Despite being a self-proclaimed Alabama fan, guitarist Samuel Williams of The Weeks said exceptions can be made for Bo Jackson.
Members of The Plainsman staff recently had the opportunity to cover Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores. One of the acts interviewed at the fest was The Weeks, a Mississippi-born group that's now spreading roots in Nashville.
The band commemorated the all-star athlete by naming its most recent album "Dear Bo Jackson.
"He sort of did whatever he wanted to," Williams said of the Auburn legend.
The Weeks compared its musical style to Bo Jackson's freedom of transition between sports. Band members were impressed with the acceptance Jackson met when he made his move from professional baseball to professional football.
"Everybody thought he was a football player, and then he decided that he wanted to play baseball and everyone loved that he did that too," Williams said. "We get billed a lot as rock 'n' roll band, but I want to be able to play soul music when I want to."
And play soul the band did. The Weeks got the crowd moving like only a soulful band could with heavy bass lines and lyrics that inspired feelings of rebellion within the audience. Festival goers sang along to The Weeks' "The House We Grew Up In" as they shouted the lyrics, "Let the band play, you can't stop us, you can't stop us now."
These soul-inspired performances don't mean the band doesn't still resonate with a serious rock influence.
With their heavy percussion sound and rough and raw vocals, the band's performance was reminiscent of early Kings of Leon albums. The Week's music is emblematic of what southern rock has become, but like Bo Jackson, won't be confined.
The band is expected to make an appearance in Auburn, but no official date has been set.
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