With well-known bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Shadows Fall heading up the main stage at this year's Xfest, the loud and local stage might blend in with the bodysurfing crowd.

But three rockers scheduled to shake the small Harris Riverfront Park stage are committed to give 'fest-goers' a bang for their 30 bucks.

Bud Carroll, Jimmy Lykens and Steve Barker, who make up the year-old band Bud Carroll and the Southern Souls, are geared to give a rockin' performance at the festival. But much of the spunk they give on stage is dependent on the enthusiasm radiated from the audience.

"We feed off of the crowd," guitar-picking Lykens said. "Even if they really hate it, you have something to feed off of."

Barker, the band's drummer, echoed Lykens saying an apathetic audience is one of the biggest show spoilers for the Southern Souls.

"I'd rather have an audience hate me than to not even care at all," Barker said.

But the band has been fortunate enough to play for mostly enthusiastic audiences, performing at festivals throughout the Tri-State and even further north.

When asked about some of the coolest gigs they've played, they simultaneously blurted out "Wheeliefest," a rock and roll festival in Rowland, Pa. Described by lead-singer Carroll as a time when a bunch of crazed Canadians come to listen to bands, the fest brings die-hard rock fans together for a day filled with outdoor concerts.

"The audience is different at Wheeliefest," Carroll said. " They come up to you after a show and ask these in-depth questions and really want to know about the music."

Carroll's former band American Minor, who snagged a recording contract with Jive Records but split in 2003, headed Wheeliefest about three years ago, the singer said.

Although the Southern Souls have yet to reach the status at which American Minor once peaked, Carroll said his current band is better on many levels.

"I hate to sound cliché," Carroll said, "but every time we play a song, it's a new thing."

They even change the lyrics on occasion to keep the spark in their songs. Barker added that Carroll is the king of making up different words on the spot.

He may be the of king word-wrangling, but according to the other two members of the band, Carroll has never had a big head about his former days of being in a successful band.

"It's actually amazing (that he hasn't had a big head)." Barker said. He's got to do some fly, fly (stuff) over the years."

He added that Carroll's humility is evident in his everyday life. The last time the lead singer played a gig for the Allman Brothers, he was on the roof working with his dad the next morning, he said.

"It just shows how much he really does love music," Barker said.

But Carroll isn't the only member of the band whose adoration for music is evident. All three rockers make the band the No. 1 priority in each of their lives, leaving no room for competition between their love of music and their loved ones. Fortunately, each of the members' significant others are very supportive and understanding of the band's schedule and time constraints.

"You have to find a girl that can deal with it," Lykens said. "We wouldn't have our girlfriends if they didn't love it, too."

In addition to performances, rehearsals and time with their girls, the guys still make an effort to use their talent to help others. Carroll and Barker give independent guitar and drum lessons, respectively. Lykens is a senior jazz-studies major at Marshall, furthering his love of music through education. Barker graduated from West Virginia State with a music degree, and Carroll left Marshall in 2005 to travel and play music.

The love of the music is why these three southern souls are in it for the long haul. Each of the guys said they expect the band to make it big over the next year. Their plans are to be on tour and continue releasing more records.

But for this weekend, Bud Carroll and the Southern Souls are keeping it loud and local in their native state for Xfest. They will take the stage at 4:10 p.m. Saturday for a 40-minute show.