The Mission

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Decades ago, before the first rock and roll idols turned music into a product, musicians played music the way cobblers mended shoes and carpenters built homes. It was a trade like any other job and men did it for work, for wage. Young men would pack their station wagons with gear and travel from city to city to play their songs. For these musicians, it was not only all they wanted to do but all they could do. They were not in search of fame or fortune. It was simply a life in music. Welcome to the world of Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo.

“It’s what we were meant to do, I have to get up every morning and play my music,” Williams says. “We load our own gear; we drive hours on end for one show. But if you want it, you have to be willing to bleed it.”

William’s drive is second nature. He is what some refer to in the business today as a “career” artist, a dedicated, straight-talking guy more interested in longevity than a hit single, in building a fan base than winning an award. Five years from now, you will not find him serving food or driving a taxi. He will be playing music. “I need to play music, I want a career in music and a ‘career’ is not five years, but 35.”

On their new album, It Ain’t Easy, Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo follow in the footsteps of musical archetypes like Ronnie Earl, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, The Black Keys, Kenny Brown and R.L Burnside. These artists inspire them not just for their work, but for their approach to their art. They exist outside the traditional economic constraints of “success” and “failure,” and do their own thing on their own time. “They would all be playing music whether there was money in it or not,” says Williams. “All of them would be homeless rather than do something else. In my mind, you’re either a musician or you’re not.”

Zigzagging the Midwest and South, doing it the only way they know how, Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo spend most of their time, 180 nights a year on the road. They headline most of those dates, but have also played supporting slots for the Black Keys, Bernard Allison, Taj Mahal, among many others, as well as dates at some of the largest festivals like Summerfest and Bike Week in Daytona Beach, FL.

It Ain’t Easy, their first album, is a tour de force of authenticity, covering sounds from blues, rock and roots. It’s music the way it was meant to be played, with a music-is-my-life, let’s-hit-the-road attitude. “You can’t chase a record or an idea. You get to the real meaning, make it as good as you can make it and suffer the result.” Williams appreciates the simplicity of the approach. “If it moves you, then it’s done. If it’s perfect—but you’re still not moved—then you’ve still got work to do. Music is personal, what one person likes isn’t going to please everyone. We’re in a business that you have to just accept, bad or good and just go with It.”

“This record isn’t perfect by any means. From a pop radio perspective this album has no chance. But we weren’t trying to make a radio record; we kept it honest and to our hearts. That attitude became another member of the band in the studio. If that attitude was with us at all times, we knew we were doing something right.”

“Ray Charles is my favorite singer of all time. But he doesn’t sing about things no one else has sung. Muddy Waters borrowed from Robert Johnson. But what they have behind their words are genuine and sincere and for it to mean something is all that matters. As a songwriter and performer, that’s all I can do – be genuine and sincere in my songs and performances.”

Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo’s music is unwavering, filtering blues, soul, roots, and rock through a prism of emotional authenticity. What emerges isn’t a reinvention of the wheel, rather something undeniable, and the very definition of a force of nature. It’s real American music at its core and at its best.
Band Interests
Music and meeting our fans.

STEVIE TOMBSTONE

http://www.stevietombstone.net/index.html

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After a chance meeting with Roy Acuff, Stevie (then, a young man) was certain he would always be a musician. Born in rural Georgia, Stevie learned the ropes playing country, gospel, and blues. Rebelling against his roots, he immersed himself in the world of rock and the underground music scene of the 80s in Atlanta but never lost the twang of his childhood. Almost three decades later, he has become an accomplished performer and songwriter. Stevie has now released five solo albums and several music videos, produced music with his 1980s swamp rockabilly band, The Tombstones, and made appearances on compilations all over the damn place. In his early days, Stevie penned the college radio anthem and regional hit “Nobody”, which was later recorded by rock icon, Stiv Bators. After separating with The Tombstones in the 1990s, he toured as the supporting act for Jason & the Scorchers in Europe, which opened the door for his solo career. Taking a more serious approach to songwriting, he then began to write with as many accomplished song-writers as he could find in every realm of the music world, from street poets to music row regulars.

Bouncing between Atlanta, Nashville, and Austin, Stevie recorded Second Hand Sin (1999) and Acoustica (2000) and then settled in Texas. His full-length debut CD, 7:30 am (2003), showcased his singing ability and continuing growth as a songwriter. The CD spent six weeks in the top ten of XM Radio’s Channel 12 (X-Country) charts, including two weeks at #1. During this period, Stevie worked as a sideman for several respected Texas acts, including acclaimed songwriter, Rich Minus, and songstress, Texacala Jones. 2004 brought the Cash tribute/compilation, “Dear Johnny”, featuring Stevie’s version of “Folsom Prison Blues”, which received airplay and great reviews. Stevie followed up with a number of West Coast gigs with Supersucker front man, Eddie Spaghetti, in support of the disc. 2006 found Stevie briefly back at the helm of the Tombstones for a national tour to support the re-release of the bands earlier material. Leaving the band for the final time, he married Tombstones bassist, Melissa “Killene” Tombstone, returning to his solo work and fatherhood. In 2008, his sold-out show at the Red House Arts Center was broadcast in its entirety on XM’s Wired In series.

Stevie’s band mates, over the years, have been a veritable whos who of underground and nationally recognized players, featuring members of Circus of Power, Wilco, the Georgia Satellites, and Jason & The Scorchers. Priding himself in his ability to cross genres, he has also had the honor of sharing the bill with the likes of Leon Russell, the Stray Cats, Greg Allman, Willie Nelson, Drive By Truckers, Johnny Bush & the Ramones, just to name a few. After living in Austin off and on for almost 10 years, Stevie relocated to Atlanta, the Ozarks, and most recently, Upstate New York. He is presently publicizing his most current EP, Slow Drunken Waltz, and preparing for his next full length release, Greenwood (Cloverdale Music), due out in Fall 2012.