{"id":16940,"date":"2017-02-23T17:50:57","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T00:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=16940"},"modified":"2017-02-23T17:50:57","modified_gmt":"2017-02-24T00:50:57","slug":"southern-avenue-video-premiere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2017\/02\/southern-avenue-video-premiere\/","title":{"rendered":"SOUTHERN AVENUE VIDEO PREMIERE"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Band: <strong>SOUTHERN AVENUE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3>Video Premiere Song: \u201cPeace Will Come\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4b00GICmneA\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1>SOUL-STEEPED YOUNG MEMPHIS QUINTET SOUTHERN AVENUE SPARKS A ROOTS REVOLUTION WITH SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM ON STAX<\/h1>\n<p>Southern Avenue is a Memphis street that runs from the easternmost part of the city limits all the way to Soulsville, the original home of Stax Records. Southern Avenue is also the name of a fiery young Memphis quintet that embodies its home city\u2019s soul, blues and gospel traditions, while adding a youthful spirit and dynamic energy all their own. \u201cIf Memphis music is a genre, this is it!\u201d proclaims <em>American Blues Scene<\/em>, and Rock 103FM calls Southern Avenue, \u201cThe most-talked-about band in Memphis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their self-titled debut album is a breath of fresh air with its own unique blend of gospel- tinged R&amp;B vocals, roots\/blues-based guitar work and soul-inspired songwriting. And Southern Avenue\u2019s upcoming release on the fabled Stax label is a testament to the young combo\u2019s talent and vision.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16945\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16945\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16945\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-2-Photo-Credit-David-McClister.jpg\" alt=\"Photo Credit David McClister\" width=\"660\" height=\"471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-2-Photo-Credit-David-McClister.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-2-Photo-Credit-David-McClister-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16945\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit David McClister<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Southern Avenue features five young but seasoned musicians who came from diverse musical and personal backgrounds to create music that spans their wide-ranging musical interests, while showcasing the powerful chemistry that the group has honed through stage and studio experience.<\/p>\n<p>Southern Avenue encompasses Memphis-born, church-bred sisters Tierinii and Tikyra Jackson, respectively a soulful, charismatic singer and a subtle, powerful drummer; guitarist Ori Naftaly, an Israeli-born blues disciple who first came to America as an acclaimed solo artist; versatile jazz-inspired bassist Daniel McKee; and the band&#8217;s newest addition, keyboardist Jeremy Powell, an early alumnus of Stax\u2019s legendary music academy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16944\" style=\"width: 501px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16944\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16944\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-3-Photo-Credit-David-McClister.jpg\" alt=\"Photo Credit David McClister\" width=\"491\" height=\"635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-3-Photo-Credit-David-McClister.jpg 491w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-3-Photo-Credit-David-McClister-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-3-Photo-Credit-David-McClister-300x387.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16944\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit David McClister<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The band members\u2019 diverse skills come together organically on <em>Southern Avenue<\/em>, scheduled for release on February 24, 2017 via Stax Records, a division of Concord Music Group. Produced by Kevin Houston (North Mississippi Allstars, Lucero, Patty Griffin), the 10-song album features guest appearances from Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars and trumpeter Marc Franklin of the Bo-Keys. But it\u2019s Southern Avenue\u2019s own potent musical chemistry that drives such sublimely soulful originals as \u201cDon&#8217;t Give Up,\u201d \u201cWhat Did I Do,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Gonna Be Alright,\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cLove Me Right\u201d and \u201cWildflower.\u201d\u00a0The band also pays tribute to its roots with an incandescent reading of Ann Peebles\u2019 Memphis soul classic \u201cSlipped, Tripped and Fell in Love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The seeds for Southern Avenue\u2019s birth were planted when Ori Naftaly, who\u2019d grown up in Israel with a deeply rooted passion for American blues and funk, came to Memphis in 2013 to compete in the prestigious International Blues Challenge. That experience led to Naftaly moving permanently to Memphis and successfully touring the United States with his own band.<\/p>\n<p>Although his talents were embraced by American audiences, Naftaly felt constrained in his own band, feeling the need to include a more expansive, collaborative musical vision.\u00a0 That opportunity arrived when he met Memphis native Tierinii Jackson, who&#8217;d gotten her start singing in church, before performing in a series of cover bands and theatrical projects.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16943\" style=\"width: 645px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16943\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-16943 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-4-Photo-Credit-David-McClister.jpg\" alt=\"Southern Avenue-4 - Photo Credit David McClister\" width=\"635\" height=\"454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-4-Photo-Credit-David-McClister.jpg 635w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-4-Photo-Credit-David-McClister-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16943\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit David McClister<\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to Ori, \u201cWhen I saw Tierinii perform, I thought, \u2018This is why I came to America.\u2019 I met her and we clicked. At our first rehearsal, she told me that her sister was a drummer, and she thought it would be great to have her in the band. We had such a good vibe, and suddenly I didn&#8217;t care so much about my solo thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI initially clicked with Ori really well, but it was his project,\u201d Tierinii remembers. \u201cThen he came to me and said \u2018I want this band to be a collaboration, I want this to be our vision and our music.\u2019\u00a0 So we started writing together, and that&#8217;s when I realized that we were really the same, musically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe started over,\u201d Naftaly continues. \u201cWe threw out most of the songs I&#8217;d been playing in my solo band, and Tierinii and I wrote a whole new set, and we became Southern Avenue. The more we played together, the closer we got, and the more we became a family. We started getting a different kind of crowd, and from there things escalated quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16942\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16942\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-16942 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-5-Tierinii-Jackson-Photo-Credit-David-McClister.jpg\" alt=\"Southern Avenue-5 - Tierinii Jackson - Photo Credit David McClister\" width=\"660\" height=\"924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-5-Tierinii-Jackson-Photo-Credit-David-McClister.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-5-Tierinii-Jackson-Photo-Credit-David-McClister-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-5-Tierinii-Jackson-Photo-Credit-David-McClister-300x420.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16942\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tierinii Jackson &#8211; Photo Credit David McClister<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cOri said, \u2018My band is done, this is y\u2019all\u2019s band,\u2019\u201d Tierinii recalls. \u201cWe all quit our other gigs and started focusing on this, working and writing and living together in a way that you don&#8217;t experience when you\u2019re playing somebody else\u2019s music. Now we\u2019re playing songs that we wrote ourselves and we\u2019re playing them from our hearts. That is when I realized that we had something special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite not having a record deal, Southern Avenue quickly found success touring in America and Europe. They won additional attention playing some prestigious festivals and competing in the International Blues Challenge, in which they represented Memphis. Less than a year after the band&#8217;s formation, they were signed to the resurgent Stax label.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like being on Stax is a responsibility,\u201d says Tierinii. \u201cI grew up in Memphis, seeing the name Stax everywhere. It was a constant presence, and now it&#8217;s up to us to live up to that. I feel like this band can be a platform to do a lot of positive things for the city of Memphis. I want to change the world, but Memphis is home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tierinii views <em>Southern Avenue<\/em> as \u201ca perfect soundtrack to our first year together. We wrote these songs in our first nine months of being a band. We\u2019d all done so many things and come from so many different places, but the music represents all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s been a real crash course,\u201d she continues. \u201cWe haven&#8217;t been a band for very long, but what we have feels very special, and it\u2019s made us a strong unit. I think that we represent something that people need to see right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis band has already made our dreams come true,\u201d Ori concludes. \u201cI\u2019ve waited all my life to be in a band like this, and it&#8217;s amazing to me that I get to play with these people every night. Our goal is to keep doing this for a long time and leave our mark. We\u2019re trying to build a legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16941\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-1-CD-Cover.jpg\" alt=\"Southern Avenue-1 - CD Cover\" width=\"635\" height=\"635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-1-CD-Cover.jpg 635w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-1-CD-Cover-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Southern-Avenue-1-CD-Cover-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Band: SOUTHERN AVENUE Video Premiere Song: \u201cPeace Will Come\u201d SOUL-STEEPED YOUNG MEMPHIS QUINTET SOUTHERN AVENUE SPARKS A ROOTS REVOLUTION WITH SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM ON STAX Southern Avenue is a Memphis street that runs from the easternmost part of the city limits all the way to Soulsville, the original home of Stax Records. Southern Avenue is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16940"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16940"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16946,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16940\/revisions\/16946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}