I’ve been following these Mississippians for quite some time now and was thrilled to get to sit down and talk with them. They’re playing Athens TONIGHT(6/13) at The Melting Point and will be in Atlanta TOMORROW (6/14) at The Basement. Check out everything they had to say about the world and the way it works and their band.

TBI (Sean): First of all, thank you all for taking the time to do an interview with us.I’ve personally been following the band for some time now since a friend named Knowlton Bourne introduced me to your music. He played in a now-defunct band from Jackson called Signals. Do any of you remember them?

THE WEEKS (Sam Williams): Knowlton Bourne! Love that dude. He’s at Ole Miss now and I make a point to see him and the Signals boys every time I’m there. They’re in a new band called Bob Cat Tom that’s badass.

Without a doubt, it’s been a long road for you all already; You’ve done countless tours around the Eastern US with bands like Junior Astronomers and Death on Two Wheels but it goes without saying that your recent successes are much deserved. How did it come about that you all were signed by Serpents & Snakes, Kings of Leons’ start-up label?

We’ve tried to operate our career based on letting opportunities come up organically. Nowadays it’s a lot about networking and sending demos all over the place, which never feels natural. With Serpents & Snakes, their A&R guy came out to our Nashville show with the Meat Puppets back in the fall of last year and dug what he saw.

When it was announced that you all had been picked up by the label, they also announced they would be signing Turbo Fruits. You all have toured with them before right? Are there plans for both bands to head out together soon?

We played a show with them and some our Mississippi brethren Colour Revolt a few years back but never a full tour. Those boys are out on what seems like an eternal tour with Deer Tick right now. Our records are coming out around the same time in the fall so there’s a good chance you’ll see a Turbo Fruits/Weeks bill pop up a few times.

Gutter Gaunt Gangster was your most recent release, correct? I read on your site that you all will be re-releasing it through S&S in the near future. The album definitely stands out as one of the most solidly put together records I’ve heard in a while. What can you tell me about writing and recording it?

Our move to Nashville came up pretty suddenly; it seems we decided on it one day and were in Nashville the next. We had absolutely no money and lived a little out of town so we worked exclusively on those songs all day every day for a few months in our wet basement. The writing process for this record was definitely unlike anything we’ve done before. We did the record on a really low budget and tracked it all live in about 5 days in Water Valley, MS. The studio is totally off the grid. No cell service. No internet. No girls. No pre-production, just roll tape and try to catch the vibe in the room.

It appears as if the next few months will hold a lot of exciting things for you all as you start working with S&S and your new PR. What are a few things you’re most looking forward to?

We’re really looking forward to touring more and playing better clubs with hopefully some more awareness of the band and hopefully playing in front of some new faces. We’re headed into the studio the fall to record our next full length record. We’ve done a lot of touring on the East coast but we’ll be heading out West soon.

The band is about to head out on a brief East Coast run with a band from Atlanta called Asherel and the Kingston Springs, a group from Nashville. How did you all get hooked up with them and what can you tell us about them?

Those fellas in TKS are around the same age as us trying to do the same thing so we’ve been playing together whenever possible for the last year or so. Them boys is wild. We have a mutual respect for each other musically. Like you said, we’ve been doing this for a while so whenever we feel burnt out a little on the everything, those boys get us riled up again. As far as Asherel, our manager is friends with their’s so we were introduced to their music through him. There’s probably gonna be a heapin helpin of ruckus on this tour.

You all hit Athens on the 13th at Melting Point, one of my favorite venues in the town, and then head over to Atlanta for a show at The Basement on the 14th. I’ve watched your fan base in Georgia grow over the past few years and it really seems like people are catching on. Do you all have any memorable moments of being in Georgia?

We’ve had some great shows in and around Atlanta over the years. It’s always been close so it seems like we get there more than any other city in the South. Most of my memories involve stealing beer, taking bets on the streets, realizing we’re in a GLBT bar halfway through our meal, driving on the wrong side of the road, driving the wrong direction down a one way street. We’re small town folk, y’alls big city makes us act a fool. We talked about doing a show at the Clermont Lounge, so I would imagine there would be a few memorable moments then.

Lastly, can you give us two or three bands from Mississippi that we should
look into?

Bob Cat Tom for sure. Colour Revolt, though I doubt anyone in Atlanta hasn’t already bought all their records. Light Beam Rider is out of Oxford and a great bunch of dudes.

Thanks so much and best of luck on the tour

Thank you all!!

The Weeks – “Buttons” – Live @ Q101

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