Alabama Shakes

This weeks "Artist Of The Week" is band that I feel is a refreshing take on rock music. This band goes by the name Alabama Shakes. The band consist of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, keyboard player Ben Tanner, and drummer Steve Johnson.  The band originated in Athens, Georgia back in 2009 when Brittany Howard and Zac Cockrell who both attended the same high school and started writing songs together after school. Alabama Shakes released the four-song EP Alabama Shakes September 2011, which gained media attention and earned them an invitation to play at the CMJ Music Marathon industry showcase in New York. The successful CMJ show in October 2011 caught the attention of Jon Pareles of The New York Times, who praised  Brittany Howard's singing and compared her to Janis Joplin as well as the band's energy and musicianship. With kind of exposure and feedback Alabama Shakes made MTV's list of Eleven Artists To Watch In 2012. In November 2011 they were signed to Rough Trade Records in the U.K and ATO  Records in the United States. By February 2012 the band was nominated for a MTV U Woodie for Best Live Performance and most recently they were nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 2013 Grammy Awards which included Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance. What I love about this band is that you can tell that even though they are a rock band/group a lot of musical influence are mixed together to get there unique sound. I also Brittany's strong bluesy tone over the rock influenced tones. Their Grammy nominated song "Hold On" is what got my attention so take a listen and tell me what you think. Remember you can follow me on twitter @StarsOnTheRise or like my page on facebook just look for the logo!

                                                      alabamashakes.bandcamp.com