Seratones

Get Gone
Seratones
Fat Possum

Seratones are a Southern rock and roll band with a prototypical but powerful lineup: vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. They play straight-ahead, no frills, guitar-driven rock, but breathe fresh life into a tried-and-true formula.

Seratones were formed in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2013 and they became a quartet only two years ago. They initially called themselves Ceratones: the word "cera" is Spanish for wax, as a nod to the vinyl record which is often referred to as wax. 

Seratones is built around female lead singer and guitarist A.J. Haynes, lead guitarist Connor Davis, and drummer Jesse Gabriel. Shortly after getting together, Davis’s brother, bassist Adam Davis, joined and the group altered their name to Seratones, a reference to serotonin, the human chemical thought to be responsible for feelings of happiness.

Get Gone is the name of the debut album from Seratones. From the very start, the band gets in your face and pins you to the wall. “Chokin’ On Your Spit” is two and a half minutes of punk energy that forces you to sit up and take notice. Over the course of the next ten songs, the band puts it all out on the table and blends punk spirit, heartfelt soul, and a touch of funk into their swaggering garage rock.

The songs are tight and to the point. The guitar solos are succinct and economical. There is no excess be to found and no fat to be trimmed. Haynes, who grew up singing in church, is a confident powerhouse up front and Connor Davis’s guitar, as on his solo on “Headtrip,” is infused with late ‘60s psychedelic fuzz. The band punches hard on songs like “Sun” and “Trees,” but they know when to take their foot off the accelerator. It’s on selections like “Take It Easy,” “Tide,” and “Keep Me,” that we hear the soulful core that the band possesses.

Roots maven Jimbo Mathus produces virtually all of Get Gone and helps to keep the bare-bones rock and roll heart of Seratones front and center. While there is still some room for growth in their songwriting, this brash young band seems poised to leave an indelible mark on rock.