Biography
Brittany Howard, who first gained widespread attention as the lead singer and guitarist of the rollicking yet rootsy Alabama Shakes, sought an outlet for a stripped-down and more spontaneous brand of rock & roll. She found it through her side project Thunderbitch. The ensemble includes players drawn from the Nashville rock outfits Fly Golden Eagle and Clear Plastic Masks, although the group’s official site lists the members solely under the names Thunderbitch, Matt Man, B Bone, ThunderMitch, Char Man and A Man.
Thunderbitch began performing unannounced shows in 2012 at modest clubs and hot wings shops around Nashville, Tennessee. Their initial national exposure arrived that December, triggered not by any recording but by an armed robbery: while the musicians were relaxing on a friend’s porch in Nashville, two teenagers held them up at gunpoint. One victim later reported that the assailants made off with only a small amount of cash and a few cell phones, adding that the band members were unfazed enough to continue bar hopping afterward.
Howard uploaded a pair of Thunderbitch tracks to the internet in 2013, after which the project went quiet, likely because Alabama Shakes’ touring and recording commitments left little room for other work. Roughly four months after Alabama Shakes’ second album, Sound & Color, entered the sales charts at number one, Thunderbitch’s self-titled debut surfaced online in streaming form, while a vinyl pressing was offered through the Alabama Shakes website.
Thunderbitch began performing unannounced shows in 2012 at modest clubs and hot wings shops around Nashville, Tennessee. Their initial national exposure arrived that December, triggered not by any recording but by an armed robbery: while the musicians were relaxing on a friend’s porch in Nashville, two teenagers held them up at gunpoint. One victim later reported that the assailants made off with only a small amount of cash and a few cell phones, adding that the band members were unfazed enough to continue bar hopping afterward.
Howard uploaded a pair of Thunderbitch tracks to the internet in 2013, after which the project went quiet, likely because Alabama Shakes’ touring and recording commitments left little room for other work. Roughly four months after Alabama Shakes’ second album, Sound & Color, entered the sales charts at number one, Thunderbitch’s self-titled debut surfaced online in streaming form, while a vinyl pressing was offered through the Alabama Shakes website.
Albums
