Bands to Check Out
By CW Ross
I'm starting a new series on the blog featuring bands that I think are really good and that you should check out for yourself.
First up is the band, Docfell & Co. As their name suggest the group is lead by Dr. John Fells, who goes simply by Doc. He's a doctor by day and musician at night.
The Co. part of the group is comprised of band member's, Brad Rice (drums), John Barker (bass), Jordan Cox (harmonica, accordion and vocals) and Kyle Brown (lead guitar and production).
The band calls Tahlequah, Oklahoma home. They've been together for over ten years now and have put out several albums and singles over that time frame.
A little sidenote. I had never heard of Tahlequah before so I googled it and found that it's located the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and the capital of the modern Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.
I found out about the band through the site Music Submit and sampled several of their songs. I could tell right away that this band had that little something extra in their music that puts them above other bands. Docfell & Co.'s music is both well written and performed.
While listening to their music I could hear that these are seasoned musicians who know how to get the most from their instruments. Also the songs are well written and draw you in as they tell their story.
Trying to classify the band's sound by using just one genre is tough. Their music is more like an exotic recipe that's filled with many different spices to make each finished dish special. The main style used in their music is country but you'll also find musical style spices like, Americana, folk, and gospel to name just a few that are used to achieve the final musical song dish.
If I had to pick a favorite of the band's songs that I heard it would be, “John the ex-Baptist.” It's an up tempo autobiographical song that deals with the hypocrisy of some so-called, 'Christians,' who live in glass houses and always throwing stones at others while ignoring the way they are living their own lives.
Band leader Doc described the songs found on the band's latest album as mini-sermons. There is a spiritual thread that winds its way through much of the band's music I wouldn't call it religious but more life experiences based.
I have a feeling after listening to some of the songs penned by Doc along with major co-writing credits also going out to Jordan Cox on several of them that Doc has had an interesting journey up to this point of his life.
I think that Doc's philosophy on being in a Indie band is some words of wisdom that other indie bands should hear.
“When you’re an indie band, it’s often easy to get discouraged, so it’s important to define what success means to you,” Doc says. “For us, we take the same philosophy whether we’re playing for thousands at a festival or to a bar that’s half packed or only has a few people by the end of the night. We ask ourselves, Was it a fun gig? Did we have a good time? Did we touch people and maybe inspire those who heard us in some way? There are no small crowds, only small performances. No matter the circumstance, we go out and give them our all.”
I would encourage you to give Docfell & Co.'s music a listen.
Visit the band's website: http://www.docfellmusic.com
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