Hazzard July 6, 2007

Hazzard Ready to Hit the Road
by Joe Mack - The Current - June 2007

In the music business, there’s no such thing as a get rich quick scheme. The stories of overnight success, though charming, occur about as frequently as a hole in one at a major golf event. Though when history and experience get together to create something altogether new, the results can be exceptional in a relatively short amount of time. Or in Hazzard’s case, you can write and arrange an album’s worth of the best Red Dirt Roots-Rock in about 90 days.

Hazzard is the latest installment of Oklahoma’s unique ideals and culture set to music and has over 120 years of onstage experience to back it up. The roster is equivalent to one of the best bullpen’s in the major leagues – lead vocalist/guitarist/fiddler Dana Hazzard, rhythm guitarist/vocalist Mark LeMond, lead guitarist Christian Dean, bassist Matt Murphy and drummer Jamie Dotson.

Dana, Matt and Jamie began rehearsing and putting material together in January of this year, a time that was clouded with personal conflict inside the guy who’s last name is directly tied to the band. "I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had thoughts about moving to Austin or back to Stillwater. But then I started jamming with Jamie and Matt, and I knew I was in the middle of something that could be really good."

With the addition of Mark and Chris, Hazzard began their voyage with a St. Patrick’s Day gig and from the moment they struck the first chord, these guys have been bound in brotherhood. Their emotional, lyrically driven mix of Red Dirt ballads, Allman-esque jams and honest to goodness Country songs have put these five guys in the bright spotlight, not just the guy with the last name. "I have the least say so in this band," comments Hazzard, "But each one of us would say that. We all get behind one another because we’ve all been there and done that, and paid our dues. It’s a great family to be a part of."

It’s a family with a lot of accolades and experience in the entertainment industry. "If it wasn’t for Jason Boland, I wouldn’t be doing this. He told me to quit fiddling on the side and to start fronting my own songs," Hazzard said. In addition to being one of the original Stragglers, Hazzard’s worked the stage with Corey Morrow, Pat Green, Stoney LaRue, Cody Canada, and even hit the big stages with the likes of Asleep at the Wheel and Willie Nelson. Like everybody else in the band, he’s also spent a majority of his life picking and grinning with local legends like Bill Morgan, Bobby Trapp, Jimmy Giles and Randy Crouch.

Mark LeMond is more than a rhythm guitar player and no frills designated driver, he’s got a powerful voice capable of reaching every end of the vocal spectrum. This harmony hunter put more than his chops on the line, serving our country in Operation Desert Storm in the early 90s, and to this day bleeds red, white and blue. His love for his country is parallel to his love for music. "I couldn’t be playing music with a better bunch of guys," said LeMond and everybody in the band agrees that LeMond fills out the sound in an irreplaceable way.

Christian Dean sports the last name of a guitar for a reason and Roger Ray of The Stragglers knows why – "He’s a guitar god." Though he’s the only out-of-stater in the band (Dean lives in Arkansas,) he’s spent many hungry nights on the road with Exit 81, a band that saw regional success around the same time a guy named Garth Brooks was getting some attention. Dean also can accredit his monster guitar playing to influences like Kent Walker, D.B. Cooper and Waylon Jennings, whom he got to open up for in Ft. Smith many moons ago.

Matt Murphy is the gentle giant of the band responsible for handling the rumbling low end of the band, a duty he’s also fulfilled with his most recent project, Murphy’s Lawmen. Murphy also dropped bass bombs for Iron Horse and Thunder Road, and learned more about what the life on the road was like while supporting Charlie Johnson full time.

Time keeper Jamie Dotson was also a part of Murphy’s Lawmen, which explains why this rhythm section is rock solid, and allows for the three guitarists in the band to take it to the limits. "If it wasn’t for Leslie Ruckman, I wouldn’t be playing anything," said the soft spoken drummer. Dotson has also filled the rhythm pocket for the old-timey Gospel band Mixed Company, as well as The Third Shift Band.

So the right ingredients are in place for Hazzard – positive attitudes, decades of musical knowledge, an effective management team. They even have a tour bus complete with a stripper pole, though the dimensions of the beam are only suitable for the vertically challenged.

This summer, the guys will be hitting clubs and dance halls big and small giving you more to dance about than your legs will know what to do with. When they don’t have obligations though, don’t be surprised to find yourself partying with these five friends. "We’re all about supporting the Red Dirt Rangers, Jason Boland, No Justice and all of our Red Dirt brothers and sisters," said LeMond. "And we like to party whether we’re onstage or not."

In late summer and early fall, Hazzard will take a bag full of songs into the studio for legendary producer Lloyd Maines to sort out. Maines dealt Hazzard one of the heaviest comments to date after hearing their demo; "If I can’t produce it, I wanna play steel on it." You can look for Hazzard’s debut album by the end of 2007 and in the meantime, you can enjoy this hypnotic, heart warming, hillbilly band all summer long at a venue near you.

If you’re into good Oklahoma music, this band will be one of your favorites by Thanksgiving. Like brother Bill Morgan said, "Do yourself a favor – get out and hear them boys!" Check out their audio and visual delights online at www.hazzardweb.com and/or at www.myspace.com/hazzardweb.

Official Website: http://www.hazzardweb.com