Van Buren, Mo., band gaining recognition abroad

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- It's not often a band from the Ozarks of Carter County, Mo., gets international recognition, but that's exactly what's happening for Powder Mill of Van Buren, Mo.

This summer, the band has played in France and been featured in Washington Post music critic Chris Richards' "What You Should Be Listening to" column. Richards referred to Powder Mill's "Money, Marbles and Chalk" album as "one of the best rock albums of 2010."

Southern country/rock quartet Powder Mill is made up of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Charles Hammock II, lead guitarist Jeff Chapman, bassist Pat McSpadden and drummer Andrew Bedell. The band's name comes from an old ferry site on the Current River.

Richards received the band's album thanks to fellow "outlaw country" singer-songwriter Shooter Jennings, son of Waylon Jennings. Hammock met Shooter Jennings while touring with another band.

"Since he's heard it he's just pushed our music so much," Hammock said.

In the three years since Powder Mill formed, the band has released one album per year, with band members writing all the material.

The band's biggest following is in Missouri, according to Hammock, but Powder Mill fans can be found in Texas and even Europe. He recently received a call from organizers of a music festival in Switzerland interested in booking the band.

"Live in Carter County" was recorded live at Hillbillyz near Ellsinore, Mo. The band's three studio albums were recorded in Chapman's Trumble Hill Studios. Chapman's production experience has been invaluable, according to Hammock.

"He's really the ears," Hammock said. "He's a technical genius."

Chapman operates the studio full-time, producing other artists, while studying production through Full Sail University.

For the band's newest album, likely due out in early 2012, Powder Mill will travel to Zebra Ranch in Coldwater, Miss. The studio was founded by late record producer Jim Dickinson and is now operated by his sons, Luther and Cody Dickinson. The Dickinsons perform with the North Mississippi Allstars and Luther plays lead guitar for the Black Crowes. Hammock credits Jim Dickinson, whom he knew personally, as one of his mentors.

While the studio has recorded big names like Bob Dylan, it's still in a relatively rural area.

"It's out in the woods so we'll feel right at home," Hammock added.

The band is also featured on "Southern Independent Vol. 2," a compilation featuring artists like the North Mississippi Allstars and John Carter Cash.

Powder Mill has released several music videos as well. "Trailer Trash" was filmed outside a trailer Chapman used to live in and has more than 50,000 views on YouTube. Another video, "Billy the Baptist," was filmed at a small church outside Van Buren, and features steel guitarist Scott Shipley as the title character.

Hammock, 30, started playing guitar at 21. He attended Southeast Missouri State University after graduating high school, but dropped out after two years. He crashed his truck into a building near the university after a night of drinking.

"I haven't drank and drove since," Hammock said.

While recovering, he asked his mother to retrieve a neglected guitar from the basement and he learned to play. He spent the next six years on the road touring with other bands before deciding to settle down.

"The road life just wasn't for me," Hammock said.

He had family in Van Buren and had spent a lot of time there, so Hammock decided to settle in Carter County, where he got together with the other band members to form Powder Mill.

Hammock later returned to Southeast and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. While Chapman operates the studio full time, Hammock and Bedell have day jobs in Van Buren, and McSpadden, a Van Buren native, lives and works in St. Louis.

"We're still blue collar guys," Hammock said.

The band members recently received their first four-figure royalty check, but Hammock said they don't write and perform music for the money. As long as they can make music they love and "make somebody's day," they'll be happy, he said.

We're not doing this to be rich and famous," Hammock said. "We want to be respected by other artists that we respect.

"We just enjoy what we're doing," he said. "We will keep churning out music until we run out of material."

More information about Powder Mill can be found at www.powdermillmusic.com.