In reference to my posting ‘new music’ on the blog, I’m often asked what it is I’m looking for. It’s simple, I’m hunting for ‘the real’ — the stuff that can’t be faked…the happy accidents, the sound of strings out of tune from humidity, Ike Turner’s busted amp on “Rocket 88,” blood, sweat, tears, what-have-you. In short, expressions of the human condition. The real is an elusive chase and one that rarely comes pre-packaged all nice and spit-shined via a PR firm. As such, finding it makes it that much sweeter.
The Shakes, from the small town of Athens, AL are a slice of the real; an unhinged, and as of yet unsigned, blues-based soul outfit fronted by a woman armed with a whole lotta voice and a Gibson SG. And as for what I’m looking for, “You Ain’t Alone” is about as real as you can get.
MP3: The Shakes :: You Ain’t Alone
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Damn, nice one!
1 | Mr. B July 25th, 2011 at 5:00 amWholly and absolutely surprised this song didn’t come from an era other than our present one. Wow. Two thumbs way up. Thanks for keeping things real.
2 | Dainon July 25th, 2011 at 6:31 amStunning cut! Thanks for posting this. Really woke me up this morning. Real indeed. I’m absolutely must track this down.
3 | Shawn July 25th, 2011 at 6:53 amOK…I live 15 miles from this lady. How have I never heard this before! Amazing
4 | Mint Shows July 25th, 2011 at 6:57 amAmen.
5 | Kristoph July 25th, 2011 at 10:50 amAwesomeness!!! Anywhere we can get an EP? Or at least some other mp3s? More, more, more!!!
6 | Anonymous July 25th, 2011 at 1:07 pmHear 4 more tracks here: http://www.reverbnation.com/theshakestheshakes
7 | Mattseuveus July 25th, 2011 at 2:10 pmThanks for the tip, ya drunkard!
this is why I read AD.
8 | Brannan July 25th, 2011 at 2:26 pmThey are everything that is right, and everything a lot of hipster bands are getting oh so wrong.
9 | SteveR July 25th, 2011 at 4:56 pmMost most rocking.
10 | Lucas July 25th, 2011 at 5:41 pmgood god this just floored me, great post
11 | tuck July 25th, 2011 at 5:45 pmI caught these guys a few months ago, just by chance and was lucky enough to be given an advance of the album. I tell you that it is amazing but the power these guys exhibit live is not to be missed. They ARE soul music…
12 | KillBabyKill July 25th, 2011 at 6:26 pmJust fantastic. A Katy Perry song just sounds sad and embarrassing next to something this soulful.
13 | BK July 25th, 2011 at 6:28 pmHoly sh*t!! And the album will be out in a month?! Great post! Nice find!!! SHARING THIS: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Shakes/114396407903
14 | Koler July 25th, 2011 at 6:43 pmSuch an amazing sound! This band is amazing. Can’t wait to see them live.
15 | Nicole July 25th, 2011 at 6:51 pmseriously how has this band not been signed yet??
16 | elizabeth July 25th, 2011 at 6:55 pmAwesome song, when was this recorded?
17 | ELi July 25th, 2011 at 7:20 pmamazing – thankyou!
18 | gala July 25th, 2011 at 11:46 pmIf the folks at Daptone are looking for a new act, I don’t think they need to look far. This is delicious. “123 are you too scared to dance for me?” that’s a good meal, man
19 | Matt July 26th, 2011 at 5:21 amglad there are folks who find the real to be somewhat similar to my real. because real can mean different things to different people. sometimes it’s an illusion. but this is real, of course.
20 | digital July 26th, 2011 at 7:15 ami think there might be two The Shakes? Or has their sound and location (Philly? Alabama??) changed? Maybe a case for Bored 2 Death in this…
21 | matt July 26th, 2011 at 8:39 amThat’s def. not the ones. I found them here:http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Shakes/114396407903
22 | Koler July 26th, 2011 at 8:43 am@digital – that bandcamp page is for a different band with the same name.
23 | johndurkin8 July 26th, 2011 at 9:17 amI think this is my new favorite band.
24 | Jake July 26th, 2011 at 1:20 pmSo…that is IT, huh?? I can feel IT where I’m supposed to, I think…very, very nice.
25 | Joe July 26th, 2011 at 1:40 pmthis is great! thanks
26 | paulo July 26th, 2011 at 3:14 pmi want to read what you read — this is why i love your blog. thanks!
27 | timmytwinkle July 27th, 2011 at 8:51 am[...] the Shakes. An ocean of gratitude to Aquarium Drunkard for bringing my attention to this as-yet unsigned band from Athens, [...]
28 | Long Live Old Souls July 27th, 2011 at 10:39 amgreat sounds . . . she’s amazing, and i notice they’re playing a 3 day music event in nashville coming up late sept. it’ll be interesting to see if they end up signed intact, or endure some retooling . . .
the bridges came out of that area a few years ago via matthew sweet production; pretty quiet since.
speaking of authentic, have you read FAKING IT: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music? Very good, with a lot of provocative ideas related to this sort of deal.
29 | d.cook July 27th, 2011 at 2:06 pmHeya! This band really puts on a performance! Thanks for posting! We passed by Athens a little while back..Sorry we missed em! We didn’t even know about em till we come across your great video post! Thanks for introducing us to the Shakes!! Keep it up!
30 | JenMP3 July 27th, 2011 at 3:47 pmAs soon as I heard The Shakes sweet sounds coming through my headphones, I emailed Gary at the Bradfordville Blues Club in Tallahassee, Florida and asked him to book ‘em.
Please, please Gary book ‘em … We need The Shakes here in the country with Ms. Ernestine cookin’ up her world famous fried catfish nuggets and mullet …
North Florida baby, just down the road!
31 | Ben Armstrong July 28th, 2011 at 4:47 pm[...] much further ado, I bring you The Shakes, again via the ever-reliable destination for good music, Aquarium Drunkard. “You Ain’t Alone” is a pretty fine example of dramatic, bluesy soul, and more [...]
32 | The Shakes « Wait until next year July 29th, 2011 at 8:14 amIt hit me in the stomach. There is hope for us all. This is absolutely outstanding!
33 | Herb July 29th, 2011 at 4:52 pmWhere can I buy this track?!? I love it!!!!
34 | Kwald1 July 29th, 2011 at 6:48 pmReminds me of a less psychedelic, but more bluesy, Annette Peacock. Pretty cool!
35 | Zach July 30th, 2011 at 7:06 am[...] consistently fantastic Aquarium Drunkard recently uncovered a doozy of a soul gem from Athens, Alabama [...]
36 | The Shakes – "You Ain’t Alone" | The Loo Family Blog August 2nd, 2011 at 2:34 pm[...] [via Aquarium Drunkard.] [...]
37 | listen: you ain’t alone – the shakes | 70dayweekend August 8th, 2011 at 3:08 pm[...] from the always on point music blog aquarium drunkard introduced us to The Shakes – now called The Alabama Shakes in July and the Athens, Alabama [...]
38 | download the amazing new ep from soul stirrers the alabama shakes « @somevelvetblog September 15th, 2011 at 11:11 amLove it!
39 | krola September 20th, 2011 at 9:39 am[...] it. They aren’t the only ones that are taking notice of this buzz band, LA based music blog, Aquarium Drunkard, did a nice little cover on The Shakes last [...]
40 | Monday’s News & Notes « no country for new nashville September 26th, 2011 at 1:29 pmThe look on the audience’s faces last night at Stubbs in Austin, TX summed up the band’s rising status and reasons they will soon be HUGE!!!
41 | Tara D October 23rd, 2011 at 9:37 am[...] discoveries this year have coincidentally both hailed from the state of Alabama; The Shakes, who I wrote about in July, and Colossal Gospel, a sort of southern gothic folk-fairytale. The band, in their own words, below [...]
42 | Aquarium Drunkard » The Lagniappe Sessions :: Colossal Gospel November 3rd, 2011 at 1:01 pm[...] little about all the buzz that this band has created. I first heard about The Alabama Shakes from Justin Gage at Aquarium Drunkard during his weekly blog radio broadcast back in July. In today’s Nashville Scene, Jewly [...]
43 | The Alabama Shakes, Mercy Lounge, Tonight In Nashville « no country for new nashville December 1st, 2011 at 9:41 am[...] Store Day, that show got the attention of someone at the blog Aquarium Drunkard. That led to a write-up, the band was still known as The Shakes. Shortly thereafter they played a show in Florence, [...]
44 | THE ALABAMA SHAKES EP » ninebullets.net December 23rd, 2011 at 9:33 am[...] Gage. Gage is the founder of Aquarium Drunkard, one of the most popular music blogs. Someone shared the post on AD with fellow-Alabaman Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, and after catching them play at a [...]
45 | The Alabama Shakes: Right At Home with Newfound Fame « Full Guitar Lessons January 18th, 2012 at 6:47 pm[...] and they soon came to the attention of a broader audience thanks to some buzz sparked over at Aquarium Drunkard in July 2011. Then, in September 2011, the group released a four-track EP, which attracted even [...]
46 | Spotlight: Alabama Shakes | SongLyrics March 5th, 2012 at 1:32 pmAD: this post perfectly encapsulates the heart and soul of Alabama Shakes talent. This is why I love your blog so much. The archive post are just as interesting as the latest, which is rare to find in so many music blogs yearning for “In the know music discovery” status
47 | Bitsy Metcalf March 8th, 2012 at 10:20 amI did an interview with the band in berlin last week. When i asked them if they remembered how people first noticed them, the first thing they mentioned was this blog. Good work.
48 | Korla March 11th, 2012 at 4:04 am[...] opening for the Drive-By Truckers (at the band’s request), a post on the influential music blog Aquarium Drunkard and an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s TBS talk show. Now, with the debut record Boys & [...]
49 | KLRU Presents: ACLTV Taping with Alabama Shakes « Distribution « despatch-courier.info March 12th, 2012 at 9:43 pm[...] Shakes. The L.A.-based blog was one of the first to discover the low profile musicians back in the summer of 2010. Things have changed quite a bit for the band since then, but luckily their music hasn’t. It’s [...]
50 | SXSW Thursday: Alabama Shakes, Futurebirds And More | American Songwriter March 16th, 2012 at 9:10 am[...] a timeless groove led by frontwoman Brittany Howard’s show-stopping voice below. (Hat tip to Aquarium Drunkard for pointing out this promising unsigned [...]
51 | Introducing: The Shakes Athens, Alabama’s the Shakes have such an inspired take on retro, blue March 18th, 2012 at 3:44 pm[...] Shakes. The L.A.-based blog was one of the first to discover the low profile musicians back in the summer of 2010. Things have changed quite a bit for the band since then, but luckily their music hasn’t. It’s [...]
52 | SXSW Thursday: Alabama Shakes, Futurebirds And More | Learn How to Write Songs March 20th, 2012 at 6:59 am[...] for a timeless groove led by frontwoman Brittany Howard’s show-stopping voice below. (Hat tip to Aquarium Drunkard for pointing out this promising unsigned band.) “Hang [...]
53 | Introducing: The Alabama Shakes March 24th, 2012 at 4:03 pm[...] short review featured “You……Read the Full Article at: [...]
54 | Alabama Shakes make triumphant return with sold-out Crossroads show in Huntsville – The Huntsville Times | Alabama News | Alabama Breaking News Headlines | Alabama News Directory March 29th, 2012 at 8:36 am[...] tools at hand to disseminate their story to the wider public has grown exponentially. The path from this first high profile post about “The Shakes” to where they are today is nothing but [...]
55 | alabama shakes v grace potter and the nocturnals // Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - This Is Somewhere April 12th, 2012 at 11:25 am[...] a song called “You Ain’t Alone” which hit the net last year (maybe you, like me, got it from Aquarium Drunkard), and maybe you, like me, searched in vain for months to find more about this band called The [...]
56 | JD McPherson + Alabama Shakes + That Old Old Sound : Best New Music 2012 « Corduroy Books April 15th, 2012 at 1:40 pm[...] of the year in a matter of months? The band points to a life-changing blog post by Justin Gage in Aquarium Drunkard last summer: “The Shakes, from the small town of Athens, AL, are a slice of the real. An [...]
57 | Alabama Shakes Arrive with "Boys & Girls" « Sxsw « Festival Seating May 4th, 2012 at 12:34 pm[...] by Steve Johnson on drums and Heath Fogg on guitar, Alabama Shakes sprang out from obscurity a year ago when the group’s powerful track, “You Ain’t Alone” broke onto [...]
58 | Outside Lands SF Primer: Alabama Shakes will stir your soul May 25th, 2012 at 1:00 pm[...] descriptor, such “gronky” (here think something akin to Led Zep, Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, Ike Turner… a funky sonic patina) containers shines. Throughout this sparkling debut, the Shakes prove [...]
59 | Hopeful Realism | 2012 Music Review: Twelve Favorites December 29th, 2012 at 9:16 am[...] been a helluva wild ride for the Alabama Shakes. One little post on the Aquarium Drunkard blog catapulted the earthy rock ‘n’ soul band from little [...]
60 | KUTX » Alabama Shakes: “Hold On” December 30th, 2012 at 7:54 am[...] detonante de su éxito fue una recomendación en un blog de música y el hito que luego les cambió la vida se llama Boys & Girls, un disco [...]
61 | El frenético ascenso de Alabama Shakes | RockNvivo.com February 6th, 2013 at 6:38 pm[...] detonante de su éxito fue una recomendación en un blog de música y el hito que luego les cambió la vida se llama Boys & Girls, un disco [...]
62 | El frenético ascenso de Alabama Shakes - coladeflecha.com | coladeflecha.com February 6th, 2013 at 6:48 pm