Generation Next

Royal Southern Brotherhood is very much a family, arguably royal, and so southern that they’ve often been compared to a bowl of gumbo. So when Brotherhood guitarist Devon Allman, son of Gregg Allman, first went in to Dockside Studio in Maurice, La., to record the band’s self-titled album, now out on Ruf Records, he was restless to start working on his tune, “Left My Heart in Memphis.” That morning, the weight of all the beloved city’s legends came down in every musician’s dream: the perfect take.

“What you hear in that vocal was a one-shot deal,” Allman says. “I went in, sat down, played with the drummer and we got that. That one was really special to me. I spent a lot of time in Memphis and it has a special place in my heart for the late Jeff Buckley, who passed away there. The lyric, ‘In the night you can hear our last goodbye,’ nods to him.” 

Royal Southern Brotherhood’s album was released in May, and the band plans to spend the next nine months on a promotional tour, which includes a Wednesday, June 20, stop at downtown’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. The outfit will alternate between stateside venues and international gigs, with 14 more countries to hit along the way. No matter where these tumbleweeds wander, however, they don’t run into duplicates of their sound. The smooth rhythms over spicy guitars and saucy vocals are unmistakably American.

Under the straight-shooting lyrics of “Gotta Keep Rockin’” (“Now I don’t mind if you try and kick me down a little/ It makes me try harder than I was before”), Charlie Wooton’s bass lines smolder with a heat that hangs charcoal smoke in the air. Seismic guitar licks lock lips with the soulful vocals of Cyril Neville, Devon Allman and Mike Zito. Yonrico Scott, from the Derek Trucks Band, finesses and pounds his drums with seamless dexterity.

Not only does Allman have faith in the Salt City’s ability to rustle up some great barbecue, he believes in the Syracuse rock and blues scene. Of course there are certain high expectations from an audience turning eager ears to their notable family names, Allman and Neville, yet Devon Allman hopes that those who hear the record will believe that it rings true. 

“I truly hope that this record stirs your soul up,” Allman says, “that it moves you, that it gets you through your day a little easier, that you can relate to it. People who come in looking for good music from the heart and from the soul will find it.”

From all the places Allman has traveled, including his time as a working musician in Spain, he has picked up a “Spanish, maybe Latin-y thing” in his playing that comes out in the song “Fire Dog.” Meanwhile, the other band members have had side projects and lead their own separate bands. Royal Southern Brotherhood’s multifaceted structure, however, offers more support than tension, as its five leaders come together to form one sound. There’s a lot of love, and what makes it work is that they all put the music first. 

Royal Southern Brotherhood efficiently recorded its full-length album in five days. In Allman’s past recording experiences, he consistently had anywhere from two to four weeks to make one album, so the time crunch initially had him nervous.

“When I made my last record with my other band {Devon Allman’s Honeytribe}, I had 30 days,” he says. “Having that time was awesome because if I wanted to nail a guitar solo, I could work it, work it and work it until it was perfect. 

“When we were setting up to do this Royal Southern Brotherhood album and I found out we had five days to record it, I thought everyone was nuts. Everyone had lost their minds. I wanted to book an extra five days just in case we needed them.”

Those extra days were indeed booked to quell any concerns, but the band never had a need for them. Working within those limits, Allman feels the group was able to dig straight down to pull up the essence of each tune. “What comes with playing music for a while is the maturity in the realm of playing the song,” he affirms, “not playing the instrument.” 

Royal Southern Brotherhood plays on Wednesday, June 20, 8 p.m., Upstairs at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 246 W. Willow St. Tickets are $20 and available online at dinosaurbarbque.com. For more information, call 476-4937 or visit royalsouthernbrotherhood.com.