A blonde woman taps her manicured fingers on her beer bottle. A guy in a purple shirt bobs his head to the beat. A group of pool sharks stop their game to watch. That is what fuels Great Southwest when performing for a crowded bar.
“When everybody’s watching, that’s when you know you got it right,” lead singer Matt Wolcott said.
The crowd at Adair’s Saloon in Deep Ellum can be a tough one to please. Country musicians like the Dixie Chicks and Jack Ingram played the Adair’s stage just before reaching national fame.
“It’s a Dallas landmark,” Wolcott said. “Every Texas country singer wants to play there.”
It would be hard to imagine the clean-cut, third-year SMU law student as an amateur rock star. But, when bathed in the neon lights of a bar and flanked by his bandmates, Wolcott channels the spirit of southern rock.
A novice to the guitar, Wolcott has been playing for three years. He bought his acoustic before coming to SMU’s Dedman School of Law to have as a sort of release from school and clerking for a local judge and a corporate legal department.
Once Wolcott began to play the guitar in law school, he picked up on other sounds and styles that encouraged him to start his own band.
“The new Texas country kick was coming on with Cross Canadian Ragweed, Cory Morrow, Pat Green and all those guys. I said to myself, ‘Hey, I can do that!'” he said.
Wolcott collaborated with Monty Markland, another SMU law student, and played open mic nights at The Winedale Tavern on Greenville Avenue. The narrow, smoky venue allowed the duo to play just for fun.
They never expected to play more venues than Wednesday nights at The Winedale, but a couple years ago, a trip to a local music store changed everything.
Dean Gregory was just a salesman doing his job, but he soon joined Wolcott and Markland on The Winedale stage. The sounds of the strumming acoustic guitars against the wailing of Gregory’s electric guitar hit a proverbial chord for Wolcott.
Gregory’s talents are showcased during Great Southwest’s rendition of The Eagles’ “Hotel California.” Classic rock fans know Joe Walsh’s complicated solo is hard to execute. Gregory performed it with ease. One fan bowed in reverence while the rest of the bar clapped and yelled.
“Dean’s solo just rocks so crazy,” fan Phil Martin said.
Gregory teamed up with Wolcott and Markland. They recruited two more musicians to fill in bass guitar and drums and formed International Shoe. After a year of playing all over Dallas, International Shoe fizzled out. Markland moved to L.A. to pursue his career, and the bassist and drummer lost interest. Wolcott and Gregory posted ads on Backpage.com and Dallasmusician.com to recruit musicians to fill in the gaps. Ben Cunningham and Terry Knoblock responded, and the group began working as soon as they could.
On the bass and vocals, Cunningham brought the funk to the sound. He crooned Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” to the bar, inspiring couples to get up and dance. Cunningham said it’s the biggest thrill when people start dancing. That’s how he knows they are really enjoying the music.
Great Southwest’s rhythm and structure comes from drummer Knoblock, who Gregory calls the band’s “solid Ringo.” Knoblock said he was apprehensive about playing with a group he had never met.
“I was worried about meeting a bunch of freaks, but it just clicked,” he said.
The foursome practices once or twice a week in their spare time outside of work and school.
Great Southwest also writes original songs that fit into the southern rock genre. “Right Out the Door” and “Final Show” catch the crowd’s interest.
Great Southwest will be playing tonight at The Texas Tea House located at 2612 Commerce St. in Deep Ellum.
