Alabama band rocks out Skynyrd-style for Jimmy Kimmel
The Red Clay Strays’ appearance Wednesday night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” might have been one of the Alabama band’s last shows of a busy year, but they didn’t look the least bit tired.
ABC aired one song from the show’s stage but it’s one of the most energetic tunes in the band’s catalog: “Ramblin,’” in which the group rips through an arrangement that sounds like a lost Lynyrd Skynyrd uptempo boogie. The show’s camera work provided plenty of spotlight moments, from Zach Rishel’s opening riff to plenty of slide work from Drew Nix to glimpses of drummer John Hall’s manic energy.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, the group looked back on a breakout year: “100% of our shows this year sold out, globally. This last show we had in Anaheim marked the end of our fall tour, and except for one more show in December, was the last show of the year. It’s been a grind, but you guys really make it all worth it. Thank y’all for another great tour.”
That December show is in Las Vegas on the 6th, and then the next stop listed on the Strays’ tour page is at the Mile 0 Festival in Key West in late January.
After the Kimmel appearance, the band posted some photos from the scene and said, “Luckily Andy didn’t tear any of his staples out while playing,” apparently a reference to some injury suffered by bassist Andrew Bishop, and “Thanks for having us, Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
The group releases a new album, “Live at the Ryman,” on Friday and has hinted strongly that an appearance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” is coming. Though the Strays are winding down 2024, 2025 already is looking like another big year: Dates include a nine-show swing through Canada in March that already is listed as sold out, as well as a May trip to Hawaii and Australia.
On July 3-4 The Red Clay Strays will headline a doubleheader at the Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach; general public ticket sales for those shows start at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. As of the middle of Thursday morning, Ticketmaster seating charts indicated that the July 3 show already was approaching a sellout and the July 4 show was approximately halfway to one, based on pre-sales.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” performance can be seen on YouTube, and the entire episode can be streamed on Hulu.