Red Clay Strays back home to close out fest May 6 at 7 p.m.

Red Clay Strays back home to close out fest May 6 at 7 p.m.

Reminiscent of the vibrant heyday of southern music, the Red Clay Strays are hitting their stride in advance of the release of their first full album The band will release Moment of Truth this month. A crowd-funding project, the album wasrecorded completely in analog, and the band cut every track live to translate the explosive chemistry from their live performances to recordings. The Moment of Truth album title reflects an introspective look at their journey from young musicians to a band that is about to explode.

By focusing on their fans, The Red Clays have continued to amass fervent supporters as well as much-deserved industry attention. Their origins can be found in the styles of classic country, rockabilly and gospel-fed soul, and, led by the unique sound of their rhythm section, they’ve mixed that together to create their own rock-and-roll style that is as distinctive as the
South Alabama red clay that produced their musical synchronicity.

Brandon Coleman (lead vocals/guitar), Drew Nix (vocals/electric guitar/harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass) and John Hall (drums) spent the five years growing their home base of fans by burning down every stage,
with a Coleman leading a high-energy, emotive stage presence as lively as their melodies are unique.

Besides their incredible takes on Elvis and a Who’s Who of Classic Country stars, the band from the start played their own songs like “Good Godly Woman,” “Doin’ Time,” and ballads like “Wondering Why” and “Heavy Heart. For The Red Clay Strays, music is simply a way of life. They eat, sleep, live, and breathe it and it is obvious that when they are on stage, they are fully motivated to make sure they leave no unanswered questions.

These five guys from Mobile could easily be country music’s next big thing, as they hone their sound and pay their dues in dives and small venues around the country, all the while wowing audiences. Formed in 2016 from the remnants of a band that included Coleman, Nix and Bishop, the band also includes Coleman’s brother Matthew as a songwriter. Influences stretch from Laurel Canyon to Muscle Shoals. And Lynryd Skynyrd, Jason Isbell, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings are also part of their roux.

The band just played the Tortuga Music Festival (headlined by Eric Church, Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain), and will have played multiple gigs in Central Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas before the Balloon Fest homecoming.

They leave Foley for Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee before playing the CMA Music Fest on June 8. And they then have multiple arena/amphitheater gigs opening for Dierks Bentley & Elle King, and Ashley McBride & Eric Church, and they will make their Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza debuts later this summer.