The Suffers – Bandwidth

First Listen: The Suffers, ‘The Suffers’

Bob Boilen — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 23:00:00 +0000

Just before The Suffers’ members begin performing, you’ll see 20 arms stretched in the air Superman-style, followed by 10 voices. The first counts off, 1 to 10, then shouts long and hard at full lung capacity. That’s just the warmup.

What you get from this Houston band is soul, straight from horn to heart. I’ve witnessed The Suffers’ magnificence on a tiny stage in a D.C. nightclub, on a big stage at the Newport Folk Festival, and behind my Tiny Desk. What happens on the band’s first album is something that rarely happens on debuts: This band is on fire when it’s in front of an audience, sure, but the intensity of its shows is also captured in the studio.

The Suffers’ sound is steeped in what the band calls “Gulf Coast Soul,” as well as elements of ska, Southern hip-hop, classic soul, rock ‘n’ roll and especially reggae. In fact, the group’s name comes from a line in a famous late-’70s reggae film called Rockers. What helps set The Suffers apart from most is the band’s sweet style of playing: No one is vying to show off, and everyone serves the song. It helps that singer Kam Franklin is at center stage — powerful and lovable and, like her band, careful not to overdo it. She seems to understand that there’s power in holding back or waiting for the perfect moment to let go. “Midtown” is a good example; the whole band at the end of “Better” is another.

There will be many new artists to discover in 2016, with lots of debuts. I suggest you start with The Suffers.

Photos: All Songs Considered Sweet 16 At 9:30 Club

Alex Schelldorf — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 15:22:07 +0000

Scenes from last night’s NPR-hosted All Songs Considered Sweet 16 party at 9:30 Club.

Bob Boilen gets things started

Glen Hansard

Sharon Van Etten

Kishi Bashi

Laura Gibson

The Suffers

Dan Deacon

Crowd during Dan Deacon’s set

Bob Boilen in the crowd

All photos by Alex Schelldorf

The Suffers: Tiny Desk Concert

Bob Boilen — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 14:03:39 +0000

The first time I saw 10-piece Houston big band The Suffers, it was at a small venue in Washington, D.C., called DC9. The club was barely big enough to contain all the horns, guitars and percussion, not to mention the undeniable force of the music.

At first, I couldn’t pull my attention away from irrepressible singer Kam Franklin, whose down-to-earth but uplifting presence put a huge smile on my face. But as The Suffers’ set progressed, I became increasingly enchanted with the band, which was part Archie Bell & The Drells and part James Brown, with a touch of New Orleans and even Jamaican reggae.

It was a perfect mix of power and delicacy, as the band held back at moments only to steamroll me when my guard was down. The group has only two EPs, with an album on the way, and trust me: 2016 will be The Suffers’ year. Look for the band on far bigger stages soon enough.

Make Some Room is available now. (iTunes) (Amazon)

Set List

“Giver”
“Midtown”
“Gwan”

Credits

Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Nick Michael, Julia Reihs; Production Assistant: Kate Drozynski; Photo by Julia Reihs/NPR

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