Photo by myspace.com/southerncultureontheskids

The North Carolinian natives are amazing showmen, who constantly keep their show fresh by adding adventurous new elements.

A few miles down Highway 280 is the small town of Waverly, and in that town is a company that calls itself Standard Deluxe. As the slogan goes, you’ll know it when you see it. But this past weekend, there were cars parked blocks away from the show grounds and the decibel level was far higher than normal. You see, the Standard Deluxe was home to the ingenious southern Culture on the Skids, a group that has been creating endearing, dorky rock ‘n’ roll, for the last 20 years.

Often described as representing “downwards mobility,” Southern Culture on the Skids is an overlooked product of gross Southern miscalculations. The North Carolinian natives are amazing showmen, who constantly keep their show fresh by adding adventurous new elements.

The actions of bassist Mary Huff have always entertained. She has constantly kept a solid beat, while perennially asking for a drop of strong alcohol from the audience. In Waverly, a half bottle of brandy did the trick. The upbeat group of surf rock enthusiasts kept songs like “Soul City” - their last song - as fresh as possible.

Rationally, the eclectic mix of aging hippies and flannel wearing hipsters that make up a Standard Deluxe audience always make for an exciting mix. The obvious high point of the evening belonged to “8 Piece Box,” the song in which female members of the all-too-curious audience were invited onstage to dance and eat fried chicken - a ritual which belongs with almost every Southern Culture show.

Southern Culture won’t be playing the area anytime soon, but they will be around the Southeast in the near future. You can check out their tunes and tour schedule at