By Evan Brown // Contributing Writer
Nashville-based All Them Witches has been making a splash in the local independent rock scene for several years now, but nightclub stages aren’t quite like a performance slot amid a throng of 80,000 fans at Bonnaroo.
For All Them Witches, this is a dream come true.
“I went to Bonnaroo at (age) 18,” drummer Robby Staebler said in a recent phone interview, “and I told my brother, ‘One day, I’ve got to do this.’”
The band is set to perform at 12:00 a.m. Sunday at The Who Stage at the 14th annual edition of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival just outside of Manchester, Tenn.
All Them Witches, the name of which was inspired by director Roman Polanski’s classic psychological horror film Rosemary’s Baby, has created a unique sound that features a blend of aggressive rock with soulful blues. Miles Davis, The Melvins and Led Zeppelin are counted among diverse influences.
While the band has been performing from its Nashville base since forming in 2012, none of the four members — vocalist-bassist Charles Michael Parks Jr., keyboardist Allan Van Cleave, guitarist Ben McLeod and Staebler — was raised in Tennessee. The drummer explains they “met randomly” in Music City and began to tour not long afterward.
All Them Witches recently released its third album, At the Garage, available on both iTunes and Spotify. The live album was recorded at a music venue in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, named The Garage and features songs from the band’s previous two releases, Lightning at the Door and Our Mother Electricity.
“(At the Garage) was a way for us to express our live set to a new audience,” Staebler said.
As for their Bonnaroo date, “We are focusing on playing our new songs live,” he said. “Playing new songs is a crazy feeling.
“When we play, we try to liberate ourselves in the moment and nurture ourselves in the moment,” Staebler continued. “I think we inspire each other. ”
All Them Witches will be playing at Bonnaroo’s Who Stage on Sunday at midnight.
This article was published in cooperation with the Seigenthaler News Service. To see the version of this article that ran in The Tennessean, click here.
To see our full archive of Bonnaroo coverage, click here.
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