Levon Helm Studios, resulting in 2010's Youth Is in Our Blood. The band continued to evolve its sound on its fourth album, Somewhere Beneath These Southern Skies, which was produced by Ross Copperman, engineered by Richie Biggs, and released in 2012 through a distribution deal with Dualtone Music. Two years later, fifth album Hearts on Fire charted at number 107 on the Billboard 200, but in 2015 the bandmembers announced that the Dirty Guv'nahs would be breaking up, and they held a farewell concert in Knoxville in September of that year. However, by early 2018 they were back in business, scheduling spring shows in Knoxville and Atlanta and vowing to "bring rock and roll back to the people." ~ Steve Leggett