Alright, so first off, it is a weird name. As it turns out the name is taken from the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" As their web site describes it, "the three main characters stop at a crossroads in rural Mississippi where they see a man standing with a guitar. The man asks if they're headed to Tishomingo, a place where he heard people can get paid for singing into a can. They pick him up, and they all go to a radio station in Tishomingo. There, under the moniker The Soggy Bottom Boys, they record a song that becomes a huge hit. In Tishomingo, four drifters became a band." Admittedly these guys altered the spelling of the name, but it's a cool name for a band. Tishamingo is a new band composed of more or less unknowns. Still, the musicians in this outfit that is based out of Georgia have played in various groups over time opening for such bands as Widespread Panic, B.B. King and others. This particular grouping, though, has only been around since 2001. With Wear 'N' Tear, they have produced a disc that should please fans of southern rock, while possibly exciting listeners of jam bands and even fusion at the same time. Make no mistake; this album is first and foremost built on classic rock with a decidedly southern bent. The thing is, these guys do it very well. They hit on groups like Skynyrd, ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker and others, but they also bring in a jazz texture at times, and (as with the Allman Brothers) a jam band sensibility. The end result is a unique, but familiar soundscape. While it occasionally drifts too far into country territory for this city boy, there is plenty here that works quite well. These guys would have been right at home on the radio in the 1970's, so now it's time to see how they do in the '00's.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2005 Year Book Volume 3 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2005.