Alabama Shakes - You Ain't Alone

What this video is

This video was captured at the precise inflection point of Alabama Shakes' breakthrough: 2011, during their first tour as opening act for Drive-By Truckers, just as blogger Justin Gage's posting of 'You Ain't Alone' on Aquarium Drunkard triggered a wave of label interest overnight. The song appeared on the band's independently released four-song EP in September 2011. The video therefore functions as an accidental…

Why it matters

A foundational document of the 2010s Southern soul-rock revival. Alabama Shakes drew early comparisons to Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin, and critics speculated about Muscle Shoals lineage. This live-capture video preserves the raw, unmediated energy that drove that critical…

The director

Joshua Shoemaker is a Birmingham, Alabama-born filmmaker who studied photography at the University of Alabama Birmingham. He transitioned from still photography to video, becoming known for music-focused documentary work rooted in a love of live performance…