Alabama Thunderpussy - a band with three singers

[MadJohnShaft]

Hi - I didn't know this awesomegaydouchebag StonerRock™ band had yet another singer in 2007s finale "Open Fire". Did they break up? So, a StonerRocker will try out that - then judge it harshly versus the first Thockmorton singer on Constellation and Staring at the Devine.

Then there was the middle guy on Fulton Hill.


I remember them being a band that I just never got into, despite liking them personally and seeing them on multiple occasions. I believe I own a number of their CDs but would need to soulseek steal the last one to make this happen.

Anyone already know everything and save me the trouble?

Alabama Thunderpussy, a band that helped build and support StonerRock from 98 to 2007 - ten years!  I understand Mr Guitarist did some solo stuff and BigShirley is in a bunch of bands.

[The Bandit]

Love the Throckmorton stuff, the other 2 singers?  MEH!

[MadJohnShaft]

He was very animated - like he would pantomime looking out over the sea and reel us in with a pretend fishing pole, I believe. I wonder if all his stage moves were water related?

[eoin_not_ian]

I really quite liked Staring at the Devine. I bought a copy, lost it, bought another copy. Some nice guitar harmonies and some decent southern/stoner songs.

I bought Fulton Hill and even apart from the fact that the new singer was terrible, the songwriting had also moved backwards. I played it twice (the second time just to make sure that it was as disappointing as I remembered it being the first time). By the time of Open Fire it seemed they were going for a more generic metal sound, dropping the trippy blues aspects I liked previously (pretty much the same reason I stopped listening to Grand Magus). I stopped paying attention after that.

[GodShifter]

Didn't they have Kyle Thomas (ex Exhorder) on the last one?

Johnny Weills posted as "Johnny Walmart" on the old board.

[The Bandit]

Didn't they have Kyle Thomas (ex Exhorder) on the last one?

Johnny Weills posted as "Johnny Walmart" on the old board.

Yep

[MadJohnShaft]

Apparently I own "Open Fire" - so we have 3 or 4 CDs to listen to and then get reporting back. Chop chop.

[lowdaddy]

atp's rise again was my first purchase after i discovered stonerrock and stonerrock.com.  i saw them live more than any other band from 2000 to 2005.  saw them with all three singers.

johnny throckmorton was the vocalist on the first four albums - rise again, river city revival, constellation, and staring at the divine.  johnny weills sang on album #5 - fulton hill (named after the band's neighborhood in richmond, va.).  kyle thomas of exhorder pulled vocal duties for atp's sixth and final album - open fire.

early atp - especially rise again - was really leaden and heavy and owed a lot to eyehategod.  the middle era incorporated more songwriting and harmonies into their sound.  they were a hard rocking, heavy-ass southern stoner outfit for that period.  and then by the end they were sounding more like a heavy-ass stoner metal band with a heavy dose of nwobhm. 

after their third album the original guitarist quit the band and ryan lake joined up.  i think his mammoth chops had a quit a bit to do with the direction the band would take from there.  i don't know if he did much songwriting - erik larsen was the main songwriter for the band - but he was just suc a gifted player that it helped the band grow.  that's my guess anyway.  for my money lake was one of the greatest guitarists in the stoner/doom/sludge genre(s).  right there with wino and matt pike.

they were one of my faves for a long time but i don't find myself listening to them much these days.  larsen is a busy guy with birds of prey and hail hornet and that southern crust band he's in who's name i can't recall at the moment.  don't know what ryan lake and big shirley are up to these days.  i'm "friends" with both of them on facebook but i don't check up on their posts enoughh to have any idea about their current musical activities.  i don't think either one of them are doing anything heavy.  which is a shame.  but that's just a guess.

hope this helps.

[The Bandit]

I have an EP by Immortal Avenger, "Sound the Alarm" with Throckmorton doing vocals.  Kind of speed metal/thrash, not bad, but the music doesn't really match his singing style. 

[gritty_fingers]

Kyle is no longer with ATP. He is now singing for Trouble.

EDIT: I met Erik Larsen a few weeks ago at a show in NC. He told me ATP was no more and he was working on other musical prospects.

[lowdaddy]

Kyle is no longer with ATP. He is now singing for Trouble.

EDIT: I met Erik Larsen a few weeks ago at a show in NC. He told me ATP was no more and he was working on other musical prospects.

atp broke up 6 years ago yall. 

[The Shocker]

Not sure that dude is singing with Trouble either...

[gritty_fingers]

Not sure that dude is singing with Trouble either...

There was a recent posting last week on Blabbershit about Trouble. He is still singing with them. The 2nd guy after Eric Wagner didn't last long. Kyle is the third singer.

[MadJohnShaft]

Reunion?

[Widget]

I think Ryan still has his cover band Brown Sabbath going. Not sure what else.

[sleestak]

Ryan Lake did "Lights East."  Not heavy and I don't know if they're still around but the 6 song ep is good.

[The Bandit]

Not sure that dude is singing with Trouble either...

There was a recent posting last week on Blabbershit about Trouble. He is still singing with them. The 2nd guy after Eric Wagner didn't last long. Kyle is the third singer.

Kory Clarke was 2nd singer?

[GodShifter]

Yep.

[gritty_fingers]

I gave Kory Clarke a chance but that guy was fucking awful. I think they made one live album with him; He sounded like they were putting a cat in a blender.

[retardgroove]

I think Larson has a new solo album coming out

[Metal and Beer]

Lowdaddy broke it down pretty good up there ^.

Kyle from Exhorder (and "Open Fire") is indeed in Trouble now, he/they just finished up a new record, according to them thar Facebukes. I think he and Big Shirl are still somewhat active in Pits vs. Preps...?

Larson (who's a righteous cat in a sea of shithumans, IMO) is in Might Could, which sound much more traditional (i.e. ATP) than crust badasses Paracytic, which he plays drums in (as well as Hail! Hornet)

Ryan Lake's a great guitarist, Johnny Weills a great singer, never saw 'em w/ Throckmorton.

This a-one time, I seen me Manjohnshaft hanging around bearded longhaired Virginians ATP at Emissions

[MadJohnShaft]

Hey were on tour with RPG I think?  I liked reading Bigshirley's tour diaries - there was a great one about playing in Germany.

That reminds me to put the three albums on my phone - so my poor family can listen to these on our way to Delavan this afternoon.

[jmucke]

I remember that tour diary. Best part was about the huge bearded guy (the yeti as the band called him) that followed them around and showed his love by hitting all the band member very hard on the shoulders - guess he thought he was pattting . I witnessed the exact scene after the show in Hamburg and just thought "The poor guys".

[MadJohnShaft]

I went through the first and last records - meathead metal isn't really my thing so though both are different and show great musicianship and songwriting,  I don't particularly find either appealing.

I am firm in my commitment to revisit things every once in a while though,  I think that's a worthy exercise for stellar releases that may be forgotten and for those bands like ATP that stayed in it for 10 years and are major contributors to our fine scene.


Good job ATP !

[whoshotthefrog]

Just make sure you have a copy of Constellation.