The world for Carson Cox was completely different two years ago. He lingered in Tampa when his high school band mates split after graduation and was left with only his acoustic guitar, an unfitting open mic-night at a Carrollwood coffee shop and a disjointed music scene decaying in hapless venues. And to top off that cup of soured latte, Javatropolis shut down its percolators for good.

But in that year of enduring an incompatible audience, things were already beginning to froth elsewhere. Cox had found a more congruent and budding atmosphere at the local punk house, The Kids. But even as that club collapsed, Cox was witnessing and partaking in an exodus of patrons, musicians and music enthusiasts to an unsuspecting place that would eventually become the beating heart for Tampa's local art and music culture: The Skatepark Of Tampa.

Transitions Art Gallery was annexed to the SPOT and subsequently turned into the community Cox had always longed for. Suddenly, everything he had seen in fanzines and video compilations from thriving cities that catered to their own kind in terms of music appreciation was quickly developing right before him. "All the stuff that I knew about bands, all that they used to do for each other, and that I was dying for to happen here, is actually starting to happen," voiced Cox.

Taking his friend Matt Rollo and the songs he had written on the side during his high school days, Cox saw this as the time to break out of his solo-project and form a full band. With Rollo behind the trap set, they recruited Lily Richeson, a Transitions frequenter, as bassist. Since March of 2006, the three have been performing together as The Dry County and have created an indie-rock sound that's guitar-driven and pop friendly.

Aside from Richeson's years of classical education on the cello, the trio has a limited background of professional training and are professed as being self-taught. However, genuine expression is hardly molded out of conventional education and each player holds down their own style with a passion for mastering their instrument. And with Cox in particular, the school of self-teaching has been just as rewarding and equally challenging as the basic guitar chord is almost all but excluded from his songwriting. Borrowing eccentric chord structure from jazz musicians like Django Reinhardt, and adding his own concoctions, Cox's goal is "for every song to have at least one new chord in it."

Cox's talent goes beyond his guitar skills as he played virtually every instrument on The Dry County's first demo before the band came together as a unit. He writes the music and the lyrics and at 20 years of age, Cox has already made a solid song in With Friends, that will touch anyone with an affection for great indie-pop music and acerbic song writing. From the opening pair of lines and build-up of layered sounds, With Friends is a standout track and hits on a very relatable theme amongst any circle of friends. "Sometimes, nobody knows what I'm talking about but With Friends is about friendships that revolve around people starting relationships and how volatile that mix is."

Cox is not only a performer in the new music scene of Tampa, he's also a player behind it.
Cox has been mastering the art of recording and audio layering for several years and has voluntarily run the soundboards for Transitions Art Gallery for over a year. The Gallery's new digs also serve as a recording studio for The Dry County and Cox is sharing his ability
to record local artists who are looking to lay down tracks for a decent price without sacrificing quality. Being such a strong advocate for communal support of the arts, it's hard to comprehend that this guy is just 2 years removed from high school, "Transitions Art Gallery has existed independently for two years. Saint Pete aside, it's the only independent community for the arts that I know of. We've made no money. We're doing this purely for the love of it."
See The Dry County perform live at Transitions Art Gallery August 12th, at Vinyl Fever August 18th and at Mack B. Gallery in Sarasota on August 19th.