Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil

Doc Dailey just wants to keep playing his own music
By Emily Couch
Staff Writer

FLORENCE
Last Updated:February 28. 2007 5:30PM
Published: March 01. 2007 3:30AM

Doc Dailey tries to keep his music original and fresh and appealing to his fan base.
After listening to Doc Dailey, it is clear why his fan base has remained loyal through the years.
Dailey and his band have managed to convey emotional stories through lyrics, while keeping the music original and fresh.
"I like the narrative in country song writing," said Dailey, who performs vocals and plays guitar.
The country influence is obvious, and it creates a vibrant, modern, bluegrass twist that keeps fans interested and coming back for more.
Dailey's band -- often referred to as the Dixie Hellbenders -- originated in Florence about 10 years ago and has been playing local venues for a while.
"I've been in different bands over the years, and I've been holding on to the sound I've been wanting to create for a while," Dailey said. "I feel like I'm finally getting it right."
Doc Daily has gotten it right with the Dixie Hellbenders whose core members are Jon Berry on banjo, Barrett Stutts on the cello and Chris Mullins on piano.
The Dixie Hellbenders are the main members of Doc Dailey's band, but with many friends in the music business, the group can vary from time to time.
"I've been playing with Doc since about 2001," said Jon Berry. "We both love doing this type of music."
The band wants to hit the road soon, and they are hoping to play venues that cater more toward bands performing original material.
"It's hard to get a show in other cities, but we book through people we know. We help them when they come to town, and they help us when we go out of town," says Dailey.
A Florence venue that really welcomes original material is Sheffield's Old Town Tavern. Doc Dailey and the Dixie Hellbenders will perform there at 10 p.m. Friday. And fans will be able to purchase shirts and CDs.
Also playing are the Sorry Saints, of Birmingham, Anna Wood and Chris Mullins, Matt Johnson and Skware.
Doc Dailey will continue to pursue their music and hope to keep others listening for a while.
With songs such as "Germantrain" and "Hey Stranger," it's hard not to recognize their talent and keep up with their latest innovative tunes.
"I want to be able to sing and play my own music and support myself," Dailey said.
"I'm not trying to get on the cover of Rolling Stone; I just want to keep doing what I'm doing."



Emily Couch is a student at the University of North Alabama.



- The Times Daily

Front Porch Musings

Front Porch Musings: A blog dedicated to Hell-Raising, whiskey-drinking music of the alt-country, southern, punk and blues variety…

Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil – Victims, Enemies, & Old Friends


Our good buddy Corey Flegel, or as he likes to call himself – Uncle Slapdick, has proven to be a real stand-up guy in the short while that we’ve known him. He helped us put together our SXSW showcase in March, connected us with some great bands, directed us to some great booby bars in New Orleans, and most recently told a buddy of his (also named Corey,) that we would dig this album. He’s really become more of a spiritual advisor for us. Anyhow, in regards to this album, the guy couldn’t have been more spot-on.

This album arrived in my inbox the day we were leaving for our trip to New Orleans a little over a week ago. I should note that that city is DANGEROUS. Not in a bad way, but for the three of us – having unlimited access to booze, great music, food, being surrounded by nothing but people (mainly women) who are looking to party, and the “vacation” mentality – it resulted in four straight days blurred full of the aforementioned indulgences, followed by four straight days of depression and withdrawals. Well worth it nonetheless. Sorry, just had a flashback. Where was I?

Oh yeah, so I made sure to put the album on my pod, and stuck it in my ear the second I was seated. From the first track “Prove Me Wrong,” I was hooked. So hooked in fact that when the stewardess told me I had to turn off my electronic device while the plane was taking off, I punched her in the face and told her to shut up. Okay, I didn’t do that. I kindly obliged, but I DID resume listening before we had reached our cruising altitude, because I’m a feckin rebel like that.

Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil are from Muscle Shoals and they’re one of many great bands down there at the forefront of somewhat of a revival for the city that produced many a hit. This record will fit well with others produced in the Shoals decades ago, and is a great honor to it’s forefathers. Tracks like the aforementioned “Prove Me Wrong” and “Red Tail Lights” are mandolin-heavy bluegrass(ish) storytellers. They can also put together punky, up-beat dancers like “Alabama Daydream” and “She’s Gonna Love Me. All four tracks are great in their own rights, but I’m most drawn to their Southern Rock sensibilities. Tracks like “The Only Reason,” and “Sunday School” will certainly earn them comparisons to DBT. The best way I can find to describe their versatility is that they’re a mix between Old Crow Medicine Show, The Felice Brothers, and The Drive-By Truckers. If that doesn’t make you buy this album, you should check your pulse. Or find another blog because you must’ve stumbled here mistakenly.


All-in-all, this is one killer album. Fourteen sweet tracks, not one of which will require you to use the skip button. There’s rockers, there’s love tunes, there’s heartbreakers, and there’s smooth sonnets that’ll make for some great reflection time. Check the links below to buy the album and learn about Doc Dailey, and make sure to watch the video about “The Muscle Shoals Sound.”

Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil Official Site

Buy The Album

See Y’all,

Brain
- Front Porch Musings

Doc Dailey Can Flat Out Sing
Tuesday, Oct 12
By Julian Barnett

To Shoals area music fans that have been paying attention to our local music scene for the last few years, this is old news. Without question, though, this statement warrants repeating for those among you who have been drifting along, unaware…

Discerning ears won’t have to wade far into the definitively southern, hauntingly melodic, lyrically brooding waters of Victims, Enemies and Old Friends to appreciate the craftsmanship displayed at each and every turn of this fantastic local effort. Aurally embodying the Tennessee River itself with a depth, pacing and consistency that’s not often seen in these parts, Doc Daily and Magnolia Devil appear poised to dive headfirst into a sea of increased notoriety and greater critical acclaim.

Victims is a watercolor portrait painted with a steady hand, composed of overlapping hues of medium blues and shades of gray. Sonically, its range lies somewhere between Appalachian exuberance, traditional country excellence, and unapologetic southern rock. However, it will most certainly not be mistaken as commercial country, nor will it be for traditional Kentucky bluegrass. Great storytelling, good old-fashioned whimsy and an effective pop sensibility may often fight for prominence among Victims’ 14 tracks, but never at the expense of the album’s overall musical appeal and charm.

Right from the guitar strumming, mandolin picking beginning of the album’s opening track ‘Prove Me Wrong’, Victims sets its hooks into indie music lovers, folk music aficionados and country music fans alike. Even at a scant minute and fifty-four seconds, the first song of this record seems to perfectly convey an overriding theme for all else that follows; the content here is hopeful, yet introspective, with an undercurrent of melancholy thrown in for the sake of levity.

When the driving rhythm of ‘The Only Reason That I Know’ subsided, I must admit that I was initially taken aback by the slower-paced tandem of ‘Seven Points’ and ‘Pray for You’. Upon repeated play-through of the album, though, it seems clear that the band (and/or production team) knew exactly what they were doing – both songs fit perfectly into the overarching concept spanning this release, and things pick back up nicely with the high-energy ‘Sunday School’.

This trick is repeated throughout; when the handclapping intro of ‘She’s Gonna Love Me’ rolls around, you will be, as I was, completely and utterly captivated – convinced that, at least for the rest of this release, that this band can do no wrong.

With Victims, Enemies and Old Friends, Doc Daily and Magnolia Devil just might have made a deal with Old Scratch himself in order to produce a work so well-rounded and so complete.

Be sure to attend the Listening Party for “Victims, Enemies, & Old Friends” @ Pegasus Records on Friday, October 15, starting at 6pm. There will be free pizza, beer and good times.

Be sure to purchase Victims, Enemies and Old Friends from Doc’s website.

Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil - Victims Enemies and Old Friends

http://docdaileyandmagnoliadevil.bandcamp.com/ - The Shoals Sound

Unabashed southern rock
Andrew R. Jones
For The Corner News
Published: December 7, 2009 12:00:49 pm

Mix equal parts Zeppelin-inspired hard rock, some lonesome country ballads, a PBR or five and you’ve got yourself the Southern rock group Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil. The haggard six-piece group of musicians, led by songwriter Doc Dailey, hail from Alabama’s musical Mecca, Muscle Shoals, and they’ve been doing the area proud for years now, having developed a loyal fan base in and around the area.

Dailey and company are one of those hard-working, unabashedly Southern-fried rock groups in the vein of The Drive-By Truckers - but with a little more twang and a touch of female harmony - that can truly pull off their shtick. The tattooed, bushy bearded Dailey spent his formative years consuming the sights and sounds of his Northern Alabama upbringing and has poured his experiences into some beautiful songs that touch on, what Patterson Hood has labeled, “the duality of the Southern Thing.” With his band, Magnolia Devil - a group which includes a pianist, a banjo player and a female vocalist - the band comes across with a lush classic country rock sound.

Recently, the group has been on a tour of smaller venues that has taken them as far north as Ohio and into parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. Their Friday, Dec. 11th Auburn date at The Independent will wrap up their most recent string of dates.

For some tunes and more information about Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil check out myspace.com/docdaileymusic. - The Corner News, Aurburn, AL