Alabama Shakes to Perform at Fabulous Fox Theatre, 5/28

KPNT 105.7 The Point Welcomes & The Pageant & Steve Litman Present has announced ALABAMA SHAKES with special guest Father John Misty live at the Fabulous Fox Theatre Thursday, May 28 at 8:00 p.m.

Sound & Color is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the Shakes' 2012 debut Boys & Girls, which earned the group three Grammy nominations, including a nod for Best New Artist. The gold-certified album's breakthrough paved the way for the Shakes-Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, drummer Steve Johnson, and touring keyboard players Ben Tanner and Paul Horton-to become one of the most celebrated live acts in the world, as they delivered unforgettable performances everywhere from Saturday Night Live to the main stages of such festivals as Bonnaroo and Glastonbury.

The album's twelve songs reveal a band honed by years on the road, and drawing from a wide range of influences. The bluesy groove of "Shoegaze" or the garage-rock freak-out on "The Greatest" give way to the psychedelic space jam "Gemini." The gently swaying, chiming title song opens the album with what Howard calls "more of a visual thing, I think of this whole scene going on," then explodes into the urgent, tightly-coiled funk of "Don't Wanna Fight." Long instrumental intros and passages create hazy atmosphere, and then the intensity of Howard's vocals snaps everything back into riveting focus.

The songs were written during breaks in the grueling touring schedule of a young band, sometimes by the members together and sometimes by Howard working alone at her home studio. She notes that there were several dedicated writing periods during the past year, but that "sometimes I wasn't dedicating enough time, so I'd binge-write, sit in the basement and work for 18 hours for five days straight."

When the Shakes began recording at Nashville's Sound Emporium studio, Blake Mills-a young guitar wizard who has previously helmed sessions by Sara Watkins and Sky Ferriera, and played alongside everyone from Norah Jones and the Dixie Chicks to Lana Del Ray and Kid Rock-came on board as a co-producer to help harness all of the different ideas.

With Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes prove that the response to Boys & Girls was no fluke. Expanding on the soulful blues-rock base that made their name, they defy predictable expectations and map an exciting, surprising, and innovative new direction. As they prepare to return to the road, what shines through is a sense of pride and self-assuredness-feelings not often associated with the always-tricky sophomore album. The show is presented by The Pageant & Steve Litman Presents.

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