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06-20-12-drayton-road.jpgDrayton Road is a new rock group in town who are set on making their mark here in Fayetteville and hope make a name for themselves and their city. The four-piece band is more than familiar with the local music scene. Brent Underwood once fronted Nephilym, which was in the past, Fayetteville’s super-group. Taking on the other half of the vocal and guitar duties is Jacob Smotherman who formerly fronted The Evan City Saints. They then recruited Harry Godwin and Nick Peeler to handle the rhythm section. Since then they have recorded a five-song self-titled demo.

At first Drayton Road might confuse their listeners by their song titles compared to their sound. Four out of the five songs have ridiculous titles aimed to show they have some humor and a carefree side. The actual music speaks volumes, showing they are serious about their business and have what it takes to make it out there in the music world.

For the band, Fayetteville seems like a great place to start because they believe they can mix in and match the skills of many of the artists performing locally today. Songs like “Coconut Doughnut” and “The Curse of Bob Barker” could easily be a radio single, and that is what the band hopes will happen in the near future. The songs showcase the band’s melodic rock side and carry an upbeat anthem feeling.

“Coconut Doughnut” has a Sevendust feel to it when the band taps into the more upbeat melodic side. Then Drayton Road gets a little nasty on us with the tracks “Rise of Master Splinter” and “Cleveland Steamer.” These are the heavier songs on the demo. “Cleveland Steamer” has a heavy southern sound and the lyrics on this song could actually make you chuckle some with the band, not at them. “The Curse of Master Splinter” has a heavy Godsmack vibe to the music, but thankfully Underwood’s vocals take them in a different direction and distinguish the piece as an original Drayton Road song.

“September Skies” is the only song here that is 100 percent serious and rightfully so. It’s a tribute to our fallen heroes and family members, which can be easily relatable here in Fayetteville with Fort Bragg as our neighbor. This is the ballad on the album and a fitting commemoration to those who gave their all for us.

If you love listening to bands like Staind, Chevelle, and Theory of a Deadman, then this will be right up your ally. You might even hear them on the radio one day.

The demo can be downloaded for free at http://soundcloud.com/draytonroad. If you like with the demo, you can also vote for the band to win Carolina Music’s rock band of the year award at http://carolinamusicawards.com/cma/vote/.

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