What do you call a band that plays country/acid house/blues and looks like they just stepped out of some sort of electric dream? Well, Alabama 3 of course. In America they have to go by the name of A3 to avoid confusion with that mainstream country band, Alabama.

Alabama 3 are as far away from Nashville, or Alabama, as you can get. Originally they were a small unit with the founders, The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love and Larry Love, and not the sprawling unit they are today.

Orlando Harrison, their keyboard player, caught up with me as he recovered from a hazy night of rock and roll somewhere in England. I quizzed him gently on the formation of Alabama 3.

“I had quite a rough night last night so don’t ask me anything too complicated, because I only have half a brain at the moment. The two founding members as they are Dwayne, our preacher and teacher, and Larry Love. They met in Brixton around about the time they were both in distressed states related to certain kinds of activities and substances. I can’t be too explicit about that one. I am sure you understand and your readers are mature adults. They went off on a little holiday in Italy and they lived in the squats over there.

“Now these squats are really organised and well set-up. They have gigs and parties and lots of young people mucking in together. So one night they were DJing together and a conversation commenced. The conversation turned to music. Both of them having imbibed in certain substances, they began singing Hank Williams songs over this techno record. Now this sounds like a terrible idea, but somehow in their weird twisted state it worked. That was when the idea of Alabama 3 was born.”

Alabama 3 continued to play at parties and they were not really given much of a listen by the serious music press. Eventually, though, they were picked up by a record company. Their psychedelic driven output caught the ear of someone and they released their debut in 1997 entitled Exile On Cold Harbour Lane.

“The band was originally a three-piece and they played at parties and the like. Then they got signed to a record deal. At that point they thought, blimey, we better get a band together quick. That was about a few hundred years ago,” Orlando laughs.

With songs like Ain’t Goin To Goa, Hello…I’m Johnny Cash and Woke Up This Morning (which features in the credit sequence of The Sopranos series), Alabama 3 are certainly ear-catching. You know the song, but just not done in that style. This congregation of misfits and party animals has been praised as one of the best live acts around.

As Orlando put it, “You are going to get uplifted. You are going to get raised to a higher level of consciousness. You are going to feel emotions that you didn’t even know that you could feel or that you have a name for. We’re going to blow your heads off; you are going to love it, simply going to love it.”

With band members with names like Mountain Of Love, Rock Freebase, LB Dope and The Spirit Of Love, you know that your brain cells are going to be messed with.

Alabama 3 play the following venues this month.

Thursday April 9 – The Basement, Sydney [four-piece show]
Friday April 10-Sun 12 – East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Byron Bay
Monday April 13 – The Metro Theatre, Sydney
Tuesday April 14 – The Toff in Town, Melbourne [four-piece show]
Wednesday April 15 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Saturday April 18 – West Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Fremantle