with Spendtime Palace, The Vernes Rowdy, Raucous, Longhair Mississippi
Glam Rock.That's the sound of Easy, The Week's long-awaited followup
to their breakthrough album,Dear Bo Jackson. Recorded at Ardent
Studios in Memphis a place filled withthe ghosts (and gear) of the
Replacements, ZZ Top, and Big Star, all of whom traveledto Ardent to
create their own landmark albums Easy finds The Weeks doubling downon
a mix of groove, grit, and guitars. It's swaggering and
sharply-focused, shining newlight on a band of brothers who, although
still in their mid-20s, have already logged adecade's worth of sweaty
gigs together.If Easy bears resemblance to the raw, rowdy attitude of
the The Weeks' live show, it'sbecause the album was written at the end
of a busy, five-year period that found thegroup rarely leaving the
road."We moved to Nashville in 2010," remembers frontman Cyle Barnes,
who formed theband in Jackson, Mississippi, with his three longtime
bandmates: drummer (and twinbrother) Cain Barnes, guitarist Sam
Williams, and bass player Damien Bone. "We spent2011 to 2015 touring.
November 2015 was the first time we ever spent an entire monthin
Nashville."Those years on the road were eye-opening for The Weeks, all
of whom were just teenagerswhen they began playing together in 2006.
By their early 20s, the guys were touringEurope with Kings of Leon,
promoting the newly-released Dear Bo Jackson in frontof 20,000 people
each night. Back in America, The Weeks continued playing their ownclub
shows, too. The experience taught them how to bridge the gap between
arenashows and smaller gigs. In short, it taught them how to be
themselves, no matter theaudience.Appropriately, Easy consolidates the
band's strengths. While the songs on 2013's DearBo Jackson were thick
with horn arrangements, strings, and guest appearances, Easyis a
leaner, louder beast. The Weeks began working on its 11 tracks after
returninghome from a long tour and taking some time to rest, reflect,
and regroup. Newly energized,they began writing songs at Sam and
Damien's home in Nashville, with Cyle andWilliams splitting the bulk
of the songwriting duties. The whole process relied on
collaboration,with the full band fleshing out the newer
songs."Everyone would come to the house, make food, hang out, and play
music 'til four in themorning," Williams remembers. "We wrote 25
songs, then picked our favorites for thefinal tracklist.Easy is
driving and direct, captured in punchy sound by producer Paul
Ebersold. Thegoal was to clear out any unnecessary clutter, focusing
instead on The Weeks' biggeststrengths: the elastic power of Cyle's
voice, capable of a crooning drawl one minute anda roof-raising howl
the next; the range of Sam's guitar playing, from
Motown-influencedchord stabs to garage-rock blasts of sound; and the
interlocking rhythms of Damien andCain. They threw some curveballs
into the mix, too, riding a lovely, lazy, organ-heavygroove on the
southern soul song "Hands on the Radio" and punctuating songs
like"Ike" with a small horn section. Along the way, they made good use
the studio's vintagegear, finding room on a handful of songs for Elvis
Presley's microphone, Big Star'ssnare drum, the "Green Onions" organ
from Booker T. & the M.G.'s."We said, 'If we can do this song in five
chords, let's do it,'" says Sam. "That way, wheneverthe curveballs do
happen, they mean a lot. We focused on the songs first, and thenwe
added stuff, as long as it didn't harm the energy or the groove. We
wanted to pickour moments better."Inspired by the real-life
characters, places, and stories The Weeks encountered on tour,Easy is
a record about where the band has been, as well as a sign of where
they're going."I wanted the stories to be real a little dark, maybe
but I wanted them to beredeeming, too," says Cyle, who began turning
the stories into proper songs once thetour ended. He tossed some
personal tales into the mix, too, with songs like the
autobiographical"Gold Doesn't Rust" focusing on the joy of plugging
in, tuning up and rockingout."We just wanted to make a rock record,"
adds Damnien, shrugging his shoulders at thesimplicity of it all. The
Weeks earned their road warrior credentials years ago, butthey've
never defined their ambition or the wide range of their abilities this
clearlybefore.And speaking of simplewhat's the deal with that album
title?"We called it Easy because every time I make music with these
guys, it's easy," saysCain, who has spent more than a third of his
life as a member of The Weeks. "It feelsgood. But the other side of it
is, there's nothing easy about being in a band. There'snothing easy
about staying together for 10 years and still wanting to make music.
Wehave the hardest and easiest job on the planet. But it works for
us." $15.00 - $18.00 Buy tickets at vividseats.com!
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21/09/2019 Last update