DeeOhGee kicks off vinyl-first series with “49-50”

DeeOhGee are a band that’s built on swagger and the energy that can only come from a life lived on the road. The Nashville-based trio of Matthew Paige on guitar, vocals and harmonica, Zack Murphy on drums and vocals and Dylan Whitlow on bass, vocals and guitar have earned a reputation as a force of nature within the world of Americana and beyond. For years they developed their shared sonic vision under the name Blackfoot Gypsies, earning national recognition through relentless touring, hand-made stagewear and lively shows. Along the way they’ve played alongside artists such as Tyler Childers, Buddy Guy and Dwight Yoakam, steadily growing into the formidable act they are today.

Reborn as DeeOhGee during the pandemic, the band embraced their second wind with a renewed sense of purpose and a name inspired by a Waylon Jennings lyric. Their 2022 debut album New Way of Life was a defiant introduction, recorded on their own terms without studio extras or filler. What came through was a sound as raucous as it was sincere; a three-man charge through swampy psych jams, honky-tonk grit and garage punk fire, stitched together by a love of roots music and a desire to twist it into new shapes.

Their live shows capture three musicians locked in with one another, improvising, howling and letting the songs take on a life of their own. No tracks, no gloss, just pure chemistry, helped along by their mascot, Darlin the dog, who’s as much a part of the ride as the band themselves.

Now the group have entered their next chapter with their latest single titled “49-50”, a track that captures both the surreal and the soulful sides of their sound. Lyrically it plays out like a bluesy fever dream, standing at the crossroads between protest chant and backwoods parable, with references to reefer rivers, cold beds and smoking ducks. It’s equal parts humour and heartache, drawing on the traditions of American folk poetry while reforming them into something joyfully offbeat.

The single has also given DeeOhGee the chance to experiment with formats that match their ethos, partnering with Buy Before You Stream, “49-50” has been released as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl, the first in a series of vinyl-first drops from the band. The release includes two versions, a studio cut produced by J.D. Cronise of The Sword at Mike Fahey’s Starbird Sound Studios in Nashville and a live take recorded at Somewhere Works in Wichita, Kansas. The studio version blends Delta-blues phrasing with jagged edged garage rock, while the live cut bottles the band’s on-stage fire into wax.

With vinyl copies available now here and streaming releases set to follow in September, DeeOhGee prove once again that they’re more interested in keeping things real than playing by industry rules. For them, it’s about the groove and that crackle of magic when a needle first hits the wax and with new music and a nationwide tour lined up, DeeOhGee are ready to carry their raucous celebration of rock, blues and country swagger to every stage they can find.

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