Alabama Shakes is not a newcomer to the spotlight, but the rock band's first spot as Saturday Night Live's musical guest still has people talking.
The group was nominated recently for three Grammy awards, including best new artist, best rock performance and best recording package, but fell short in all categories losing out to Fun., the Black Keys and Bjork. While losing to the Black Keys is any category is no disgrace—the band led all artists with four grammy wins in 2013—Brittany Howard and the Shakes showed plenty of conviction in their moving performance with Elton John, Mavis Staples and the Zac Brown Band during their Grammy moment on stage. As if that wasn't enough, the group then headed to New York for a spot on the famed late night comedy show on Saturday and have blown away fans and new listeners, alike.
The band's first album, Boys & Girls, won plenty of praise from critics, but after their recent showings, it's still pretty shocking that they didn't come home victorious in at least one of their Grammy nominations. Howard's explosive and captivating vocals seem to be made for live shows, and the band excels in them, even in comparison to their fantastic record.
As the musical guest, the Shakes played their songs, "Hold On," an album hitm and "Always Alright," in which Howard got the chance to rock out on her Gibson guitar. Coupled with host Christoph Waltz, who starred in Quentin Tarantino's recent success "Django Unchained," the show was one of the most memorable recent episodes.
The group isn't quite done riding the wave of their recent electrifying performances, either. You can catch them on tour starting in March when they head out for shows on the West Coast and down South.
Want to know what all the buzz is about? Check out the videos of the Alabama Shakes' recent performances on Saturday Night Live below!