Follow Friday: Cage The Elephant, Jason Isbell, Saving Abel, and More

Cage The Elephant

Starting off this week’s Follow Friday is a staple of American alternative rock, Cage The Elephant. The Shultz brothers and the gang have consistently topped the charts with some of the most innovative rock of our time, with their 2019 release Social Cues even taking home a Grammy for Best Rock Album.

As a group, we are definitely observers. So a lot of that observation starts within ourselves and what’s going on in our lives. A lot of the record deals with adversity and with loss… so it was just a time in our lives where collectively, we were going through various different stages of grief. We were really trying to find meaning in it all and ultimately just some hope

Matt Shultz on Social Cues, Global News

Cage The Elephant is also no stranger to legendary collaborations. They have worked with modern icons like Beck and Dan Auerbach. Their most recent single, “Broken Boy,” has them partnered up with the rock and roll legend Iggy Pop. Check it out above.

Cage The Elephant jam with Ernie Ball Power Slinkys, Paradigm Phosphor Bronze Medium Lights, and Pedal Steel 10-String E9 Tuning Slinkys.

Listen to their Grammy-winning album, Social Cues, down below.

Jason Isbell

Coming in hot out of Alabama, Jason Isbell has that bluesy, country sound dialed in. Raised on farm land, gospel music, and the Grand Ole Opry, Isbell wears his influences and his heart on his sleeve. His music is heartfelt, heavy, and well-intentioned.

Most of the time [my music] is made to be consumed as the object of your action: ‘The thing I’m doing is listening to this album.’ Because it’s pretty heavy. You can’t really listen to ‘Elephant’ and pregame for a football game.

Jason Isbell, The Rolling Stone

Jason Isbell performs as a solo artist and with his supporting band, The 400 Unit. This year, they have released their latest single, “Be Afraid.” With Isbell‘s electrifying riffs and a powerful vocal melody, it is sure to send chills down your spine like any of his other tracks. Catch the band live by heading to his official website.

Jason Isbell uses Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys.

Take a gander at the best of Jason Isbell‘s down below.

Saving Abel

Saving Abel is a hard rock group out of Corinth, Mississippi with no frills. Their sound combines the traditional singer-songwriter influences and blues guitar licks of the South with modern hard rock tendencies. The combination is unlike any other.

I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, which is technically 30 miles below the Mason-Dixon line, but [the band] will not accept that. My band thinks I’m a yankee, you know, but I’m more southern rock than any of them all put together. Allman Brothers, Skynyrd — I mean, we have very guitar heavy songs for a reason. I believe that’s the Southern influence.

Scott Bartlett, The One Magazine

Saving Abel prefers the road to the studio. The band is currently taking their rocking tunes across the United States, and they are always hitting the pavement to provide more tour dates. Check out their official website for more information.

Saving Abel rock with Ernie Ball Super Slinkys, Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Slinkys, and Power Slinkys.

Listen to the sound of Saving Abel down below.

Ratboys

Chicago-based indie duo Ratboys are growing, exposed yet confident. Comprised of Julia Steiner and David Sagan, who describe their sound as “post-country,” their intimate, yet grungy sound is effortlessly modern.

There’s definitely a lot of uncertainty about what’s next, but I like to think that, in the midst of creating a lot of vulnerability for ourselves, we’re confident and becoming more self-assured… I kept writing in my journal that it feels like we shouldn’t be there. I don’t know if that feeling made its way directly into the lyrics, but to me the songs will always be connected to that sense of home and time passing.

Steiner on recording in her childhood home, Ratboys Official Bio

Ratboys have been active since 2009, but their presence has been sparse until 2015’s AOID. But, the band is picking up steam in preparation for another full length LP, Printer’s Devil. Three singles have been released, and the full album is slated to release on February 28th. Stay tuned to their official website for more info!

Ratboys get down with Ernie Ball Classic Rock ‘n’ Roll Power Slinkys, Earthwood 80/20 Lights, and Regular Slinky Bass strings.

Sick Of It All

Queens, New York has produced some killer hardcore bands, including the veterans of the scene, Sick Of It All. They have been cranking out mosh-pit-worthy tracks since 1986 and are still at it to this day.

It’s not just one theme, we touch on a bunch of things, but I think the overall theme is in the title, Wake The Sleeping Dragon. I have to say it’s a theme that has run on and off through our whole career, and I think it’s time again. It’s like, yeah, again there’s a lot of stuff going on in the world that you might find overwhelming, and all that, and the easiest thing to do is to shut yourself off to it. But, you shouldn’t.

Lou Koller, Metal Insider

Sick Of It All allude to their most recent album, Wake The Sleeping Dragon, above. The band is taking their tour through the East Coast and Latin America in 2020. Keep an eye on their website for tour date information.

Sick Of It All use Not Even Slinkys and Power Slinky Bass strings.

Check out Sick Of It All down below.