Rockin’ Out

Ignite the Skies delivers a soul-crushing sound with screaming guitars and a killer beat.

Muscle Shoals music still alive and kickin’ – They don’t call it the Singing River for nothin’.

Rosedale

A brand new band with some familiar faces, Rosedale was born straight out of Muscle Shoals’ history and sound. What could best be described as psychedelic rock filled with the spirit of the blues, Rosedale’s sound is guaranteed to cause a good time everywhere it goes.

Billy Smart, a Huntsville native and the guitarist and singer for Rosedale, cites Keith Richards and the Allman Brothers as some of his major influences. He is also completely in love with the blues and all things southern.

“I just love the raw emotion in the blues and how universal it is,” said Smart. “The fact that Southern America created this phenomenon that is heard all over the world is amazing.”

With the release of their first album “Woogie Boogie” in June, Rosedale is making its name known. The band is comprised of Billy Smart and Heath Simmons on vocals and guitar, Jacob Lovell on bass and vocals and Trent Owen on drums. Be sure to check them out at venues like The Smokehouse, Big Ed’s, La Fonda’s and others in the area.

The Bear

In trying to describe The Bear’s sound, words like folk, indie and pop-country-Americana-bluegrass-but-not-the Avetts-or-Mumford- and-Sons tend to dominate the mind. But on really listening to The Bear, and in the confused knot of genre labels, there’s no clear-cut way to define it. They are simply their own.

On the band’s first, self-titled album, the sound ranges in extremes with songs that hit like a cold summer rain to others meant to be blasted with the windows down and sunglasses on. A whole range of moods and musical styles go into The Bear and defining it is hard—even for the band members.

Amber Murray, lead singer, guitar and piano player, said giving it one name is just too easy.

“We just try to do what’s best for each song,” said Murray. “We don’t try to record an overall sound; it’d make it too constricting to write from one genre.”

The band also includes Nathan Pitts on guitar, vocals, banjo and pedal steel, Ben Tanner on keyboards, piano and percussion, Kyle Minckler on drums and percussion, and Ben Stedman on bass and “extra special handclaps.”

Be sure to catch a show in Florence at Pegasus Records, Rivertown Coffee Co. or other local venues.

Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil

To get a taste of some genuine Southern sound, there’s no need to go further than Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil. Dailey has been born and raised in the Shoals area, and has been influenced by all the music he has heard pour in from across the South. All those inspirations naturally cause some ambiguity in their sound.

“We’re not country enough for country people and not rock ‘n’ roll enough for rock people,” said Dailey. “People like boxes and we all know that just doesn’t work out sometimes.”

If Dailey is concerned about staying out of a box, he shouldn’t be. With the release of the band’s first album, “Victims, Enemies, and Old Friends,” in October, Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil have set a tone for what’s to come with no restrictions.

Band members include Doc Dailey, Jon Berry, Ben Stedman, Kyle Minckler, Nathan Pitts and Susan King. Be sure to catch some shows coming up this fall.

Ignite the Skies

Florence, despite its roots in blues and soul, has developed a thriving metal scene. One of the several up-and-coming bands is Ignite the Skies.

Ignite the Skies, now having played just over a year, has a sound that is straight metal and hardcore with a splash of Lamb of God and Slipknot for a deep gory color. The darkness makes it perfect, however, for their metal cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.”

With the demo for a new album coming out soon, Ignite the Skies is climbing in local popularity.

Chad Etheridge, guitarist, feels the energy at the shows.

“The best part is watching everyone jump around an get into the music,” said Etheridge. “The energy you get from playing and just hanging out with the crowd is great.”

Ignite the Skies features Chad Etheridge and Dylan Weber on guitars, Luke Oliver on vocals, Wes Bevis on bass, Alan Hensley on drums and occasional screaming vocals by Roxanne Bowles.

Check out Ignite the Skies next fall at venues like The Smokehouse and Seven-Points Sound.