THE FIGHTING SIDE
St. Louis honkytonk rock ‘n’ roll act The Fighting Side is making waves throughout the Midwest, and the status quo of country music has been given notice.
Frontman Brad Jackson makes it all clear. “Each one of us has been doing this for a long time, but in different musical realms. Some of us cut teeth on punk rock, some of us on bluegrass or surf rock, and I’m a traditional country guy with a long punk rock history it all matters.” The styles each member contributes is distinct, but the resulting sound is something altogether innovative, yet familiar in the way that defines songs you can’t get out of your head. Screaming telecaster lead guitar from David Newman and the walking bass lines of Ben Gastman, combined with Jackson’s deep baritone growl, say it’s something between country music and southern rock, while the punk/blues backbone from behind the kit of Timmy Kendrick and the guitar of Seth Barnhart transform the output into something that’s really not country music at all.
The songs this act delivers, hard-hitting in both arrangement and lyrical content, are the carefully crafted art pieces of a group that clearly has a formula down pat. “Seth and I have been friends since 5th grade”, says Jackson, “so there’s a definite element of understanding between us. Sometime I deliver an idea, a one liner or a melody that’s been banging around in my head, and it’s like he just automatically knows where I’m heading with it. That makes it easy, and we take those ideas to the full band and watch them grow as each of us adds a piece of ourselves to the tunes. Having the incredibly cool lineup that we have is the secret recipe Everybody in the band writes the songs together.” And while the songs are the heart of this act, the banter and the obvious clout and decades of experience they display on stage are the edge.
While working on a new album (hopefully hitting in mid-2024), The Fighting Side is currently touring on their sophomore release Hellbent on Hardtimes, available on iTunes, Spotify, and wherever you buy music online.
When this act comes to town, you put your damn pants on and go see what honkytonk insurgent rebel rock ‘n’ roll looks like if you know what’s good for you.