Gainesville’s nine-piece retro-soul and blues amalgam The Savants of Soul have been pinpointing of their sound to the city of Muscle Shoals, where they recorded their forthcoming record at Rick Hall’s legendary FAME Studios.
William Faulkner wrote “the past is never dead.” The Savants of Soul put time and energy into recreating the sounds of an era, and embody Faulkner’s idea with an airtight rhythm section, exuberance, swagger and live sound that combine for their distinctly Southern feel.
They also embrace another Southern quality: family. “We cook dinner together. We all hang out afterwards. You hear about bands who are at each other’s throats, but there’s no group of people in the world that I’d rather be spending a week on vacation with or spending a week on tour with, and there’s something to be said about that,” said Emerson.
Of the premiered track, “Deliverance,” guitarist Will Campbell told Elmore: “The music for ‘Deliverance’ was directly inspired by the sounds of the music that came out of Stax Records. Raw, gritty, and punchy, it started with the riff. The main riff of the song is very blues-based and it really carries the attitude and tension of the song. Justin’s lyrics compliment the emotions coming from the music perfectly. The guitar solo undoubtedly takes its inspiration from the styles of B.B. King and Duane Allman. To get the sound, we plugged my Gibson Les Paul straight into a ’67 Fender Vibrolux amplifier and turned it up as loud as it could go. It’s probably our heaviest song.”
The Savants of Soul · Deliverance
The Savants of Soul include bassist and founding member, John Gray Shermyen, powerhouse vocalist and “Reverend of Rhythm” Justin McKenzie, guitarist Will Campbell, Zack Emerson (keyboards), Mandy Ferwerda (trumpet, vocals), Jacob Armstrong (trombone), Jordan Jones (tenor saxophone), Ray Vigil (baritone sax) and Benny Cannon (drums).
Learn more about The Savants of Soul HERE