Electric Attitude

Artist Information

Biography

2011 & 2012 Houston Press Music Award Winner - "Best Soul/Funk/R&B"

Houston-based singer Blake Shepard, bassist Kwesi Sackey, and guitarist Jordan Bell formed Electric Attitude in the summer of 2007 to take their individual influences in the genres of rock, blues, funk and soul, and fuse them into a modern sound for crowds to stop standing with their hands in their pockets, and grab somebody and dance. With a new drummer manning the skins, and the addition of James Murphy on the saxophone, Electric Attitude turned a lot of heads at SXSW 2010, playing 6 shows in 2 days and leaving sweaty dance floors in their wake. Summer 2010 saw EA hit the Midwest on their 12-date “Breakdown and Shake Tour” in support of 2009's EP "Laser Laser Laser Beams", and since then the party hasn't stopped. Next up was an opening slot for Semi Precious Weapons (fresh off a sold-out tour with Lady Gaga), and the winter months saw the band sharing the stage with such diverse National/International acts as Bonobo and Dengue Fever. 2011 proved to be a year of milestones for Electric Attitude, starting with playing to a packed house as the opener for 100 Monkeys on the Main Stage of House of Blues - Houston, as well as taking home the trophy for "Best Soul/Funk/R&B" in the Houston Press Music Awards. EA kept the momentum rolling into 2012, adding a full horn section to the mix and taking home another Houston Press Music Award. Experimenting with various effects pedals and electronic instruments, Electric Attitude has taken their new sound into the studio, as tracking for the new album is in the works at The Womb in Austin, TX. Make sure to look out for the LP, Skintight & Solid Gold, slated to hit the streets in Spring of 2013.

National acts EA has opened for:

Dam Funk
The Pharcyde
Dengue Fever
Semi Precious Weapons
The Knux
Bonobo
100 Monkeys
Octopus Project
The Bright Light Social Hour
Quiet Company
Ume
Girl In a Coma
Thavius Beck
Daniel Johnston
Yppah
Warpaint
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk

Instrumentation

Blake Shepard - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Jordan Bell - Lead Guitar
Kwesi Sackey - Bass Guitar, Background / Additional Vocals
Michael Hatter - Drums, Percussion
James Murphy - Saxophone, EWI (Electronic Woodwind Instrument)
Stephen Forse - Trumpet
Matthew Hartnett - Trombone

Discography

Electric Attitude - "Skintight & Solid Gold" LP (Upcoming Release: Spring 2013)
1. Godzilla
2. No One Else
3. Manic
4. Close Encounter (Interlude)
5. Nightlife
6. Don't Walk Away
7. Hit & Run
8. Trouble
9. Slink Panther (Interlude)
10. Fierce
11. On My Mind

Electric Attitude - "Laser Laser Laser Beams" EP (Release Date: May 29, 2009)
1. Ways & Means
2. Shot on the Dance Floor
3. City's Gonna Get You, Sucka!
4. Pistolwhip
5. Hooker Red Lipstick
6. Robot Girl

Electric Attitude - Demo (2008)
1. Honey
2. Shot on the Dance Floor
3. Party
4. Rainbow Jackson
5. Fever

"Godzilla" 90.1 KPFT
"No One Else" 90.1 KPFT
"Nightlife" 90.1 KPFT
"City's Gonna Get You, Sucka!" 91.7 KTRU
"Pistolwhip" 91.7 KTRU
"Ways & Means" 91.7 KTRU
"Robot Girl" 91.7 KTRU
"Shot On The Dance Floor" - 91.7 KTRU, 90.1 KPFT
"Rainbow Jackson" - 91.7 KTRU, 101.1 KSFR

Official Website

http://www.electricattitude.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter

Audio

• Track 2
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• Track 1
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• Track 5
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• Track 3
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• Track 6
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Lyrics

• Pistolwhip
• City's Gonna Get You Sucka!
• Robot Girl
• Black Heart
• Hooker-Red Lipstick
• Ways and Means
• Rainbow Jackson

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Houston Press Music Awards Showcase: The 12 Best Artists of 2012 [+ Show ]
  

  Not only did Electric Attitude sound great, but their lead singer Blake Shepard, had a great deal of...Not only did Electric Attitude sound great, but their lead singer Blake Shepard, had a great deal of charisma and stage presence. You could not take your eyes off him. If he keeps up the good work, I think the band will go far.
  One of the other highlights was bass player/singer Kwesi Sackey's near-falsetto voice. To me, it really stood out (but in a good way). Bottom line: Electric Attitude has attitude.

• Meet the 2012 HPMA Showcase Nominees: Electric Attitude [+ Show ]
  

  Rocks Off: When and where was your first gig in Houston, and how did it go? Electric Attitude: We...Rocks Off: When and where was your first gig in Houston, and how did it go?
  
  Electric Attitude: We played our first gig to a packed house at AvantGarden back in 2007. We were a trio back then, but we ended up being a two-piece that night because our drummer took a bad hit of acid the night before and refused to leave his apartment. Needless to say we now have a much more reliable drummer in Michael, and we are proud of his individual HPMA nomination.
  
  RO: What Houston-area venues do you play most often?
  
  EA: Over the last year we've been lucky enough to play the House of Blues on a regular basis. Whether it be opening for a national act on the main stage, or playing with regional and local bands in the Bronze Peacock Room, it's always a party. We're actually really excited to play there again on the Crossroads Stage for the showcase.
  
  Other spots we frequent are Fitzgerald's, Rudyard's, and The Studio at Warehouse Live. The beauty of playing these venues is that we've had the opportunity to share the stage with such diverse acts ranging from The Pharcyde and 100 Monkeys to The Octopus Project and Bonobo. Gotta love Houston.
  
  
  RO: How often do you play in the area?
  
  EA: It depends, but we usually play two or three times per month.
  
  RO: Describe your sound in eight words or less.
  
  EA: Funk-rock with elements of soul and disco.
  
  
  RO: How did you come up with your name?
  
  EA: One of the first songs our lead singer ever wrote was about a girl at a party who "moves into the room with an electric attitude." The lyric always stuck with us and we felt it pretty much described our sound, so we went with it.
  
  RO: Where would you like yourself or your band to be in one year? Ten years? Forty?
  
  EA: One year: On the road touring in support of our upcoming LP, Skintight & Solid Gold. Look for its release this winter. Ten Years: Taking our show around the world, cracking jokes on each other and still making music. Hopefully we'll have a few albums under our belt and be successful enough in our artistic endeavors to comfortably provide for our families.
  
  Forty Years: Alive!
  
  
  RO: What is one thing you'd like to do (as a musician) before you pack it in?
  
  EA: We would like to curate an "All Tomorrow's Parties" event. Handpicking our favorite bands to play a festival alongside us would be amazing.

• HPMA 2012 Showcase Preview [+ Show ]
  

  Reigning HPMA Soul/Funk/R&B winner ­Electric Attitude took last year's trophy with a combination of ...Reigning HPMA Soul/Funk/R&B winner ­Electric Attitude took last year's trophy with a combination of hard-rock drive and pure sex groovitude. Now they're trying again. Blake Shepard's voice is destined to accompany many future orgasms, but Best Drummer nominee Michael Hatter never misses the opportunity to swagger a song along at a slinky pace. JEF WITH ONE F
  

• Loopster Live: The Knux w/ Jordy Towers and Electric Attitude at Fitzgerald’s [+ Show ]
  

  Fitz teemed with the onstage energy from the get go with Houston’s Electric Attitude starting off th...Fitz teemed with the onstage energy from the get go with Houston’s Electric Attitude starting off the night. The funk band took over the stage at 9:30 and eventually took over the rest of the room. Blake Shephard, couldn’t handle the confined space allotted to the five-man band and jumped into the crowd, Budweiser in one hand, the microphone in the other, in a fit of dancing that would have made Thom Yorke jealous. With solid guitar play and a healthy dose of sax, Electric Attitude played a number of new songs during their set. And, no, I didn’t know that until I overheard one fan congratulate the band after the show. That’s a mistake that I won’t make again. Their attitude did more than enough to ensure my paying attention to any future shows that they may have around town.
  

• Seveneightfive.com CD Review / Tour Preview (7/4/10) [+ Show ]
  

  Rocketing out over the Midwest from their home port in Space City U.S.A., coming to make us all beli...Rocketing out over the Midwest from their home port in Space City U.S.A., coming to make us all believers in the power of sweaty, groovy, funked up space-age rock and soul music, Houston’s Electric Attitude is heading for a stage near you!
  Touring this summer to support their six song EP, “Laser Laser Laser Beams,” and wielding a sound that’s like nothing you’ve ever heard, and at the same time everything you have, utilizing influences of soul, blues, classic and modern rock. Electric Attitude has forged a style of music that is uniquely their own. Music that will force you to get up off your butt . . . and move it!
  First song up, “Ways and Means,” sets the tone for the rest of the CD, coming on like a James Brown tune that’s been flung through time and space. Singer Blake Shepard wants his woman to not “get him wrong,” if he “comes on too strong.” With a captivating beat, guaranteed to move your feet, this song will quickly fill up any dance floor.
  “Shot On The Dance Floor” starts off with a White Stripes-ish guitar riff that threatens to destroy everything in its path. Guitarist Jordan Bell turns up the distortion pedal while Blake sings furiously about the victim of a shooting. Based on an incident that occurred in a Houston dance club. SOTDF is a perfect example of how EA can, both sonically and lyrically, voice the emotions of an angry, frustrated witness to a senseless tragedy and at the same time be singing an undeniable love song.
  “City’s Gonna Get You Sucka!” with a funky bass, and wah-wah effected guitar, both sounding like they could have been lifted from the movie “Superfly,” this track tells the story of a young girl who moves to the big city and immediately begins making all the wrong choices for herself. Bassist Kwesi Sackey takes a rare turn at the mike to deliver a sexy soulful monologue, letting her know that he is the guy her mama warned her about! Jordan says that when EA write songs, they aren’t “necessarily trying to write a 70s funk song,” although wanting to keep some “elements of that, but always make sure it has other modern elements that we love.” I believe they’ve succeeded on both counts in this tune.
  “Pistolwhip” begins with a phased out bass riff battling it out with a flanged out guitar riff and the winner is . . . too close to tell! And, even though you have to sweat it out through two verses, two pre-choruses and an instrumental break, you’re rewarded with one of the catchiest choruses on the record, and you’ll sing along, like I do, as Blake shouts, “You want it, you want it, you want it, yea you know,” like he’s being, well, pistol whipped.
  Having the distinction of being the song the CD title is extracted from, “Hooker Red Lipstick” has a cool groove as it tells the story of a dance club seductress who’s “moving like a whirled wind,” through the, “jet stream-laser beams,” a world of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Never stopping to consider “time is skipping like a stone,” she uses and abuses anyone who gets in her path.
  “SEX!” Shouts Blake, at the beginning of the final song, “Robot Girl,” and after a few listens, you might think, yep, that’s what it’s about. Especially when he tells us how she was “talking nasty,” when she got him, “drunk on wine,” adding lasciviously, “Robot Girl, I want your bones!”
  But, Blake wants you to understand, that it’s more like, “you want something from this girl that she might not actually have, it’s kind of like the fun play on a robot having bones or a girl having a heart [laughing], when she may not be as human as you think she is [laughing louder].” With its distorted Ramones-y guitar rhythm this song flat out rocks!!
  From their bio: “Singer Blake Shepard, bassist Kwesi Sackey and guitarist Jordan Bell formed Electric Attitude in the summer of 2008 to take their individual influences in the genres of rock, blues, funk and soul and fuse them into a modern sound for crowds to stop standing with their hands in their pockets and grab somebody and dance. With new drummer, Joe Ramirez, manning the skins and recent addition James Murphy on the saxophone, Electric Attitude turned heads at SXSW 2010, playing 6 shows in 2 days and leaving sweaty dance floors in their wake.”
  All in all, the CD, “Laser Laser Laser Beams” contains a half dozen very well-crafted songs that just get better and better after repeated listening. With the band collaborating on all six tracks, and drawing from their individual influences, you’ll hear snatches of the Stones, Mars Volta, Curtis Mayfield, LCD Soundsystem, White Stripes and INXS. Bassist Kwesi Sackey adds, “We all come from a different background, kind of use everything and melt it all together and create our own sound.”
  
  photo by jimmyE photography
  Electric Attitude have created an album of funkilicious rock songs that are fun to listen and dance to; with it’s enigmatic lyrics at times reminiscent of Bob Dylan…after a three day ecstasy binge… they engage the grey matter as well. The CD can be purchased at the band’s website www.electricattitude.com and on iTunes.
  Electric Attitude’s “Breakdown and Shake Tour,” splashes down in Topeka, Sunday July 11 at the Boobie Trap. Come experience an up and coming “band dedicated to making music that moves your body!” With local bands Atomic Blues and Dead Sevens opening, this promises to be the perfect evening to dance away those summertime blues.

• Space City Rock: Tour Kick-Off Preview (7/8/10) [+ Show ]
  

  [Electric Attitude] will be headlining, I believe, playing that funky-smooth dance-rock thing they d...[Electric Attitude] will be headlining, I believe, playing that funky-smooth dance-rock thing they do that’s like this bizarro cross between the Rolling Stones and Sly and the Family Stone (and, for you modernists, a little bit like The Faint or a funkier Killers at points), and they’re joined by fellow cool-ass bands The Live Lights and Come See My Dead Person.

• Live Review: Walter's 4/29/10 [+ Show ]
  

  Electric Attitude went on after Benjamin Wesley and even besides their musical ability I must say, I...Electric Attitude went on after Benjamin Wesley and even besides their musical ability I must say, I was impressed with their presence. Their band was a traditional four piece outfit but with the addition of a sax player. I’ve never seen a group of men whip the women at a show into such a frenzy. Basically every girl was dancing vigorously to the music. Blake, the lead vocalist, described his music to me as “Rolling Stone with some funk, blues, and jazz with a little bit of James Brown throw in” and after watching their set I’d say it’s a pretty accurate description. Blake’s vocals were some good, old-fashioned, blue-eyed soul, something that’s pretty rarely seen nowadays.

• Houston Press Review of "Laser Laser Laser Beams" EP: Summer Shots (8/4/09) [+ Show ]
  

  Electric Attitude, Laser Laser Laser Beams EP: Electric Attitude may hail from Houston, but there's ...Electric Attitude, Laser Laser Laser Beams EP: Electric Attitude may hail from Houston, but there's some serious Detroit mojo running through the quartet's veins — the Detroit of the White Stripes and Electric Six, not Iggy and the MC5. Cross-breeding Blake Shepard's lusty, high-pitched yowl and sprawling guitar with thumpingly precise rhythms — the band's MySpace page credits a drum machine, the EP jacket live human being Adam Gilleland; it could be either one — "City's Gonna Get You, Sucka!" and "Pistolwhip" stop off at Little Steven's Underground Garage on their way to the dance floor. Potent stuff.
  
  

• SCR Review of "Shot on the Dance Floor" (9/11/09) [+ Show ]
  

  "Shot on the Dance Floor" comes off like the Black Keys gone disco or the Black Crowes gone Eurotra... "Shot on the Dance Floor" comes off like the Black Keys gone disco or the Black Crowes gone Eurotrash, with Kwesi Sackey's thundering bass and Adam Gilleland's stomping drums shoving the whole thing forward like an out-of-control tour bus while Jordan Bell's guitars roar and rumble and Blake Shepard yelps and croons. It's distorted and bluesy, and it's got me stepping backwards for repeated listens.

• Preview: Laser Laser Laser Beams EP Release Party [+ Show ]
  

  When it comes to funk, I am usually the wrong person to ask. But I've shared bills with Electric Att...When it comes to funk, I am usually the wrong person to ask. But I've shared bills with Electric Attitude on more than one occasion and have witnessed first hand the frenzy that they can work a crowd into. There is a big audience for these party jams, and salacious entreaties to young ladies (possibly in the audience?) for an after hours good time. Blake Shepard is a dynamic frontman, and if you throw in a huge heap of funky wah-wah grooves then what he's got you're gonna get it put it in you (yes. that was a RHCP reference).
  
  Shepard often approaches that Jack White yelp in his vocalization, but flips things around a bit with the "Take Me Out" style riffage that blasts off into some kind of cosmic funk laser solo...which I think might be the point...to be the first party band in space. Make that the first human party band in space as I believe there's interest from Max Rebo to scoop these guys up to open for them on their intergalactic reunion tour.
  
  My favorite track is "Pistolwhip", it's got a killer (Killers? haha) hook and it's a shoe-in for Electric Attitude to win the talent show at Galaxy High. All-in-all [Laser Laser Laser Beams] is NOT your father's Solar Samba Rumba, what with the binge drinking enabling robots and laser beams flying on the dance floor, but there's no need to fear the Sarlacc, there's only need to dance.
  

• URB Magazine Review of 'Shot on the Dance Floor" [+ Show ]
  

  Houston rock four-piece Electric Attitude possesses one of the most apt band names in recent memory....Houston rock four-piece Electric Attitude possesses one of the most apt band names in recent memory. Their abrasive yet danceable blues-inflected style is built upon a foundation of pure rock n’ roll attitude, each element of the music growling defiantly at its listeners as if to dare them to ignore the band. Singer Blake Shepard writhes and struts his way through the funky jungle inhabited by his bandmates, who add a great sense of danger to the proceedings with their spiky riffs and stomping rhythms. “Shot on the Dance Floor,” a libidinous romp laden with deep-fried guitar hooks, will leave you no choice but to give Electric Attitude’s music a shot – where else but the dance floor.
  
  

• Live Review: Warehouse Live w/ Octopus Project (8/29/08) [+ Show ]
  

  Leading the musical charge were locals Electric Attitude... The band warmed up the show's early-bird...Leading the musical charge were locals Electric Attitude... The band warmed up the show's early-birds with a short set of energetic rock songs in which Blake Shepard's nasally (in a good way) howl and guitarist Jordan Bell's lead lines seemed the intended focal points. The band's true attention-grabbing quality, however, was Kwesi Sackey's wah-saturated bass, which added an interesting funk vibe to Electric Attitude's songs... And as any band with even a hint of funkiness should do, they dedicated the last song of their set to the late Isaac Hayes.

• Texas Heat Music Fest: Top Picks [+ Show ]
  

  Full-on glammy, funky rock 'n' roll featuring singer Blake Shepard's untamed, sexed-up howl. Songs a...Full-on glammy, funky rock 'n' roll featuring singer Blake Shepard's untamed, sexed-up howl. Songs about sex and sex and dancing.
  

• SXSW 2008 Wrap-Up Part II [+ Show ]
  

  After my pals — who didn’t have wristbands or badges — were told they couldn’t get into the R.E.M. s...After my pals — who didn’t have wristbands or badges — were told they couldn’t get into the R.E.M. show at Stubb’s Bar-B-Que, we decided to go to Headhunters across the street. I’d stumbled into this joint the night before and appreciated the tiki decor and biker/punk vibe. This band, from Houston, was an energetic bunch. Singer Blake Shepard is young but a born showman, and he romped through his Stooge-y punk-boogie tunes.

• Weekend Picks [+ Show ]
  

  I've seen Electric Attitude, and they won me over -- funky and retro-sounding, but nowhere near pret...I've seen Electric Attitude, and they won me over -- funky and retro-sounding, but nowhere near pretentious. Damn.
  

• Space City Rock Blog (12/31/08)
  

  Electric Attitude are pretty dang cool...get-down, Stones-ish swagger!

Setlist

SETLIST (1 hour set)

Dr. Midnight
Ways & Means
Pistolwhip
Manic
Boat Shack
Love is Gone
Hooker Red Lipstick
City’s Gonna Get You, Sucka!
On My Mind
Nightlife
Honey
Robot Girl
Black Heart
-------------------------
SONGS

-Honey
-Shot on the Dance Floor
-Party
-Rainbow Jackson
-Fever
-Hooker Red Lipstick
-Black Heart
-Billy-Jack and the Fight of the Swordfish
-What It Is
-Live Without It
-Forever Didn’t Take That Long
-Devil Does the Disko
-Love is Gone
-Hotter Than My Girlfriend
-City’s Gonna Get You, Sucka!
-Robot Girl
-Pistolwhip
-Corner Store
-Ways and Means
-New #1
-New #2
-Broken English
-The MJ
-Dr. Midnight
-Boat Shack

Basic Requirements

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