The term “buzz band” has become as much of a monkey on my back as the word “pedestrian” within the realm of art commentary. I feel most of the time it serves as a disservice to deserving bands, both those branded by it and those not. Often I find buzz bands can no longer hear themselves playing over all the buzzing. It seems these days that buzzing actually ruins the sound of a band much like it does in a blown speaker or headphone.
I heard Alabama Shakes online and loved what I heard. Not long after, I discovered (as I usually do thanks to being mildly and constantly just slightly out of touch) that they were a “buzz band” about ready to take off. Rolling Stone magazine quoted Drive By Truckers’ founder Patterson Hood as saying when he first saw them, “They were incredible – it was almost Springsteen-ian. If they don’t fuck up and take a wrong turn, I can’t imagine how good they could be.”
Coming from the Deep South with original roots in punk rock, this band was said to embrace southern rock and soul with a passion not seen since the glory days of Muscle Shoals. How could I resist seeing this for myself? I mean buzz is annoying but it does tend to avoid making grand statements like that unless there is something there. No one wants to be wrong about something like that.
So I went.
There was a sell out crowd at the Media Club for this one. The place was packed with people who were more than sufficiently warmed up by the opener, Portland band Quiet Life. I only caught the end of their set but I must say I was impressed by their easy-going and charming stage presence as well as their sound. It was very large and clean, with a nice fluid bass line and an almost vaudevillian organ that can waffle from Preston inspired soul fills to honky-to-the-bone. And they really know how to give a big finish. Fun band. Wish I had been there early enough to see their whole set. They left the stage making me feel like I had missed out, which is what you want to make people feel when you’re an opener dealing with stragglers.
Everyone stuck to their spots waiting for the headlining band to take the stage. When they emerged they did so humbly, looking very much like that group of awesome kids who hung out by the smoking entrance in high school; not dweebs, not kings, just doing their own thing. Singer Brittany Howard took the mic and announced to the crowd that this was the band’s first time playing in another country. That is a real legitimate milestone for a band on the rise. I always get a huge charge out of being in that crowd. There is a great energy in the air when new ground is broken.
The mild-mannered disbelief in that admission is gone in a flash as soon as Howard begins to sing, however. Her voice effortlessly spills out and grabs you. Sounding like the love child of Janis Joplin and Jeff Fogerty she belts with a natural skill that is wholly legit. She is too young to have learned how to fake it but mature enough to recognize what she is packing. It works.
And bassist Zac Cockrell, a large and pensive presence with a tireless plucking finger (don’t have impure thoughts, don’t have impure thoughts) brings a snake’s belly of a bass line to the sound. Real throbby and integral, it moves along the tunes and brushes up against all the good stuff. I love bass like that; the kind that won’t let go. That keeps coming. This is made possible in no small way by the percussions of Steve Johnson whose rock stylings bring the rhythm section to stand shoulder to shoulder with the powerhouse lead.
Together they bring the confidence and swagger from their punk days to soul rock and create a pretty mean machine, despite how cleverly they infuse their tunes with a wide-audience-ready tone. That tone does tend to make their direction slightly of the middle ground. I anticipate their movement towards more fearless lyricism as they grow. Coupled with their from-the-core delivery, they can’t lose.
Alabama Shakes is full of surprises thanks to the versatility of the hearty vocals and the well-rounded backgrounds of the band. You could be sitting listening to what sounds like a living room soul song, perfect for Brandy Alexanders with friends and then BAM! a Big Brother and the Holding Company-style highway rocker will hit you, led by the rolling roar of Howard’s vocals. Once they start getting more down and dirty in the biz, I bet we will see many raw performances, well-worn observational lyrics, and one hell of a reputation for a raging live set.
Worth the buzz? So far so good. I think Patterson Hood had it right on the money; if this band doesn’t let the buzz drown out their voice, they could be the latest big bad wolf to come storming out of the south. I don’t know about you but I never get tired of those crazy things.
Words by: Jennie Orton
