Her and Kings County will be bringing country music from New York City to the Blue Rooster Oct. 22.
The Blue Rooster is Murfreesboro’s newest bar and music hall located at the former site of Bluesboro on North Church Street. Her and Kings County will be among the first to play at the new venue that opened Oct. 2 and boasts a “polished, casual party atmosphere” owner Luke McKee said.
Her and Kings County hails from the heart of New York City, but the band’s sound is unmistakably Southern. The six-member band includes lead vocalist Monique Staffile; Caleb Sherman on pedal steel, banjo, dobro and lap steel; Justin Sherman on rhythm guitar; A Wonder on lead guitar; Brother Love on drums and Nicolas diPierro on bass guitar and jaw harp. The band has been playing Southern rock and country together for five years; Staffile says country is not what she thought she would be performing, but that changed when she met Caleb.
“Honestly, my background is more punk,” Staffile said. “Caleb starting writing five years ago with instruments around his studio. Caleb’s family is from Tennessee, so we just put it all together.”
Evidence of the members’ diverse musical backgrounds can be clearly heard in songs like “Freedom and Ride” from the album City Country. Staffile belts out the lyrics with a hint of country twang, as the pedal steel and banjo back her up in the true style of old country music. Yet, evidence of Staffile’s rock-n-roll background can also be heard on each track, providing a bit of edge.
The band’s music is drawing attention from big names in the country music industry. Their independently released CDs City Country and 1609 have received praise from critics, and their video for the song “My Backyard” has been featured on CMT’s “Loaded” program. Her and Kings County have also played with several big names in country music, including Kellie Pickler and Kid Rock.
“We were on the road when we got a call telling us to stop driving and head to Florida for Kid Rock’s tour,” Staffile said.
The band is receiving warm receptions from fans in the South who appreciate quality live shows. Staffile said performing a live show that sounds like the record is important to the band. She said that even though most people do not think of New York City as a hot spot for country music, the Kings County live show has changed many people’s minds.
The show at the Blue Rooster will be the only stop in Tennessee on the band’s four-month tour.
“We love Nashville, but we played the Blue Rooster when it was Bluesboro, and it was great,” Staffile said. “The scene and the vibe were really comfortable, and we were like ?Wow! Murfreesboro rocks harder than New York City!’”
For now, the band hopes its tour exposes more people to its Southern rock from the Northern states.
“We’ve just been out on the road campaigning and doing everything ourselves,” Staffile said. “We make our own records and videos . . .. We want to make records for the next 10 or 20 years.”
Her and Kings County will perform at The Blue Rooster on Oct. 22 at 7:45 p.m. For more information on the band, visit myspace.com/her.
