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OXFORD - They're lovers, not fighters.
Oxford is teeming with bands, but there's little - if any - competition between them. They all swap members or play together, and it's because of this community that Rocket 88 came about.
"It's a family, everyone is connected," Jamie Posey, vocalist and
guitarist for Rocket 88, said of the Oxford music scene. "We're a product of this scene." Posey's wife, Rosamond, is also a member of Rocket 88. They were members of Honey Blonde before creating Rocket 88. Rounding out the rest of Rocket 88 is drummer Ryan Rogers (also a member of Jackson based Geronimo Rex), Robert Chaffe (formerly of the Kudzu Kings) and Nathan Robbins (formerly of Seth Libbey and the Liberals).
Rocket 88 is bringing its "Mississippi roots rock" sound to the Longshot on Saturday. Some of its music is country, some rock and some is hill country blues. "It's got some honky tonk aspect to it," Posey said. Speaking of honky tonks, Rocket 88 also plays what the band calls "juke joint gospel." Posey describes it as, "high-energy gospel - not something you'd hear in a church by any means. It comes off like a rock show more than anything else."
The band pays homage to those who've come before it, both
locally and regionally, in its music. "We're heavily influenced by the Oxford scene. We're a product of everything from the Kudzu Kings to The Tangent to Blue Mountain, and all of those were influenced by the ones before them," Posey said. "We're just one band in a long line of goods bands that have come out of this scene."
Extending their reach
Although Rocket 88 has such close ties with Oxford, they're looking to
Branch out. The year-old band has a few gigs in Jackson and Baton Rouge lined up, but wants to branch out to Starkville and Memphis.
Meanwhile, the band is going into the studio this fall to record its first album. "We get a lot of requests from people who want to take the music home," Posey said.
Although Rocket 88 is looking to get bigger and better, the band will
Always call Oxford home. "I don't know why [musicians] collect here. Writers are the same way," Posey said. "[Oxford] has always been a mecca for artists and writers." And the lack of competition between bands can only make them better, he said.
"In the music scene here, you play off each other, and it pushes you to do better. You're representing what all's come before you," Posey said. "We're representing the town, and we take a lot of pride in that."
Check out Rocket 88 online at www.myspace.com/rocket88music and
www.rocket88music.com.