Belly Up with Picture Me Free at Backstreets in Clemson.

If you’ve been anywhere near the Clemson scene during the past year you’ve probably heard of or seen Picture Me Free. The band quickly accumulated a grassroots following in the upstate and is now looking forward to spreading their sound as far as possible.

According to Josh Risley, vocalist and rhythm guitarist, the band moved to Nashville less than a month ago to set up a home base for their music. They still plan on playing the upstate while adding dates in Tennessee, North Carolina, and as far down the coast as possible.

“We’re in it for the long haul so we’ll keep playing as long as we keep getting gigs,” Risley said, “This is the only job we have and we couldn’t be happier; it beats working in a pizza shop.”

The band is made up of Risley, Mike Jerolamon on lead guitar, Fred Gessell on bass, Justin Sims on drums and “The Meat” on lead guitar. These mutual friends and musicians formed the band in 2007 before releasing an EP in December of the same year. Due to the success of the EP and its release party, the band managed to wrangle a deal with Pig Pen Studios, an independent record label based in Athens, Ga.

Risley describes the band’s sound as a fusion of rock and alt-country with psychedelic and southern rock sounds thrown in. They are influenced by long-standing acts such as the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead but the band also takes cues from newer acts like My Morning Jacket.

“We take our inspiration from the bands we’ve seen and enjoyed live,” he said, “The bands we love have a certain family aspect; the bands need the fans and the fans need the music.”

Risley said this reciprocal relationship is the key to successful bands. He feels the days of working for men in suits at huge record labels are over. He said the true artists out there can keep things grassroots and still succeed in the current musical climate.

A quality live show is of the utmost importance for bands attaining fans show by show, and Risley guarantees a feel-good, high energy show every time. He said the band plans their shows so that the energy of the sets is balanced throughout.

Originals like “Never Let Go” are up-tempo rockers that get people moving, Risley said. Other Picture Me Free songs are slightly mellower, like “The City,” a song that starts with acoustic guitar and ends with a powerful breakdown.

The band can then switch gears with a song like “The Tennessee Song,” a blues song with a driving beat. Risley and the band wrote the song in ten minutes while moving to Nashville. While driving, Gessell introduced the riff to the band and the other members took it from there.

“With three-hour-plus sets, we are trying to accumulate originals quickly,” Risley said, “Until then, we’ll just have to resort to covering Rage Against the Machine every once in a while to get the crowds riled up.”