Alabama Shakes are proof that a great musical partnership can sprout anywhere.
In a few short years, the band has gone from a collaboration of students at East Limestone High School in Athens, Alabama, to a Grammy-nominated roots-rock juggernaut.
"I've been in situations before where you try to play music with someone and no matter how hard you look you can't find anybody," Shakes guitarist Heath Fogg said. "We're pretty fortunate to be from a small town and to be able to accomplish what we have."
Alabama Shakes are scheduled to play the grand opening of the Alaska Airlines Center with a performance at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The group started in 2009 in the way most small-town bands do -- as a collection of friends and usual suspects in the local scene. Singer Brittany Howard, a fledgling guitarist, approached bass player Zac Cockrell in a high school psychology class. The pair got together to jam and write songs, recording some rough demos of their early results. When searching for a drummer, they turned to Athens' only music store, adding Steve Johnson, who was employed there. Fogg, the lead guitarist in East Limestone High's "best band," was recruited after he asked The Shakes, as they were known initially, to open for his band.
"We were all acquaintances and friends before we started playing music together," Fogg said. "I came across some of those recordings. The band I was with really liked them. At the time it was just covers and a few originals. They wanted a second guitar player. It just made sense. We didn't anticipate the things that were to come."
Once the final lineup was set, the results were immediate. In early 2011, the group recorded a handful of songs in Nashville and released a self-titled EP. By late 2011, Alabama Shakes had signed with a label and were playing notable venues.
The band's first full-length album, "Boys & Girls," released the following year, showcased the band's fusion of soul, rock and gritty R&B, spearheaded by Howard's irrepressible vocals.
The comparisons of Howard to 1960s legend Janis Joplin are both predictable and plentiful. Like Joplin, Howard navigates between frenetic and serene, soaring above the instrumentation.
"Brittany is a great singer and a great performer," Fogg said. "Sometimes I may take for granted how easy it makes things for us. A lot of times, we've got recognition as a great live band. All of that has to do with Brittany's performance and her persona. That's why we've been so successful -- her voice."
The album featured the hit "Hold On" and vaulted the band onto the late-night talk show and major festival circuits. It also generated three Grammy nominations for the band, including one for best new artist.
"It's been a whirlwind." Fogg said. "We had to learn a lot in a short amount of time and learn to be flexible."
The band is currently working on a follow-up album, set for release in spring 2015.
Instead of quickly releasing a second album to capitalize on its surprise success, the band is taking a more measured approach. Fogg believes that has allowed the band to focus on producing a worthy follow-up instead of record sales.
"We know people are anticipating a new record," he said. "If we try to appease those people, we're going to lose in the end. We're taking a lot of time from the last record. If there was pressure, we never talked about it out loud. That little wave of pressure and excitement and the urgency to get a record out quickly and follow up on the success -- we've let that pass."
Fogg said the biggest hurdle has been how to package the new collection of songs. Some of them will be familiar to fans, while others are out of the band's R&B wheelhouse.
"Just yesterday, we were joking (that) we should release it as two albums or three EPs," he said. "The songs are in clusters. I think how we sequence the record will have a big effect on the overall theme and sound of the record."
Fogg said the band members are arriving a few days early in an attempt to get a full Alaska experience, but admitted some uncertainty about his first trip to the Last Frontier.
"My girlfriend and I are taking our daughter," he said. "I had a dream last night that we prepared for 60-degree weather and a blizzard came."
The weekend of entertainment at the Alaska Airlines Center continues Sunday with local music and arts festival Howlapalooza. The all-ages event is free and open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., featuring a pair of musical stages and a DJ booth. From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., the festival features the music of 36 Crazyfists, Thera, Turquoise Boy and other Alaska bands. Admission is $10 ($5 for UAA students).
Alabama Shakes
Alaska Airlines Center Grand Opening
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13
Where: Alaska Airlines Center, 3350 Providence Center Drive
How much: General admission, $49.50; UAA students, $28; alaskaairlinescenter.com
Opener: The Whipsaws