Those late-night sessions come across in Seratones' garage-rock instrumentals, powered by Haynes' controlled, soulful vocals. In the grainy music video for "Don't Need It," filmed unbeknown to the band at its first out-of-town gig in Arkansas, Seratones look straight out of a 1973 bayou juke joint. But their influences extend beyond their geographically singular origin. Vocally, Haynes came up singing in church, but she's also been blessed by genetics. "My mom was in a bossa-nova band in Japan before I was born, where she'd sing a lot of Barbra Streisand songs," she says."...first and foremost, I'm a storyteller, and all our songs are stories."
tweet this
After this latest string of tour dates, the band plans to take their swampish mix of influences and experiences into a Mississippi studio to record their first album. "I try to remember, first and foremost, I'm a storyteller, and all our songs are stories,” explains Haynes. “One song, 'Chokin' On Your Spit,' is a shit-talking song. 'Kingdom Come' is a retelling of a story from the Bible of King David and Bathsheba. It's from Bathsheba's perspective; King David was kind of a piece of shit." She laughs before catching herself. "I don't think the guys in my band know that. Now they will! They tune out halfway through the lyrics anyway.”
With the lighthearted
With St. Paul and the Broken Bones. 8 p.m. Saturday, December 5, at Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; 954-564-1074; cultureroom.net. Tickets cost $20 plus fees via ticketmaster.com.