Shreveport, La., foursome Seratones began playing together in 2014. After working on its live profile, by the end of 2015, the band had signed a deal with Fat Possum Records, played acclaimed shows at the South by Southwest and CMJ fests and were named one of the 20 best new bands of 2015 by Paste magazine (among other accolades). Considering the band has yet to release an album (its debut is due this year), it’s safe to say Seratones is in a pretty good position to be a “best of 2016” contender as well.
Meeting through musical peers in different projects, the group members started out as friends, attending Punk shows together in Shreveport. Fronted by the raw and impassioned vocals of singer/guitarist AJ Haynes, the rest of the Seratones (guitarist Connor Davis, bassist Adam Davis and drummer Jesse Gabriel) are tight and versatile. The group’s vibrant Soul-infused Rock & Roll is the kind of charismatic music that commands your attention, bursting with an alluring energy that instantly alerts the listener to the fact that this is a band with a powerhouse stage presence. The Seratones have classic Garage Rock power, but also the wild-eyed finesse of an old Otis Redding live recording and a Soul/Blues edge that is seamlessly worked into the gritty grooves.
The immediate appeal of the band was apparently evident from the start. The members told the Shreveport Times that at the Seratones’ first out-of-town show, a member of one of the other bands on the bill was so blown away by the group, he told his employer…who just happened to run Fat Possum Records. Within a couple of weeks, Seratones were playing for label founder Matthew Johnson; by the time the gig was over, Johnson was prepared to offer them a deal.
Until that Fat Possum full-length, immerse yourself in the few Seratones tracks that are available, including “Necromancer” (which rocks like a Sleater-Kinney/Detroit Cobras collaboration) and the slinkier slow-burner “Take It Easy.”
Tickets/more info here.
