North of Autumn

DALLAS — Saturday night at Lakewood Bar and Grill, a rather new local band that has been under the radar put on a performance that demanded people stand up and take notice. Dallas band North of Autumn has only been together as a group for about a year, but what they have accomplished in that short time is impressive.

North of Autumn sounds like a hybrid between John Mayer and the Counting Crows, mixed with Denton’s own Andrew Tinker and a little dash of Backside Pick. They opened for Fuel and Bret Michaels at the American Airlines Center back in July for Jack FM’s Bandanaroo. They were a weird choice to take the stage before Fuel, since North of Autumn and Fuel’s sounds are nowhere near similar, but opening for Bret Michaels kind of makes sense. Fading rock stars like Michaels tend to go the country music route in their old age – take Bon Jovi for example – so their music is a little on the softer, more emotional side as opposed to their '80s hair metal days. North of Autumn's pairing with those bands allowed them and play to their biggest audience to date.

During North of Autumn’s powerful performance Saturday night, lead singer and pianist Cully Woods – whose soulful voice can give John Mayer a run for his money – announced to the small venue that the band would be performing on Good Day Texas Thursday morning.

The bluesy pop rock quintet has also beat out 30 other local bands in a battle of the bands competition presented by The Door Night Clubs of DFW during their first-ever live performance as a band. We're guessing that the coming year should be a rollercoaster ride that could possibly take these guys to bigger and better ventures, especially if they play like they did Saturday.

North of Autumn has a five song EP out now. The band is currently recording their debut full-length album Confluence; you can hear many of the songs off their forthcoming album during their live performances. The band promises that their new album will have an even mixture of musical influences and include piano-driven songs that will feature Woods’ soulful vocals, as well as a few harder rock tracks. The album will also feature a track called “S.O.S.” – a song that is in the band’s live performance rotation. For the track, the band switches things up and lead guitarist Timothy Allen takes lead vocals.

If you haven’t seen North of Autumn yet, you should. These guys have the talent and the “it” factor that could take them far. - Pegasus News. Article by Jessica Harp

If any band in Dallas has the “it” factor, it has got to be North of Autumn. They have those catchy hooks that are hard to get out of your head – and believe us, you want those songs to stay there. Their mix of blues, rock, country, and soul, along with lead singer Cully Woods’ unforgettable voice, has just what it takes to make the band go far. They have already opened for Fuel and Bret Michaels at the American Airlines Center, as well as performed on Good Morning Texas – and they don’t even have a full-length album out yet! Their debut record, Confluence, is due out sometime in 2011 and we can’t wait to take a listen. - Pegasus News. Article by Jessica Harp

Like all burgeoning bands, Dallas' North of Autumn wants to build - build a fan base, build a strong canon of songs and build a lasting career. Although together as a musical unit for only a year, lead singer and pianist Cully Woods, lead guitarist Timothy Allen, rhythm guitarist Ryan Patrick, bassist Taylor Dondlinger and drummer Jordan Rochefort already have a strong foundation.

The pop-rock group (imagine John Mayer merged with Dave Matthews Band) quickly produced a five-song EP of original material. The band has diligently played the Dallas-Fort Worth area at venues such as Trees, Lakewood Bar and Grill, LaGrange, Hailey's, the Door, Prophet Bar, Lochrann's Irish Pub and the Aardvark.

Oh, and get this: North of Autumn took the American Airlines Center stage in July as the local opening act for Bret Michaels, Fuel and Cowboy Mouth during Jack FM's Bandanaroo event.

Even more impressive: Although these guys currently all have outside jobs to make a living, they are recording their debut full-length album, Confluence, which should be ready for unveiling in early 2011.

Dondlinger put it best: "Although we all have side jobs to pay the bills, the response we're getting is amazing, and that gives us hope that one day what we love to do will be all we need to do."

Dec. 30 at 9 p.m. at Poor David's Pub, 1313 S. Lamar St., Dallas. $10. www.poordavidspub.com. - Dallas Morning News. Article by Mario Tarradell