Southeast Engine.

Band to watch: Southeast Engine. They're from Athens, Ohio, which of course I love, you've got to love bands from your home state- thank God I'm exempt from having to love Jimmy Buffet. They consist of band members Leo DeLuca (drums), Billy Matheny (keyboards), Adam Remnant (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Jesse Remnant (bass vocals).

If you like Wilco, Creedence Clearwater Revival or Bright Eyes, you will love this band. Luckily, I love all 'dem bands.

The quartet's latest album, From the Forest to the Sea tells the story of a sea-bottom cartographer who helps the government find the best spots to drill for oil. Very specific.
“This character has potentially bought into the standard American dreams and ideals, in a hollow, shallow sense,” says lead singer Adam Remnant.
The down-to-earth sentiments of title, certainly, and the main subject reflects the band themselves. The album was recorded in an abandoned 1800's school auditorium in the small town of Stewart, Ohio, where you can hear creaks in the floorboards in many of the songs.

True to his rusted roots mantra, when he’s not on tour, Andy Remnant works full-time as a carpenter and handyman in Ohio. “It’s about having an interaction with your local community,” he says. “Having a sense that you’re moving in a direction where you want to be going, and the people around you are supporting you.”

Got to love that Hannah Montana mentality. Normal guy by day, rock star by night. Check them out below.
-CE