For all those who caught a glimpse of the Seratones set at Together The People Festival this year, will understand the incredible power their music has to pull in a crowd. The band create a glorious rock’n’roll that is quite frankly mind blowing and an experience to savour. The big sound they bring will not only will get you moving uncontrollably but once over will leave you with withdrawal symptoms from there moreish rock’n’roll energy. We put some questions to AJ Haynes, majestic lead singer and all round show stopper, ahead of their UK tour to find out more about Seratones.

Where did you grow up?
I spent my childhood in Columbia, Louisiana. Last time I checked, the population was about 350 people or so. I’m glad I got to spend some time in rural Louisiana before moving to the bigger-ish city of Shreveport, Los Angeles to go to high school. I met the guys in my band in Shreveport, so things worked out.

Is there much of a music scene there?
In Shreveport, there is a small tight-knit arts community. As with any small scene, things happen in waves or seasons. Sometimes there’s a lot going on, sometimes not-so-much. I always think of the warmer seasons as the time when most community events are happening.

Does where you live in Shreveport has influenced your music?
Shreveport is a peculiar place that sits at the nexus of an array of musical influences. However, I think that more than anything, Shreveport kept us just bored enough to have to entertain ourselves. So we would (and still do) put on multimedia shows, thrash-n-trash punk shows, get weird, and make the fun we wanted to have. I suppose that’s why it seems intuitive to synthesize different sonic influences in a way that isn’t trite or forced.

What kind of music were you brought up on?
My mother sang bossa nova, we would dance to 1950s & 60s doo wop and R&B around the house, and I sang in a gospel choir on Wednesdays and Sundays. My great-grandmother also has a stellar record collection. I found some of my favourite Lightning Hopkins tunes in her record stacks.

Can you remember the first album you owned?
The first record I ever owned is the Live at Monterrey Pops Festival, a Jimi Hendrix/Otis Redding split. It was a gift from the same guy who also gave me my first guitar.

What was the first instrument you played?
I’d have to say that my voice is my first instrument. Growing up singing in church, we didn’t use a microphone during rehearsals and oftentimes not even during service. My director Gayle Roquemore would always tell me to try to hit the back wall of the church with my voice. She helped me discover what divine force one’s voice can be, a real instrument. From there, I fell in love with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald who shaped how I understand the human voice as an instrument.

What drives you to write music?
It’s what must be done. I have to express myself somehow. Also, deadlines. Deadlines give me a solid timeline and force me to take that expression and craft something to share with other folks.

Has your style of music stayed the same?
I’m not sure – listening back to old songs I’ve written, I think I’ve just refined my sense of melody and managed to keep the playfulness I discovered in my favourite songs and songwriters. I wish I could be as crafty as Cole Porter.

How were the Seratones formed?
We’ve all known each other for years. Connor, Jesse, and I started writing new material after some of our other projects had ridden out their half-life (no punk band or cover band should stay together for too long anyway). Adam moved back to Shreveport from Corvallis, Oregon to play bass.

Can you remember your first jam together?
We don’t jam.

Is there a story behind the name?
I brought the name “Ceratones” to the dudes. It was riff off the idea of a Mother Wax made to press records; “cera” meaning ‘wax’ in Spanish. Going with their better judgement, we changed the name to “Seratones” to have the ‘s’ on both ends. Also, we wouldn’t want people to think we named ourselves after Michael Cera. Although Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a killer movie.

How would you briefly describe your music ethos?
For Get Gone, our mantra was “first thought, best thought”, riffing off Allen Ginsberg’s idea of photographic poetics. We wanted to do our best to capture “lightening in a bottle,” as Jimbo Mathus our producer would say.

What are the bands main influences?
Caffeine, tequila, and camaraderie.

What inspires your lyrics?
A lot of lyrics from Get Gone were inspired by my fixation on how this notion of “the light” can take on many different meanings and nuances: women as “light bearers,” Hank Williams’ gospel refrain, the Promethean myth. I always image singing ‘Take It Easy’ on a beach as the sun descends with a nice bonfire between me and the object of my affection. I think of burning King David’s world down in ‘Kingdom Come’ for his violence against Bathsheba. Fire and light.

How do you approach the writing process?
A song wants what a song wants. It depends. I always write lyrics solitarily, but everything else with our writing process is quite malleable and has been mostly collaborative.

Do you prefer writing music or performing live?
I love the immediacy and instant gratification of performing live. You get immediate feedback from your audience and that satisfying exhale backstage after a good performance. I also love the craft of writing. We are literally just making things up. Tom Waits said it best, “Music is just really something interesting to be doing with the air.” It’s magic!

Have you been thinking about the next release?
No details yet, but we’ll keep ya posted.

What has been a musical eye-opener?
My first record had a profound impact on my understanding of the performer, the performance space, the spirit, and how important it is to tune into all three. You as the conduit have to navigate all three entities. Listening to Jimi and Otis do so with such finesse and soul really left a lasting impression on me.

If you could give a musical award of the year, what would it be for and for whom?
Solange – A Seat at the Table is beyond words.

What would be your perfect line-up of any three acts for a concert you are putting on and where would it be?
Boogarins, Nina Simone, and Fiona Apple on a beach in the Mediterranean.

If you could have made any album ever, which one would it be and why?
What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye. It’s one of the best records of all time! He was able to navigate the stark realities of post-Vietnam depression, existential dread, systemic inequality, and an infallible love for his fellow brothers and sisters.

What music are you listening to at the moment?
Kadja Bonet, Boogarins, Tom Brosseau, Tinariwen, Los Zafiros

Do you get to go to many gigs?
Soooooo many gigs. Really loved Caberet Vert! They sang Happy Birthday to Adam our bassist.

What has been your happiest memory with music?
Riding in Vantasia with my three best friends. We’ve had too many highs to count and I’m in the edge or ebb of an adrenaline wave most days. It doesn’t hit me until we’re en route to the next spot and I can reflect and say to myself, “Damn, I’m exactly who I want to be.”

What makes you happiest outside of playing music?
Travelling, coming home and making food for people I love, sunbathing, and playing with my dog Rudy.

What are your future plans till the end of the year and after?
Tour-tour-tour, write-write-write, catch up with family and friends, eat all the food, write-write-write. In that order. Stoked to play New Year’s Eve in New Orleans at the Orpheum!!!

Website: seratones.band
Facebook: facebook.com/seratonesofficial
Twitter: twitter.com/seratones