Southern rock is a big tent. Some bands go swampy. Some foreground the blues. Some showcase a country twang. Harmonized guitar solos are prized. A little soul and moan isn’t out of place. As with the relationship between American cooking and Southern cuisine — a lot of American rock is Southern rock on some level.
Molly Hatchet had some big Southern rock hits in the late ’70s and early ’80s: “Flirtin’ With Disaster” was probably the biggest. But “Bounty Hunter,” “Beatin’ the Odds” and “Dreams I’ll Never See” were part of the radio landscape of the era as well. Like several other notable Southern rockers, Molly Hatchet is from Florida, which is, to be fair to everyone involved, a place that’s sort of its own universe.
Along with bands like 38 Special, but to a lesser degree, Molly Hatchet often seemed to be flirting with pop success, sneaking in production touches and rhythmic flourishes that owed a little to new wave. Their early album art was distinguished by the brilliant and overwrought muscle-bound warrior-fantasy images of Frank Frazetta. And later records continued the theme. In a year when Americans have debated what it means to honor the heritage of whites in the South, perhaps a little good-time boogie rock with themes of perseverance and the sound of many guitars is something that people can agree upon.
Molly Hatchet will be joined by fellow Southern rockers the Outlaws, also from Florida. See them both at the Southern Rocktober Fest at Toyota Presents Oakdale Theater, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford, on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $15. 203-265-1501, livenation.com