Aaron Williams - Vocals, Guitars
Z - Vocals, Bass
Eric Shackelford - Vocals, Drums

Decades ago, before the first rock and roll idols turned music into a product, musicians played music the way cobblers mended shoes and carpenters built homes. It was a trade like any other job and men did it for work, for wage. Young men would pack their station wagons with gear and travel from city to city to play their songs. For these musicians, it was not only all they wanted to do but all they could do. They were not in search of fame or fortune. It was simply a life in music. Welcome to the world of Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo.

Aaron began his musical career at 17 years old as the lead guitarist for the Cadillac Joe Band. As part of this group, Aaron enjoyed the pleasure of opening for such renowned artists as Coco Montoya, Taj Mahal, Leon Russell, Canned Heat, Carey Bell, and Jimmy Thackery, who promptly dubbed Aaron “The Brat with the Strat” because of his prowess with guitar and his affinity for Fender guitars.

Eric Shackelford has played drums since the age of 11. Majoring in music and religion in college, Eric held the position of drum chair with the Iowa All-Star Jazz Band and had the pleasure of sharing the stage with jazz great Ignacio Berroa. Eric has pushed himself to play all styles of music, including adding New Orleans funk to his style, making him a great addition to a blues rock power trio like Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo.

Z has been playing bass for 12 years. Immediately prior to joining the Hoodoo, Z studied and performed classical guitar. Z’s various disciplines allow him to add yet another element to the blues/rock sound of Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo.

“It’s what we were meant to do, I have to get up every morning and play my music,” Williams says. “We load our own gear; we drive hours on end for one show. But if you want it, you have to be willing to bleed it.”

William’s drive is second nature. He is what some refer to in the business today as a “career” artist, a dedicated, straight-talking guy more interested in longevity than a hit single, in building a fan base than winning an award. Five years from now, you will not find him serving food or driving a taxi. He will be playing music. “I need to play music, I want a career in music and a ‘career’ is not five years, but 35.”

On their album, It Ain’t Easy, Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo follow in the footsteps of musical archetypes like Ronnie Earl, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, The Black Keys, Kenny Brown and R.L Burnside. These artists inspire them not just for their work, but for their approach to their art. They exist outside the traditional economic constraints of “success” and “failure,” and do their own thing on their own time. “They would all be playing music whether there was money in it or not,” says Williams. “All of them would be homeless rather than do something else. In my mind, you’re either a musician or you’re not.”

Zigzagging the Midwest and South, doing it the only way they know how, Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo spend most of their time, 180 nights a year on the road. They headline most of those dates, but have also played supporting slots for the Black Keys, Bernard Allison, Taj Mahal, among many others, as well as dates at some of the largest festivals like Summerfest and Bike Week in Daytona Beach, FL.

It Ain’t Easy, their first album, is a tour de force of authenticity, covering sounds from blues, rock and roots. It’s music the way it was meant to be played, with a music-is-my-life, let’s-hit-the-road attitude. “You can’t chase a record or an idea. You get to the real meaning, make it as good as you can make it and suffer the result.” Williams appreciates the simplicity of the approach. “If it moves you, then it’s done. If it’s perfect—but you’re still not moved—then you’ve still got work to do. Music is personal, what one person likes isn’t going to please everyone. We’re in a business that you have to just accept, bad or good and just go with It.”

“This record isn’t perfect by any means. From a pop radio perspective this album has no chance. But we weren’t trying to make a radio record; we kept it honest and to our hearts. That attitude became another member of the band in the studio. If that attitude was with us at all times, we knew we were doing something right.”

“Ray Charles is my favorite singer of all time. But he doesn’t sing about things no one else has sung. Muddy Waters borrowed from Robert Johnson. But what they have behind their words are genuine and sincere and for it to mean something is all that matters. As a songwriter and performer, that’s all I can do – be genuine and sincere in my songs and performances.”

Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo’s music is unwavering, filtering blues, soul, roots, and rock through a prism of emotional authenticity. What emerges isn’t a reinvention of the wheel, rather something undeniable, and the very definition of a force of nature. It’s real American music at its core and at its best.
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.