I'm dissappointed that allmusic.com, which I go to for music reviews, let some no-taste hack do a review for one of my favorite live bands, Dillon Fence. Talking about what is their best album, "Rosemary," he calls their lyrics "pedestrian," and goes on talking something about how REM can be praised because their early lyrics were often garbled and crap. Granted, most of DF's discography comes from the late 80s, but it survives long-listening today without sounding the least bit tarnished. Maybe the lyrics aren't of the highest poetic merit, but who really cares? You can have a beautifully directed movie without poetic dialogue, and the language probably matters less in music if it fits with the melody well. And, as opposed to a contemporary of DF, The Connells, DF plays incredible, crowd-pleasing shows every time they get on stage (they are wrapping up a tour right now). You can be sure they will give you your money's worth and then some, playing all their favorites, even when they have new material to promote. You can' t say that about every band. Hootie doesn't even belong on the same stage. I don't want to sound corny, but there's something magical about that 80s college sound to me, going beyond any kind of nostalgia factor, and DF maintains it with every tour. Plus, Humphreys looks like he is having the time of his life whenever he is playing, which gets the crowd involved to the point where it's like a big party where you know everyone. Who knew you could be a congenial musician and make good music?

"The roots of Dillon Fence stretch back to a high school band formed by guitarist Greg Humphreys and bassist Chris Goode in their hometown of Winston-Salem, NC. After winning a high school battle of the bands, Humphreys and Goode's group gigged around town for a couple of years but split up in 1985 when the members left for different colleges. The following year, Humphreys introduced Goode to a guitarist friend from the University of North Carolina, Kent Alphin. Inspired to play together again by the songs Humphreys and Goode had completed on their own, the pair joined with Alphin and drummer Brooke Pitts to form a new group called the Magoos, which they changed to Dillon Fence after a strange piece of outsider art Humphreys and Alphin had seen in the town of Dillon, SC, shortly before their first show." - allmusic