The temps may have been well below freezing outside, but things were hot inside the Pageant last night as Jacksonville, Fla. native JJ Grey and his band Mofro infused the packed venue with their special brand of swampy, southern blues rock.

Best known as a guitar slinger for the band Mofro, Daryl Hance has recently lit out for solo territory, with blues and groove tightly in tow.

Last weekend marked my fourth journey to Memphis for the annual Beale Street Music Festival. After severe weather last year canceled nearly half of the scheduled acts, and on the heels of last week's violent storms across the South, we went prepared for anything.

The Pageant was already filling up nicely with music fans spanning a wide range of ages as Atlanta-based openers Ponderosa took the stage Saturday night, a perfect pairing for the down-South flavor of JJ Grey & Mofro. While many opening acts are viewed as background music while folks get their beers, find their places and settle in, it was clear from the get-go that the musicians of Ponderosa were not going to accept this passive role.

All photos by Nate Burrell. See more at my Flickr stream.

On tour for Georgia Warhorse, his new album with Mofro, JJ Grey crosses rustic, poetic lyrics with rugged blues moxie, resulting in a style that's a throwback to Memphis soul and backwoods Florida roots.