Alabama Shakes Announce Headline Tour in Support of Debut Album, Boys & Girls Out April 10

February 16, 2012

ALABAMA SHAKES ANNOUNCE HEADLINE TOUR IN SUPPORT OF DEBUT ALBUM, BOYS & GIRLS, OUT APRIL 10

Alabama Shakes will kick off their spring tour on March 9 with a sold-out show at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall. On March 13, the band will tape an episode of the legendary PBS program “Austin City Limits,” which will air later this year. Alabama Shakes will play two shows in New York City – The Bowery Ballroom on April 11 and the Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 12. In addition to their North American and European headline dates, the band will perform at the Hangout, Sasquatch and Bonnaroo music festivals. “New fans are converted at every gig,” said Rolling Stone while NME observed: “their raucous live shows are already the stuff of legend.”

NPR Music has tapped Alabama Shakes for its official South By Southwest showcase, which will take place at Stubbs in Austin, TX on March 14, the conference’s opening night. It will be available on-air, online and on mobile in a live broadcast on NPR Member stations across the country, and live video stream at http://www.npr.org/music and NPR Music apps.

Boys & Girls, Alabama Shakes’ debut album, will premiere on NPR’s “First Listen” April 2-10. The album, which ATO Records will release in North America on April 10, will be available at music retailers and at Starbucks. Rough Trade will release Boys & Girls internationally on April 9. The album pre-order is now available on the iTunes Music Store, where fans can also purchase the first single, “Hold On,” which has been No. 1 Most Added at AAA radio for two consecutive weeks. You can check out Alabama Shakes performing “Hold On” on “Conan” at:

http://bit.ly/yPvdq3

Alabama Shakes – comprising vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, drummer Steve Johnson and bassist Zac Cockrell – are based in Athens, AL and began playing together when they were in high school. Ben Tanner assists on keyboards. Boys & Girls – produced and mixed by the band – was recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN. Fans can share “Heavy Chevy,” a bonus track from Boys & Girls, via a free widget, available beginning today at http://widgets.beggarspromo.com/heavychevy/.

The band kicked off 2012 with its first-ever West Coast run, which included 11 sold-out shows. “[Brittany Howard] has a gift for the stage,” noted The Hollywood Reporter. “Standing in the sweat drenched floor of the Troubadour, where Elton John, Neil Diamond and James Taylor were staples in the 1970s, it felt as if she was singing directly to you.” “Every single song in the set was an experiment in power, with the band exhibiting diverse dexterity with downtempo songs like ‘Boys and Girls,’ bluesy tracks like ‘Be Mine’ and a rocked out Led Zeppelin-inspired final encore of ‘On Your Way,’” said Glidemagazine.com, reviewing a sold-out show at The Independent in San Francisco while The Oregonian observed: “There is nothing ironic, or gimmicky, or impeachable about the Alabama Shakes…[They] play rock and roll, awash in soul and blues and gospel with no interest in artifice of any kind.”

Upcoming tour dates are as follows:

2/22 London, UK Boston Arms SOLD OUT

2/23 London, UK Boston Arms SOLD OUT

2/24 London, UK Boston Arms SOLD OUT

3/9 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall SOLD OUT

3/10 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater

3/13 Austin, TX PBS’ “Austin City Limits” taping

3/14 Austin, TX Stubbs – SXSW-NPR showcase
3/23 Tuscaloosa, AL Bama Theater SOLD OUT

w/Dexateens & Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires

3/29 Oxford, MS Proud Larry’s

3/30 Huntsville, AL Crossroads SOLD OUT
3/31 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre SOLD OUT

4/5 Athens, GA Georgia Theater w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires

4/6       Carrboro, NC               Cat’s Cradle                  w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires
4/7       Baltimore, MD             Rams Head Live                       w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires
4/9       Philadelphia, PA          World Cafe Live                      w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires
4/11     New York, NY             The Bowery Ballroom w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires
4/12     Brooklyn, NY              Music Hall of Williamsburg      w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires
4/14     Burlington, VT             Higher Ground              w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires
4/15     Boston, MA     Paradise Rock Club       w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires
4/17     Toronto, ON               Lee’s Palace                 w/Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires

4/25     Cologne, DE    Gebaude 9
4/26     Hamburg, DE   Molotow
4/27     Berlin, DE        Comet
4/29     Amsterdam, NL           Bitterzoet
4/30     Brussels, BE     AB
5/2       Paris, FR          La Fleche D’Or
5/3       London, UK               Brixton Electric
5/5       Dublin, IE        Academy 2
5/6       Kilkenny, IE                Kilkenny Festival
5/9       Glasgow, UK                King Tut’s
5/10     Manchester, UK           Deaf Institute
5/11     Birmingham, UK          Rainbow
5/12     Brighton, UK               The Great Escape
5/18-20            Gulf Shores, AL            Hangout Music Fest

5/25-27 Gorge, WA Sasquatch Music Festival
6/7-10 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

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For more information on ALABAMA SHAKES, contact:

Ambrosia Healy

The Fun Star

ambrosia@thefunstar.com

310.273.8978

Erin Cooney

The Fun Star

erin@thefunstar.com

310.273.8978

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