Mofro

The goofy band name may suggest they have mo' 'fro than any hippie band since Sly dissolved the Family Stone. But even if that were the case, it wouldn't be what ultimately separates the guys in Mofro from their jam-rock brethren. No, where these two really stand out from the...

By Ed Masley

October 12, 2006

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The goofy band name may suggest they have mo' 'fro than any hippie band since Sly dissolved the Family Stone. But even if that were the case, it wouldn't be what ultimately separates the guys in Mofro from their jam-rock brethren. No, where these two really stand out from the crowd at Bonnaroo (or wherever it is that hippies go for grilled cheese now that Phish broke up and Bonnaroo sold out) is in their willingness to revisit the backwater gospel-rock glory that also fueled the Black Crowes' finest hour, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. This is deeply Southern rock, a swampy, soulful celebration of a rich American tradition dreamed up by a country boy from backwoods Florida who still lives on his grandpa's chicken farm and doesn't mind if people do say he's a redneck. And those Southern roots inform the lyrics of the latest Mofro album just as deeply as they've shaped the music. On the title track and strongest cut, "Lochloosa," they pine for a Florida lost to developers, sighing, "All we need is one more Mickey Mouse, another golf course . . ."

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