Southern Rock

Name: Southern Rock
Age: 22
Instruments: Guitars, Piano, Violin
First Appearance: The 60's: Part 2

Favorite Bands: The Allman Brothers Band, Barefoot Jerry, Blackfoot, Black Crowes, Canned Heat, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Charlie Daniels Band, Dash Rip Rock, The Doobie Brothers, The Georgia Satellites, Hellyeah, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Kentucky Headhunters, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet, The Oakridge Boys, Outlaws, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Pantera, Pure Praire League, Stampeders, Wet Willie, Widespread Panic, ZZ Top, .38 Special

BIOGRAPHY: The second in command of The Five Genres. Southern Rock is depicted as a redneck-looking character, heavily influenced by rockabilly, country music and the blues. Classic and Southern were very close since they were children, and he will occasionally accompany her to concerts and rallies. He is quite patriotic and first shown being to be skeptical of the hippie counterculture, but he softened his views after witnessing Woodstock. Southern is the best guitar player of the five and had even taught Classic to play guitar when Billy, their eldest brother, gave up on her. Despite being exceptionally brave, he is terrified of flying on airplanes, a fear attributed to Billy's death. His air sickness is the main reason why the band has always traveled by bus.

ARTIST NOTES: I think many people know somebody like Southern Rock. Writing dialogue for him can be difficult because I wanted to avoid any obvious tropes associated with Southerners. Although his personality may vary from comic to comic, I eventually settled on a fun-loving, but ultimately vigilant and supportive character that compliments Classic's maternal image.

DESIGN: Southern Rock was one of the first characters I had designed. He's easily recognizable for his beard and his long mullet hairstyle, making him fun to draw. He likes displaying his national heritage on his shirt, which was referenced in a comic revolving around what he would wear when his shirt was in the wash.