Country music duo Muscadine Bloodline, composed of Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton, is set to perform at The Lyric on Thursday, Aug. 25, the beginning of a packed fall lineup for the Oxford music venue.
Following their sophomore album, “Dispatch to 16th Ave.,” which debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Country Chart and No. 17 on the Billboard Chart in February, Muscadine Bloodline comes to Oxford as part of their “Country Band Contraband” tour, which began earlier this summer.
Despite their nationwide tour bouncing from coast to coast, Muscadine Bloodline remains rhythmically in tune with their unique Southern heritage.
“Proudly independent and unapologetically Southern,” says their official site.
“Country Band Contraband” remains an apt title, as the duo have lovingly hijacked the contemporary country music scene with their own unique, free-wheeling pop style. A style that remains remarkably catchy, uplifting and wholly refreshing, in addition to underlining their larger ambitions for musical independence.
While their independence implies a freedom from traditional country music, there also remains something so unequivocally Southern in their lyricism, importing pop cultural reference points throughout their songs that will resonate with any Southern listeners.
“Like white on rice in your mama’s jambalaya … Like black on night by the mighty Mississippi,” are some of the lyrics that make up their popular single, “Me on You.”
Even their namesake contains Southern roots, with Muscadine being a reference to a type of grapevine indigenous to the region and “Bloodline” further underscoring their reverential heritage.
This heritage can be traced back to Mobile, Ala., where Muncaster and Stanton grew up. Their paths did not cross until 2012, when Stanton opened a show for Muncaster’s band, the beginning of a beautiful friendship and a fruitful collaboration. Between vocals and guitar, Muncaster and Stanton form a sound that wonderfully meets at the intersection between contemporary and throwback, carving out a distinctive, hard-to-resist voice in American country music.
Since officially naming themselves Muscadine Bloodline in 2015, the duo has skyrocketed to great acclaim, earning positive critical reception for their EPs, opening for hundreds of artists, as well as selling out their own shows, and even garnering a standing ovation at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 2018.
“The duo’s reputation for high-energy live experiences has resulted in a schedule full of shows spanning from coast to coast,” says the Rhythm and Ribs Music Festival. This type of high-octane energy is exactly what Muscadine Bloodline will be kicking off the fall music season with in Oxford.
Muscadine Bloodline will be performing at The Lyric on Thursday Aug. 25. Tickets are available on The Lyric’s website.
