Dead Feather Moon is slowly on the rise. Having dominated the North County music scene they’ve set their sights on a southbound trajectory as the bands fan-base grows throughout the county. The members of this soulful quintet remain steadfast and determined to perfect their unique blend of alternative rock, blues and a dash of country mixed in for good measure.

Already regulars at the Bellyup Tavern in Solana Beach for the last few years, the band has had a growing buzz around it since they played their first Casbah show last winter. They were featured at Rocktoberfest in North Park last month and in November they will play the 94.9 FM Anniversary Party along with their third show at the Casbah.

The band’s founding members, Justen Berge (Vocals/guitar) and Jesse Kling (Guitar), grew up in Escondido and went to school together at San Pasqual Academy. After a few years of bouncing around between stereotypical high school garage punk bands, the two were still searching for their own style of music.

“Jesse and I messed around in a punk band together for a little over a year, but it wasn’t until a few years after we graduated that we developed a really close relationship and started experimenting with new kinds of music and writing our own songs,” says lead singer Berge. “In hindsight they were pretty bad songs, but it was the start of something bigger for us.”

After laying down some tracks Berge and Kling took to the Internet in search of some help, posting an ad on Craigslist “basically looking for an entire rhythm section since we didn’t have a drummer or a bassist,” Berge said.

Soon after they met drummer Tyler Soule, who brought a calm demeanor and a dedication to making great music that was apparent within a few hours of meeting him.

After wrapping up their first west coast tour that summer, the band, including Soule, asked longtime friend Chris Bowling to join the band on bass guitar. A year later they expanded again, this time bringing in multi-instrumentalist Greg Peters during the summer of 2010.

The groups reverence for the good old days of rock and roll and dirty blues music shows through their style. Their music resonates with deep soulful melodies that evoke memories of the classic rock bands of yesteryear like Lynryd Skynrd and occasional fast-paced blues jams that channel the Allman Brothers at their best.

“It wasn’t until I was a junior in college that I really started getting into rock and roll and blues,” Berge recalls. “At first I was into more modern stuff like the Strokes but then I started going further back and listening to the Stones and Led Zeppelin and all the old blues bands that have really influenced our sound today.”

While most bands spend their time touring as much as possible, the group prides itself on its dedication to making great music, and spends most of its time in the studio.

“We’re definitely perfectionists and want to give our fans the best music possible,” says Berge. “We usually only play one show a month and spend most of our time in our ‘lab’ writing songs and perfecting them.”

The trio released their debut EP Leave Heaven to the Birds back in 2009 with a guest contribution from their good friend Shaun Cornell, the bassist for local band Transfer. Their first full-length album, Dark Sun, was released this past July.