The Ladies Of… could’ve named themselves Alabama Georgia Line, but we’re glad they didn’t. The truth is, even though Atlanta’s James Hall boasts the most name recognition of anyone in their lineup, they’ve included numerous members and collaborators among their ranks over the years and as it stands now there are more Alabamans involved than… Continue reading Status of the Greatest of and Latest of The Ladies Of…
Tag: Birmingham
Waxahatchee – Out in the Storm
Waxahatchee is a shape-shifting proposition. Katie Crutchfield still occasionally ventures out under the moniker on solo guitar – which was the project’s genesis – even after its evolution into a full band. She recently road-tested unreleased material as a duo, alongside longtime bassist Katherine Simonetti, opening for the New Pornographers. These new songs sounded sturdy… Continue reading Waxahatchee – Out in the Storm
Allison Crutchfield
Separation Anxiety: Allison Crutchfield is swearin’, not Swearin’ Allison Crutchfield’s cellphone still sports the 205 area code befitting her Birmingham roots, even though she’s been gone from that city for most of the past decade, ever since her band P.S. Eliot began to raise a national ruckus. When she sings lines like “I think yer… Continue reading Allison Crutchfield
P.S. Eliot – 2007-2011
The nostalgia wave is rolling in ahead of schedule for P.S. Eliot, but the stars are aligned for maximum impact. Frontwoman Katie Crutchfield is riding high as Waxahatchee, and drummer/twin sister Allison has put her own successor band Swearin’ on extended hiatus to sign a solo deal with Merge as well. Newcomers’ interest in looking… Continue reading P.S. Eliot – 2007-2011
Lindsay Fuller
Her, Lindsay Fuller: How a Seattle Recluse Broke out of Home and Americana Start by assuming Lindsay Fuller is smarter than her surroundings. Her official bio, for example, is pretty melodramatic for a gal who grew up in a wealthy suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. The new You, Anniversary, we’re told, is Lindsay making “her peace… Continue reading Lindsay Fuller
Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color
Before there was Rachel Dolezal, there was Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes. Specifically, the Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes who came to New York City to win over a white audience by sounding like Hillary Clinton trying to win over a black crowd by shrieking how she “don’t feel no ways tired.” That… Continue reading Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color
St. Paul & the Broken Bones
From Barrooms to Ballrooms: The Mighty Rise of St. Paul & the Broken Bones Last month St. Paul & the Broken Bones headlined two sold-out nights at the Alabama Theatre, a 2,500-seat restored 1920s movie house analogous to Atlanta’s Fox, in their Birmingham hometown. It was a sweet reminder of how far they’ve come in… Continue reading St. Paul & the Broken Bones
Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires
2 Loud 4 Texas (But Not the Rest of Us!): Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires Stoke the Embers On a Thursday evening in mid-September, I was unreservedly party/show-hopping during a visit to Athens. You can regularly do that sort of thing on a Thursday in Athens, because usually there’s little else to do… Continue reading Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires
Man or Astro-man?
All Systems to Go: Man or Astro-man? Returns, Neither Old Nor Bloated It’s not that it was so surprising that the core members of Man or Astro-man? decided to take the spaceman jumpsuits, Tesla coil and other getups and gizmos out of storage and get the crew back together. It’s kind of become the established… Continue reading Man or Astro-man?
Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
There’s something about the new Waxahatchee record that keeps me coming back. This “something,” however, is not readily apparent. After listening to this record nonstop since it was released and pouring over the lyrics and liner notes, I couldn’t quite figure out what was so alluring about it. Ostensibly, the record, the second solo effort… Continue reading Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
Primitons – Don’t Go Away: Collected Works
A restaurant in Buckhead used to have graffiti complaining that the guys in Primitons said they didn’t have influences. Whoever wrote that had a point. The Birmingham, Alabama group had plenty of obvious influences. They released their 7-track debut on the Throbbing Lobster label in 1985, so their Byrdsian jangle could just as easily have been… Continue reading Primitons – Don’t Go Away: Collected Works