A curious phenomenon arose from Athens, Alabama, 17 odd years ago: Wearing innovation and eclecticism on their sleeves, a band emerged from the little town that would go on to rattle the world. Known first as “The Shakes,” they plied the scene around northern Alabama, playing covers by groups as disparate as Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Otis Redding, and AC/DC, until self-funding their first recordings in 2011 — and blowing up.
Some pegged them as a garage-soul revival act, but there was something more there. AC/DC and Zeppelin were never far away, even on songs that had classic funk in their DNA. And the Alabama Shakes kept surprising fans with a steady diet of classic tracks, until they didn’t, beginning a “hiatus” in 2018 as singer-guitarist Howard went on to a Grammy-studded solo career.
Despite her successes, Howard and original Alabama Shakes Heath Fogg (guitar) and Zac Cockrell (bass) were missing the old chemistry, and last year saw them touring again for the first time in seven years. Now, they’ll return to Memphis for something equally momentous: the opening of the long-planned Grind City Amphitheater, aka Grind City Amp, a collaboration between Grind City Brewing and veteran concert promoter Nick Barbian. The Shakes’ April 22nd show there, with opener Mon Rovîa, will be but a prelude to the venue’s free, all-ages grand opening on Saturday, April 25th, starring MonoNeon, Eric Gales, Cedric Burnside, and others.
Bringing Alabama Shakes to Memphis was a perfect move for the 4,500-seat venue. On the twin occasions of Alabama Shakes’ newest incarnation playing Memphis’ newest stage, Howard took a moment to reply to some questions from the Flyer.
Memphis Flyer: How important is a sense of place to Alabama Shakes’ continued collaboration? Has living elsewhere affected the band’s musical identity?
Brittany Howard: We still have so much of our roots in Alabama even though Zac and I moved to Tennessee. Heath still lives in Alabama and both Zac and I spend a lot of time with family in Athens. We will always be an Alabama band. Our musical foundation was built there and continues to be influenced by everything we experienced at home and learned growing up. It was very important for us to do our first [reunion] show back in Alabama.
While the group’s core is Brittany, Zac, and Heath, the larger live band clearly has chemistry for miles. Who are your current go-to players?
We have Ben Tanner and Paul Horton on keys, Noah Bond on drums and Lloyd Buchanan, Shanay Johnson, and Karita Law on backing vocals. Ben has been touring with us since Boys & Girls. Everyone else except Noah has been in the band since Sound & Color. This is Noah’s first album cycle. Ben, Paul, Noah and Lloyd all played on the new album. I really think we have really gelled as a band as of late. I am excited to take the songs from the upcoming album on the road and see where they go.
The band obviously has diverse influences. What are the band’s three core members listening to now, new or old, that may be affecting the feel of the upcoming album?
I think that is what makes this band so special. The three of us have so many different influences. Right now, I am listening to a lot of ambient instrumental music. But on the new record, you will hear a lot of the influences and the same risk-taking you have come to hear from the Shakes over the last two records.
What role has Memphis played in the band’s evolution?
We love Memphis. I remember a great show we had in 2016 at Mud Island. We love the food in Memphis. We also love Booker T. Jones. He is a real hero of ours and we got to jam with him in our early days. Talk about the history of music in just one city: Memphis Minnie, Carla Thomas, Al Green, and so many others. We are excited to be back and play at the new venue in town. We hope we do it justice.