Southern Blues-a-delic Y’all-ternative Rock

The guys from Hackberry Road have never cared much for labels.  Some call them a Southern Rock band, some call them a Blues band, and some would say they’re a slice of Americana. “We’ve always defined ourselves by what we can do, not by what we should call it,” says Mark Nesmith, bassist and lead vocalist for the band.  “To us it’s completely natural to have a set of songs that range from Blues and Rock ‘n Roll to Pop and Alt Country.  It’s just who we are, and I think it’s a big part of what defines Texas music.  We don’t really think about it.  We just play what we play and it comes out sounding like us.”

Although the band has only been together for a few years, they’ve already logged hundreds of gigs around Texas and Oklahoma.  Two of their original songs, “Angel” and “Jimmie’s Got a Girl” have received considerable play on www.cellblockradio.net here in Texas and also in Australia and Canada.  Their Myspace page has been viewed more than 58,000 times and they’ve gathered a list of friends approaching 7,000 strong.  Known for their impromptu jam sessions, they often have members of the audience onstage to sing or play cowbells, shakers, and drums with the band.  They’ve even jammed with Charlie Torres and Tom Curiale from The Rick Derringer Band. 

Jon Hodge, lead guitarist for the band, says “The music we play and the songs we write are about things we all go through in our lives – love, heartache, success and failure, and just trying to make the most of the life we’ve been given.”  A night with Hackberry Road is a night filled with music from some of the biggest legends to ever step on stage.  From Stevie Ray Vaughan and ZZ Top to Pat Green and Johnny Cash, nothing is out of bounds at a Hackberry Road show.  Stay long enough and you’ll usually catch Mark setting the bass down and picking up a guitar to strum a few new tunes he’s working on.  The band has recently added Matt Hopkins to the lineup on drums.  Matt rounds out the power-trio approach and lends a new depth to vocals and acoustic sets.  The band’s own well-crafted original songs are mixed in right along side classic hits and newer music from current stars like Stony Larue, Dave Mathews, Los Lonely Boys, Matchbox 20, and Montgomery Gentry.  “After all, it’s all music, and all music has some common ground,” says the band.

“If you need a label, then call us a Southern Blues-a-delic Y’all-ternative Rock band that jams!”