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Rocking with Southern Culture on the Skids

Cover for 'Mojo Box.'
Cover for 'Mojo Box.'

Southern Culture on the Skids (known to fans as SCOTS) brings the trailer park into your living room -- unless your living room is already in a trailer park. NPR's John Ydstie speaks with founding guitarist Rick Miller, bass player and singer Mary Huff and percussionist Dave Hartman about the group's latest CD, Mojo Box.

Miller formed SCOTS in Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1985, where he was attending college. The band played straightforward roots rock that blended surf guitar and southern boogie, reflecting the guitarist's personal history. Miller's youth was divided between North Carolina and Southern California.

SCOTS began to build a regional following and the band soon gained national attention. But Miller, Huff and Hartman have remained true to their local origins.

Mojo Box, released in early 2004, is the band's eighth full-length CD. Earlier efforts include Laquered Up and Liquored Down, Plastic Seat Sweat and Too Much Pork for One Fork.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

John Ydstie has covered the economy, Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve at NPR for nearly three decades. Over the years, NPR has also employed Ydstie's reporting skills to cover major stories like the aftermath of Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He was a lead reporter in NPR's coverage of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession, as well as the network's coverage of President Trump's economic policies. Ydstie has also been a guest host on the NPR news programs Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Ydstie stepped back from full-time reporting in late 2018, but plans to continue to contribute to NPR through part-time assignments and work on special projects.