SOUTHALL — "Kinfolk"

When you visit the American South, you'll hear the word "kinfolk" thrown around in conversation without a second thought. The term encompasses blood-related family members — no matter how distant — but it also goes beyond blood. Your "kin" can be those close friends whose relationship might as well be familial. For Southall, that idea extends to their fervent fanbase. Founded by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Read Southall, the PLATINUM-certified Country Rock outfit churns out the kinds of tunes that make everyone feel like family on their fifth full-length LP, Kinfolk [Smoklahoma Records].

The group unites dyed-in-the-wool Country, nineties Grunge, timeless Soul, and Americana into a striking signature sound, while they unify fans from the stage. "When people are 'kin' to you, they're 'kin' for life," Southall observes. "It's an 'all for one and one for all' mentality. We're in this together with anybody who listens to us or comes to a show. When we play live, I often say, 'Don't take yourself too seriously, and we won't either.' We're Kinfolk after all," he grins.

At this point, the musicians — Read, John Tyler "J.T." Perry [guitar], Reid Barber [drums], Jeremee Knipp [bass], Braxton Curliss [keyboards], and Ryan Wellman [guitar] — share a whole lot of history with their audience. Back in 2015, the Oklahoma-bred band introduced the masses to a boundary-breaking brew of Country and Rock with Six String Sorrow. Their vision further crystallized on 2017's Borrowed Time, which yielded the PLATINUM-selling staple "Why." They continued to captivate listeners with For The Birds [2021] and Southall [2023], bringing their total streams to nearly 1 BILLION.