aaron blades band
If you are a Shoals native, you may remember a little Mexican restaurant and bar called LaFonda Mexicana on Florence Boulevard. Though the building has now been torn down, the establishment was known for its mason jar margaritas, party atmosphere, and rocking music from talented local musicians. It was a hot spot for the college crowd after game days and was a great place to let off some steam and dance the night away. Some may have called it a dive bar; some may have called it their favorite place on earth. No matter your feelings about LaFonda, you can’t say it wasn’t memorable. But for the Aaron Blades Band, it was the start of something great—and the beginning of their future in the music industry. Aaron Blades, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, was playing at LaFonda two years ago when he met bass player Tyler Ross. After discovering their shared tastes in musical style, Aaron and Tyler decided they needed to bring in a couple more musicians and start a group. Aaron knew drummer Lorenzo Burke, and Tyler brought in guitarist and singer Matt Blackburn. While tinkering around with styles and jamming out together on the weekends at LaFonda, the four gentlemen realized they had a good thing going. But it wasn’t until Aaron was playing in Birmingham and met trombone player Jay Garrett and scooped him up that the Aaron Blades Band took the form we know today. In their time together, the group has developed a relaxed, soulful sound that directly reflects their biggest musical influences, artists, and genres who range from the funk and soul of Stevie Wonder and James Brown to the smooth pop, singer/ songwriter style of Maroon 5 and Ed Sheeran. But the group admits they are still learning and growing, and since the release of their first album, Cloud 13, their sound has already changed a lot. “Driving with the windows down in the summer not thinking about anything type of music,” is how Tyler describes their freshman album, Cloud 13. “Our next album, Operation Overload, will feel like more of a soulful funk record with hints of jazz and rock. It is definitely something you could get down to.” No matter what their music changes and morphs into, this group just wants people to stick along for the ride. “We love to be versatile. We love when everyone can participate with our roller coaster of emotions when we play,” says Aaron. The group has had a lot of experience performing. They have headlined at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater already, as well as playing on live TV a couple of times. But according to the band, that is when they do their best work. “After Aaron writes a song, the band bounces all sorts of ideas off one another for hooks, steps, tempos, etc.,” says Tyler. “We then play the songs multiple times live at shows to create our best version. This band definitely thrives and is the most creative in ‘on-the-fly’ settings.”
July/August 2014 | noalapress.com | 41