Hurricane Doyle

How does one define southern rock? Obviously, you must dig deeply into the early 1970’s where perhaps it was at its best, to obtain a true answer. Lynrd Skynrd, along with The Allman Brothers, brought southern rock to the forefront unlike anyone before. The raucous energy flowed freely, with lyrics and sounds that permeated the spirit. The south was renowned for its free spirit, where bootleggers used to run the backroads with moonshine, and many honky tonks played music through the night for those looking to raise hell and have some fun. Skynrd and the Allmans were able to tap into the soul of these kindred spirits, telling stories they had lived, or at least wished they had lived at some point.

Leap forward more than 30 years, and what has changed? Well, country music is now pop and southern rock wannabes who have no idea who Duane Allman was. Real country has gone underground, and is now emerging once again as alternative. Sure there are a few bands who have attempted to wade into southern rock, but without the passionate energy, they mostly fell flat. Perhaps Skynrd and the Allmans set the ladder too high, and spoiled any attempts to even try this feat.

Enter Jacksonville, Florida’s own Hurricane Doyle. Of course one CD does not create a legend, but you must get off the ground before you can fly. Like many artists before them, they began with high hopes….got knocked down…dusted themselves off…made some changes….and tried once again.

Lead vocalist Larry Mell Morgan began his trek hoping to conquer Nashville.

“When I came to Nashville from Florida, it was to be done full out with the bands, vans, and insomnia thing, to start churning out mainstream country songs to get rich,” stated Morgan. “So I took demos all over town, kissed a lot of butts in a lot of offices, and played the stereotypical Nashville songwriter-round circuit for a while. That’s where I met some of the guys that would go on to become part of Hurricane Doyle, and it’s also where I started to figure out that the songs I was writing were not necessarily tame enough for Music Row.”

Once Morgan had hit the wall, a very fortunate opportunity was presented that opened a new door. Morgan was asked to perform at a benefit show. He quickly gathered some friends to put together this one time show.

“I didn’t have a band yet, so I called up a few of my new songwriter buddies (MikeyMike and Matt Ramsey included) because I knew they had the chops to get through a short set. We did not even have a name for the band, so we decided to name the band after Doyle Hargraves, Dwight Yoakam’s character from “Sling Blade”

You got to love the creativity on the name choice alone!

“The first night that Hurricane Doyle played, the songs that were the most fun and got the biggest reaction from the crowd were those raunchy, decidedly-not-for mainstream-radio tunes that I love to play. Everybody just had a blast. I knew then that whether I liked it or not, this was in my blood for good. Now I’ve blinked and Hurricane Doyle has been playing for almost five years.

Getting to the point of releasing the new record has not been an easy task. Five years of hitting the road, losing some band members to other acts such as Taylor Swift’s band, and financial headaches, have taken a toll on everyone. The good thing is, they have grown stronger and survived.

“If you can call making music a struggle from a perspective that doesn’t take into account people’s real-life problems then…hell yeah, it’s been a struggle. In contrast to the good-time, party atmosphere of a Doyle show, where everybody in the room feels like part of the act, the recording of this project was a really slow grind. It was a real challenge not only to try to re-create the energy and drunken fun of those live shows, but also to fight through all the financial issues that have stalled things over and over again. I want to stress again, though, that I’ve loved every minute of it, and nobody’s killed anybody yet, so I’ll take it,” laughs Morgan.

The current lineup of Hurricane Doyle includes Morgan on lead vocals and guitar, along with MikeyMike on bass and baritone guitar, Dave Coleman on lead guitar, Matt Ramsey on guitar and vocals, Whit Sellers on drums, David Spires on pedal steel, and Chris Tuttle on piano.

The new CD unleashes 9 songs, all written by Morgan, Ramsey, Michael “MikeyMike” Feeney, and Jason Gibson, a talented writer in Nashville. From the beginning, the record draws you in with the subtle opening chords on “Begging Sweetly,” almost like the listener is being taken slowly up the rollercoaster hill….before reaching the peak and heading quickly downhill on a non-stop thrill ride as Sellers enters on drums, beginning the memorable journey through this great record.

The downfall of many bands has always been their ability to capture the live energetic passion on a record. The strong instrumentals here only accentuate the outstanding lead vocals by Morgan. They seamlessly create a flow which allows the listener to envision the band playing within the same room, keeping them moving with the music.

It is also important to have some fun with your music, and Hurricane Doyle definitely does that well with the second tune called “Death of Me.” This hard driver is a lyrical phenomenon that flows effortlessly, enhanced by the harmonies of Ramsey. The tongue in cheek saying, turns into a literal living nightmare as the character within the song has created his own fatal attraction.

Along with “Death of Me,” “Got a Gun” perhaps stands above the others as one the strongest songs on a record full of good tunes. This tale hits home in this time of hard living, as the character debates how to handle his woe. Supported by a great acoustic guitar, the lonesome feel and angst are captured very well. This song almost has a Henley/Eagles quality to it, but when Walsh was playing guitar during the good old days.

There is honestly no let downs in this record. The energy flows well from song to song, each offering its own source of quality without sounding repetitive. This well rounded, multi pronged attack, along with the talented writing and singing, certainly are refreshing in a genre which has sorely lacked such a band in many years.

With the initial record out, Hurricane Doyle now must keep rolling, have some fun along the way, and continue to carve out their own niche.

“My favorite part of the whole music thing is playing live and writing songs, so we’re going to keep doing that, and hopefully find some time to promote this record and get it out there. We’re booking what our promoter Page Carpenter likes to call an “SEC Tour” of the Southeast for winter and spring, and hope to have another EP finished by early next year. I would like to make a live record as well, but I have to concentrate on not saying anything from the stage that would offend my mom,” laughs Morgan.

If you like quality writing and hard driving music, I highly recommend you pick this one up. Check out their myspace here for samples, you will not be disappointed.

http://www.americanaroots.com/2009/08/24/features/hurricane-doyle-just-what-we-needed/
- Americana Roots - John Walker

Met zo een wervelende naam als Hurricane Doyle kan je als groep moeilijk je ambities onder stoelen of banken steken. De bedoeling van dit rockende vijftal uit Nashville is overtuigend afgebeeld op de cd hoes: vijf jonge snaken poseren gewillig voor een totaal verwoeste, scheefgezakte woning.

We hielden ons hart vast bij het beluisteren van deze plaat, maar er zit veel meer in dan recht toe, rechtaan Rock'n Roll. Hurricane Doyle verwijst zelf naar sterke invloeden van groepen als Lynyrd Skynyrd en de country-blues van de Rolling Stones, maar toch creëren ze een eigen, originele klank, die je kan ze situeren tussen de alt-country en de Southern rock, gespijsd met teksten over een hard artiestenleven, vol van whisky, liefde, vrouwen en geweren.

Liefhebbers van bands als Uncle Tupelo en andere Drive By Truckers kunnen hun hart ophalen aan deze debuutplaat. "Begging Sweetly" trapt sterk af met een countryrocker van de bovenste plank, met een even spannende intro als "The Reaper" van Blue Oyster Cult, in een uptempo Jackson Browne nummer, wiens stem dicht aanleunt bij die van leadzanger Larry Mell Morgan. De uitstekende harmonische zang kan gerust de vergelijking met The Eagles doorstaan.

De opvolger "Death Of Me" is Rock'n Roll van de bovenste plank in de stijl van Dave Edmunds, met kletterende gitaarsolo die gegarandeerd menige concertzaal in een boogie woogie dansfestijn zal herschapen. "Got A Gun" tapt uit een nog sterker vaatje met swampy rootsgeluiden en potige Southern Rock, waar zowel de schreeuwende stem van Larry als de scheurende gitaar van Dave Coleman vertwijfeling zaaien in een dilemma over wapengebruik.

Het is even wennen wanneer we met "Sugar Mama" een met pedalsteel doordrenkt nummer horen. Maar Larry Mell Morgan laat geen plaats voor twijfel over zijn bedoelingen. Hij heeft slechts één wens en die legt hij vast in een meeslepende als een Drive By Truckers klinkende rockballade, "Die Like A Rockstar". Meiden waarop geen rem staat zoals in "Got No Brakes" verdienen een stevige, dirty rock behandeling. De plaat sluit af met ambiancenummer en meezinger bij uitstek, "Who's Next".

Hurricane Doyle bewijst met deze debuutplaat dat ze klaar zijn voor het grote werk, met een gevarieerd repertoire en een strak geoliede band. Deze plaat hoort dan ook thuis in de collectie van iedere Americana liefhebber die houdt van een stevige mix Southern Rock.

http://www.rootstime.be/CD%20REVIEUW/2009/AUG1/CD97.htm - Rootstime - Blowfish

Er zijn geen zekerheden meer, neem nu Hurricane Doyle ....Southern fried rock & roll, americana sensitivities, hard livin' themes (songs about wiskey, women, love and guns, faith and firearms, all tempered and set in the hot, sweaty, sticky, sexy South) trough the veins of the debut release for these .....Nashville floor stompers. Larry Mell Morgan / lead vocals & guitars, Mickey Mike / bas, guitar & bgv, Whit Sellers / drums & percussion, Matt Ramsey / guitar & bgv en Dave Coleman / lead guitar & bgv lappen alle vooroordelen over Nashville aan hun laars met dit schijfje. Dit vijftal loopt, net als Rootsville, bijzonderhoog op met Old 97's, Jayhawks, Whiskeytown, Uncle Tupelo, Drive By Truckers, Bottle Rockets, Shooter Jennings en Scott Miller & the Commonwealth en maken het ons op die manier erg gemakkelijk om hen muzikaal te localiseren.

Somewhere between alt. country and Southern rock with a respectful nod to Lynyrd Skynyrd and the country blues of the Rolling Stones. "Begging Sweetly" om support ...wij steken maar weer ons nekje uit, ditmaal voor Hurricane Doyle en met de openingstrack slagen zij meteen in hun opzet ....they got me where they want me ! Alle rock en roots registers worden opengetrokken op "Death of Me","Got no Brakes", "Jesus Help Me" en "Died Like a Rockstar" en zijn dan ook uiteraard prima geschikt voor wild eyed, al dan niet drunken country boy foot - stompers. "Got A Gun" zorgt voor het traditionele (live) hoofdknikkertje als de gitaren losjes uit de pols scheuren, "Hey Mike", "Sugar Mama" (with David Spires on pedl steel) kleuren gezellig alt. country en de afsluiter "Whos' Next" - with additional musicians Chris Tuttle on piano & Jake Hill on keyboards is ongetwijfeld het orgelpunt van dit prima debuutalbum.

Wij zijn dan ook uiteraard nieuwsgierig naar de verdere muzikale plannen van Hurricane Doyle.....(SWA)

http://www.rootsville.be/
- Rootsville - SWA