94 South

94 South started out when Matt Meyer and Jeff Oscarson met at one of the informal jams Oscarson used to have at his house in Kenosha, WI. Through these jams, Meyer and Oscarson discovered they were influenced by many of the same artists. They decided to start a band, but they needed a bass player. Oscarson called his old friend Ben Dowell from junior high and the lineup was set.

In the early days, they would organize their own concerts to gain any live performance experience possible. They played at their high school talent show, as well a local band showcase at the CD warehouse in Racine, WI. They went through a series of names, Powerless Influence, Bartown Blues, to name a few. When Jeff and Ben moved to Milwaukee to go to college, the band lost track of each other.

After jamming in the Kenosha bar circuit Matt Meyer joined Hardcase, a hard rocking cover band, and played places like the Brat Stop, Cruiser’s, George’s Club Highview and many other small clubs and outdoor venues. Jeff had a stint as drummer for the Buzzards, playing places like Mickey G’s and Nick’s Nicabob in Milwaukee.

Throughout Meyer’s years with Hardcase, he was writing original songs on his own time. One night in the fall of 2002, Matt asked Jeff and Ben to come out to the Hardcase show at the Brat Stop. After the show Matt told the guys about these songs he was writing, and asked them if they wanted to play together again. These songs became the foundation for 94 South.

With an assortment of cover songs they already knew and the original material 94 South decided to make a recording to jumpstart their musical journey.