{"id":39167,"date":"2017-04-26T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T14:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=39167"},"modified":"2017-04-25T16:21:50","modified_gmt":"2017-04-25T22:21:50","slug":"shreveport-dives-to-festival-stages-seratones-make-double-decker-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/shreveport-dives-to-festival-stages-seratones-make-double-decker-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"Shreveport Dives to Festival Stages: Seratones Make Double Decker debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seratones<\/strong>, a band that refuses to be pigeonholed, blends the classic sounds of punk and southern rock with a healthy dash of Cajun seasoning.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Shreveport<\/strong>, Louisiana<\/strong>-based group has been steamrolling through venues, leaving in their wake sweat-drenched fans begging for more. Vocalist A.J. Haynes<\/strong>, took time between preparing for tour and working with her bandmates on the next Seratones album to talk with us about touring, not teaching, and getting a record deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sonically, Seratones is one of the most diverse bands making the rounds. The punk and southern rock influences are clearly evident in the instruments, but weaved throughout are the sounds of blues and soul. When Haynes gets going on stage, it\u2019s easy to believe that she\u2019s been singing since she was six. Performing for her congregation at such a young age helped prepare her when she began playing with bands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople in church will talk bad about you, real quick,\u201d laughed Haynes. \u201cWorse than people at a damn show.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Haynes began her career as a full-time touring musician, she was a public school teacher. Looking at her alongside the rest of Seratones, you\u2019d rightly think her out of place in such a setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Seratones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t really what I felt like my purpose was,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cEven before I finished my master\u2019s degree and then got a job as a teacher, I knew that working as . . . an artist in some capacity and traveling is what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Making efforts to improve the United States education system appeals to the teacher turned rock star, but Haynes doesn\u2019t see herself ever returning as a teacher in a traditional classroom setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA dream of mine has always been to spearhead a secular educational curriculum and push it in the south especially,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cOtherwise, hell no.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Haynes completed her degree, but still wanted to have at least some teaching experience under her belt before fully diving into her endeavors to be an artist.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn that year where I was getting my experience, we got a record deal,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cIt really timed out perfectly. I was ready to go, I wanted to make some noise in the world. I had been thinking to myself, \u2018I\u2019m gonna do it. Come hell or high water even if I have to self-fund it I\u2019m gonna f**king tour in a van.\u2019 And then we got the record deal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With the deal done, Haynes and the other members had received the sign they needed and were ready go all in on the rock and roll lifestyle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really a great affirmation to get,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cLike, okay this is what I\u2019m supposed to be doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Seratones are currently signed to a three-record deal with Oxford<\/strong>, Mississippi<\/strong>-label Fat Possum Records<\/strong>. The group was put in touch with the label after playing a show with NERVS<\/strong> in Arkansas<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were playing a show in Hot Springs with NERVS and their lead singer just so happened to work in the warehouse,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cIt was even like a scoped out deal, it was happen-stance. He was like, \u2018Oh, y\u2019all are great. Let me tell the guys at Fat Possum about you.\u2019 Then I got a call from Bruce Watson that week. We booked a show in Oxford, they dug it, and we went from there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band recently completed the first tour in support of Get Gone<\/em>, their debut album. The tour took them all over the country and through Europe. Along the way making stops at major festivals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve played a good handful of Festivals,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cWe did Hangout Festival, Hogs for the Cause\u2014a New Orleans benefit festival, Voodoo Fest, played a couple in France. We\u2019ve played a lot of festivals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From how Haynes describes it, the hard work the members put in has been paying off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like we\u2019re making progress,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cOn this last tour we did supporting Get Gone, people actually knew the words to the songs. I had never experienced that before on such a large scale outside of the region. The love has been great and the crowds are getting steadily bigger.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As a band, you never fully know what kind of people will enjoy your music. Fortunately for Seratones, their fan base are easy folks to get along with, which makes it that much better to traveling across the country to put on a show for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur fans are great,\u201d said Hayne. \u201cI feel like I can say that. The people that come to our show are people I feel like I can actually hang out with for the most part.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Seratones will be playing on the North Lamar Double Decker Stage Saturday, April 29 at 2:30 pm.\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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