The Red Clay Strays Made by These Moments Album Release Show

Those in search of songs to fuel life’s soundtrack – the highs, the lows and the rest – need to drop a needle on Made by These Moments, the new album from fast-ris-
ing Alabama band The Red Clay Strays. Cut by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb, the 11-song Made by These Moments chronicles love worth searching for, knock-down fights with self-prescribed demons and a hard-earned faith found
by the end of each day. “There is a message of going down and being in low spots of life and finding your way out of it,” singer-guitarist Brandon Coleman said about
Made by These Moments, “climbing back to the top and realizing that you’re alright. It has a message of pre- serving and getting through something and coming out
having hope.” Hailing from Mobile, Alabama, The Red Clay Strays – Coleman, Drew Nix (guitar and vocals), Zach Rishel (guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass) and John Hall (drums)– straddle fiery Southern rock riffs, tender-hearted soul mu-
sic and tried-and-true country crooning. The success of Moment of Truth – including breakout single “Wondering Why” – led to the Strays inking a deal with RCA Records and enlisting Cobb to produce Made by These Moments. The band and Cobb, who’s recorded Brandi Carlile and Chris Stapleton, among others, cut the album at the producer’s home studio in Savannah, Georgia,largely tracking live in Cobb’s living room.“The whole thing was incredible,” Hall said. “It was a dream come true. We used to sit around and talk about, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if [we recorded with Cobb]?’ and then, boom, we’re in
there.” From start-to-finish Made by These Moments showcases the band’s jukebox-like abil- ity to jump between high-fly- ing rock like the speak- er-scorching “Ramblin’” to soul-inspired songwriting like the myth-making groove on “No One Else Like Me” and roof-rattling gospel-roots, such as the timeless “On My Knees.” But no song may grab attention on first listen like “Wanna Be Loved,” a soft-touch ballad where Coleman delivers a familiar tale in his warming voice. He sings, “Can you tell me I’m worthy, or important? Am I working hard enough? I just wanna be
loved.” “I feel like everybody can relate to it,” Coleman said. “Everybody’s just wanting to be accepted. Wanting to be heard. Wanting to be loved. I’m hoping people hear it and relate to it in that way. When the music connects to people
and relates to it, that’s when you make a difference.” And the album digs into life’s dark members with songs like “Drowning” – a balladeering plea for help – and “Devil In My Ear,” a number that finds the narrator wrestling with demons like depression, anxiety and self- doubt, to name a few. “It’s important for us
to shine a light, because you don’t need to go there,” Nix said about the song, “because there’s somebody out here who does love you.”