Nashville – I always have a great appreciation for a band that doesn’t just play a certain genre of music, but lives and breathes that genre. If you’re not quite sure what I’m talking about, then buy a ticket to see Whiskey Myers. I was lucky enough to see this band take the stage at Exit/In on March 27. Based out of Tyler, Texas, Whiskey Myers is a five-piece southern rock band created by Cody Cannon (lead vocals/acoustic guitar), Cody Tate (lead & rhythm guitar/vocals), John Jeffers (rhythm & lead guitar/vocals), Gary Brown (bass), and Jeff Hogg (drums).

These guys don’t just play southern rock – they’ve gone truly old school to really look the part. Four out of the five members have long hair, and two of them have beards matching in striking length and majesty. The bearded members – Hogg and Tate – also sport an interesting style in terms of headgear. Cody Tate chooses to pursue the Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd style hat-wise while Jeff Hogg marches down the 1940’s road and displays a decided penchant for the bowler hat.

Aside from the fashion choices, Whiskey Myers brought back a very humble, classic southern rock way of playing music. Despite the enormous amount of talent each band member displays, the key focus was certainly the guitars. I cannot help but feel as if the band may have taken a page straight out of Skynyrd’s book by having two lead/rhythm guitarists. Tate and Jeffers play off of each other as easily as if they were two best friends tossing joking insults at one another effortlessly. They never attempt to hog the spotlight – they’re just simply playing to the best of their ability for the crowd, which just so happens to be at a pretty damn great level of expertise. I truly appreciated how each band member made sure to give everyone a chance in the spotlight – Jeffers, Tate and Cannon would all often step back so that the crowd’s attention might be directed at Hogg or Brown. That sort of camaraderie is something the concertgoers see and feed off of.

The way in which Whiskey Myers brings a grungy, bluesy feel to all of their songs be it a true rock anthem or a slower jam is certainly something to acknowledge and love about their music. Always was a guitar grinding out a tune that left the hair on the back of your next standing. Shooting shots and drinking beers onstage, lead vocalist Cody Cannon posed the question “So how the hell are ya?” to the crowd and in response got a roar of cheers. Exit/In was packed full of fans, all of whom had a beverage in hand (usually a Pabst) and was singing along to the lyrics. I felt left out – I wished desperately while I was there that I had memorized at least one of this band’s songs so that I might join in with the chorus.

To be all the way from Texas and have a definite fan base in Nashville, TN, where southern rock runs rampant, is an amazing accomplishment. Whiskey Myers has built a small empire that no doubt will continue to grow. Having recently released their newest album Early Morning Shakes, the band is currently on tour around the United States.