Clear Plastic Masks is a rock and roll band fronted by Andrew Katz, an actor-turned-singer born and raised in Detroit. Katz moved to New York to study theater at SUNY Purchase. In order to pursue his acting career in Manhattan, like most artists, he had to work several jobs to make ends meet.
While working at a moving company, Katz met his bandmates - Dominican Republic-born drummer Charles Garmendia, guitarist/keyboard player Matt Menold, and bassist Eduardo DuQuesne - and Clear Plastic Masks was formed. They developed a devoted fanbase in their neighborhood of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, playing at local performance art venue and antique coffee shop/bar Goodbye Blue Monday on Broadway. An opportunity arose to record their debut album with Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Benjamin Booker, Hurray for the Riff Raff) in Nashville, TN at The Bomb Shelter. [1] The band went down to record and never moved back. "It's holy land to so many musicians throughout the world. And that tradition is uniquely American and ... amazing. And it informs the whole rock and roll scene."
NPR's Ann Powers said of their debut album, "Being There," "Katz's vocals are wry and slightly theatrical, recalling both Lou Reed and the Strokes's Julian Casablancas, and the band's Stones-ish rock is showy while still hitting hard and direct." Since then, the band has supported Alabama Shakes, Cage the Elephant, White Denim, City and Colour and Houndmouth - to name a few. [2]
Superdrag is an American alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. They had a hit single in 1996, "Sucked Out", from their album Regretfully Yours. The original lineup reunited in 2007, releasing a full-length album in 2009: Industry Giants. The same lineup reunited again in 2021.
Ann K. Powers is an American writer and popular music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the Los Angeles Times, where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also written for other publications, such as The New York Times, Blender and The Village Voice. Powers is the author of Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America, a memoir; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black & White, Body and Soul in American Music, on eroticism in American pop music; and Piece by Piece, co-authored with Tori Amos.
Los Straitjackets is an American instrumental rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, in 1988. Originally comprising guitarists Danny Amis, Eddie Angel and drummer L. J. "Jimmy" Lester under the name The Straitjackets, the band split up soon after forming, but reunited as Los Straitjackets in 1994 with the addition of bassist E. Scott Esbeck. Esbeck left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Pete Curry. The current lineup also features Greg Townson on guitar and Chris Sprague on drums.
Michael Jason Isbell is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won six Grammy Awards.
Christopher Alvin Stapleton is an American country singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born in Kentucky, Stapleton moved to Nashville in 1996 to study for an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, but dropped out to pursue a career in music. Shortly after, he signed a contract with Sea Gayle Music to write and publish his music.
Tristen is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has released five albums: Teardrops and Lollipops (2008), Charlatans at the Garden Gate (2011), C A V E S (2013), Sneaker Waves (2017), and Aquatic Flowers (2021). She also performed as a member of Jenny Lewis's live band in 2015.
Alabama Shakes are an American rock band formed in Athens, Alabama, in 2009. The band consisted of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, and drummer Steve Johnson.
"Hold On" is a song by American rock band Alabama Shakes. The track was first released on February 6, 2012 in the United Kingdom as the lead single from the studio album Boys & Girls (2012).
Brittany Amber Howard is an American musician from Athens, Alabama. She rose to prominence in the early 2010s for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the primary songwriter of Alabama Shakes. Her work with Alabama Shakes garnered her four Grammy Awards from nine nominations. Later in the decade, Howard played bass in the side project Thunderbitch as well as both acoustic guitar and double bass for the trio Bermuda Triangle.
Steelism is a Nashville-based instrumental band. A "country twang, jazz, blues, R&B, surf guitar, and Ennio Morricone-like movie soundtrack washed in a 21st century blend," Steelism is composed of guitarist Jeremy Fetzer and pedal steel player Spencer Cullum.
St. Paul and The Broken Bones is an American eight-piece soul band based in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, that formed in 2012. The band is composed of Paul Janeway (vocals), Browan Lollar (guitar), Jesse Phillips (bass), Kevin Leon (drums), Al Gamble (keys), Allen Branstetter (trumpet), Amari Ansari (saxophone), and Chad Fisher (trombone). They have released five albums and two EPs while touring internationally.
Denney and The Jets is a rock band based in Nashville, Tennessee, and is the namesake of band leader Chris Denney. Denney and The Jets have toured with The Growlers, Broncho, Those Darlins, Tristen, White Fang and has supported Alabama Shakes, The Ettes, David Allan Coe, Diamond Rugs, The Greenhornes and Nikki Lane. Chris Denney's rotating cast of backing bands have included members of JEFF the Brotherhood, Natural Child, PUJOL, Blackfoot Gypsies, Promised Land Sound and Clear Plastic Masks.
"Don't Wanna Fight" is a song performed by American rock band Alabama Shakes, issued as the lead single from the band's second studio album Sound & Color. The band performed the song live for the first time on February 28, 2015 on Saturday Night Live. The song won two awards at the 58th Grammy Awards on February 15, 2016. It was also featured in a season 2 episode of the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley.
Sound & Color is the second and final studio album by American band Alabama Shakes. It was released on April 17, 2015 via ATO Records.
Dave Cobb is a thirteen-time Grammy Award winning American record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, best known for producing the work of Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, The Highwomen, Take That, Rival Sons, and Zayn Malik, among others.
Banditos is an American six-piece rock and roll band led by singers Corey Parsons, Stephen Pierce, and Mary Beth Richardson with honky tonk, country, soul and garage rock influences. The band originally hails from Birmingham, Alabama, but is currently based out of Nashville, Tennessee. Formed in 2010, Banditos toured the United States for four years before they signed to Bloodshot Records.
Jesse Wells, known professionally as Jesse Welles or simply Welles, is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born in Arkansas, Welles released his debut studio album Red Trees and White Trashes, on which Dave Cobb was a producer for three songs. The album came out in 2018. Welles previously performed under the name Jeh Sea Wells and was also the frontman of the bands Dead Indian, formed in 2012, and Cosmic-American, formed in 2015.
Low Country Sound is a record label imprint of Elektra Records based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 2015 by music producer Dave Cobb who also runs it. Among the artists currently signed to Low Country Sound, some notable acts are Anderson East, Brent Cobb and Rival Sons.
Becca Mancari (//) is an American indie folk musician and singer from Staten Island, New York, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Mancari is a member of the band Bermuda Triangle alongside Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes Mancari has released three solo albums, Good Woman, The Greatest Part, and Left Hand.
Lee Bains & The Glory Fires are an American alternative rock/Southern rock band, formed in 2011 in Birmingham, Alabama.