THE DEAD SOUTH share their STORYTELLING HEROES

THE DEAD SOUTH share their STORYTELLING HEROES

With their much-anticipated fourth album, Chains & Stakes, just released, Canadian bluegrass crossover icons The Dead South have crafted an album full to the brim with ghost stories, tales of love, loss and deception, a body of work true to the charm of its creators, sure to reiterate their standing as a dearly beloved band across the globe.

Chains & Stakes is a phenomenal bluegrass album dripping with warm, soulful harmonies, bright layers of guitar and banjo melodies, which takes its listener on a journey through sound and story alike. Sonically, the album snakes effortlessly between instances of gentle, dark and winding tunes, and those of vibrant speedy banjos and jangly guitars. With both conjuring so perfectly within each song their respective scenes of small-town murders, devious lovers and old western cantinas, The Dead South establish themselves as masters of storytelling through music. Recorded at Panoram Studios in Mexico City, Chains & Stakes was co-produced by Grammy Award winner Jimmy Nutt (The SteelDrivers, Jimmy Buffett) (with additional mixing by Cody Simmons) and mastered by Chris Bethea (Penny & Sparrow, Sleeping At Last).

In celebration of the release of their album, The Dead South will be embarking on tour all around Australia and New Zealand this March and April, with several shows already sold out – including two Forum shows in Melbourne – and others selling fast! With over 1.2 Million monthly listeners on Spotify and around 900K followers across socials, these beloved suspender-and-hat-clad crooners are set for quite the return in 2024.

In honour of this new album and the love that The Dead South have for music with a nature of story or legend about it, each member tells us their story-telling heroes; artists whose lyrical talents never fail to capture their attention and imagination, or whose writing they feel inspires them in some way.

THE DEAD SOUTH ‘CHAINS & STAKES’ AUS & NZ TOUR

March 20th Metropolis Fremantle Perth (SOLD OUT)
March 21st Hindley Street Music Hall Adelaide
March 23rd Forum Melbourne Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
March 24th Forum Melbourne Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
March 26th Fortitude Music Hall Brisbane
March 29th Byron Bay Bluesfest Tyagarah
April 2nd Enmore Theatre Sydney
April 3rd Enmore Theatre Sydney
April 5th Powerstation Auckland (SOLD OUT)
April 6th San Fran Wellington (SOLD OUT)
April 7th San Fran Wellington (SOLD OUT)

Colton Crawford (banjo): Matt Stone + Trey Parker

The people I most admire when it comes to storytelling and music are Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park and the Book of Mormon. It’s one thing to be able to write a good song, it’s another thing to write a good song that is funny and clever. As far as storytelling goes, I truly believe they are some of the best storytellers around today. Making a new 30 minute episode of South Park every week is a crazy level of output, and they still deliver on quality after decades. But what I love most of Trey Parker and Matt Stone is their unwillingness to compromise. They don’t worry about whether or not they’re gonna get in trouble or if people aren’t going to like an episode. They make South Park for themselves, and I feel like they’d probably be making South Park or writing musicals or movies even without all of their success, which is the mark of a true artist. They do what they do for the sake of doing it, and to make each other laugh. They are also completely devoid of any pretentiousness, which is an extremely, extremely rare thing in the art and music worlds, and it is a huge breath of fresh air.

Nate Hilts (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin): Roger Miller + Jim Morrison

Roger Miller has to be one of my favourite songwriters and storytellers. He is capable of being funny, witty and heartfelt with his clever word play. I have many lyrical idols but he always comes to the top when I think about a great songwriter. Roger Is always digging light hearted humour that is very relatable to many people. If he is not making you laugh he will sing a heavy song about tragic situations that take place in your very own backyard that could make you cry. A man of wit, beauty and tragedy.

Jim Morrison was easily one of my first lyrical idols. Something about his poetry and the way he could deliver that outwardly just made my skin crawl. Feelings I had never experienced before listening to music. He is truly one of the main reasons I wanted to write songs. I wanted to make people feel things, whether that was humour, sadness, frustration, etc. If you feel any emotion while listening to our music then I have done my job and I can thank Jim Morrison for that ambition.

Danny Kenyon (cello, vocals): George Carlin

There is not a lot anybody can write about George Carlin that hasn’t already been written – he is arguably the most revered and respected comedian of all time. He was one of the first comedians to bring in very heavy and profound questions into comedy, mixing the line between comedian and philosopher. When I was exposed to him as a young man I was obsessed. Watching and listening to already 30 year old material by then one after another, after another – he forced me to look at things in a different way, and I was laughing the whole time.

Scott Pringle (guitar, mandolin, vocals): Neil Young

It’s difficult to choose but Neil Young was the first to come to mind. I’ve been playing and listening to him since I was in highschool and continue to come back to him time and time again. He has a talent for crafting lyrics with sincerity and emotional depth that resonate with all kinds of people on a personal and universal level. He’s also demonstrated versatility and willingness to experiment with different musical styles, allowing him to create a vast and eclectic body of work, something I’ve always admired. From the deeply introspective ballad “Heart of Gold” (one of the first songs I ever learned) to the raw energy of rock anthem “Rockin’ in the Free World,” he connects with listeners across several different styles of writing. His commitment to authenticity is also admirable. Throughout his career, he has remained true to his artistic vision, never succumbing to industry pressures or trends. He took risks and experimented with unconventional songs, staying true to his own creative instincts. Whether exploring themes of love, loss, politics, or the environment, he finds a way to pull you in and feel what he’s saying.

Thanks to Beehive PR for curating this article.

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