Often described as psychedelic hard rock, Atlanta's All the Saints has garnered a bit of attention in the past year, having played a slew of shows and have received formidable press mentions, including the UK's Guardian, where they were named new band of the day. Newly signed to the famed Chicago-based Touch and Go, the group recently left Atlanta for several out of town shows, including a showcase at the CMJ Music Marathon.

Singer and guitarist Matt Lambert, bassist Titus Brown and drummer Jim Crook moved to Atlanta from Alabama in 2004, bringing with them a sound that straddles genres and beckons comparisons to bands ranging from Nirvana to Spiritualized to Swervedriver to Radiohead. But  listeners who shake off those comparisons will find a rumble that  belongs just to All the Saints, one that is as much a driving metalesque force as it is spacey stoner rock.

Produced by Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, Gringo Star), their album "Fire On Corridor X" is available digitally now, and their next recording is slated for a May 2009 release through Touch and Go. All the Saints have a ton of upcoming shows, so check out their Myspace page. And read the interview with Lambert below!


Pine Magazine/Holly Lang: You were recently signed to Touch and Go. How'd that come about?

All the Saints/Matt Lambert:  We signed with them (touch and GO) a couple months ago, around September.  I believe being on Killer Pimp helped create enough attention to get our music into ears of the right people. Touch and go liked the record enough to send a couple of kind people to Atlanta to check us out. They watched us play a 20-minute set and then spent some time with us afterwards. Everything seemed to fall into place after that.

PM: What's your first release off Touch and Go?

ML: "Fire on Corridor X" was released digitally in September and the vinyl, along with the CD, outside of the USA will be available Nov ember 4.  Killer Pimp will maintain U.S. distribution. Our next album will be recorded for Touch & Go and should be out sometime around May.
 
PM: How do you think having a well-known label behind you will change the band's trajectory?

ML:  Touch and Go already has and will continue to get our music in front of more people than we could on our own. Things haven't really changed much in how we see ourselves progressing from here. Its all up to us. We still want to write great music and make the best records we can. Touch and Go will aid us but we still determine where we go from here.

PM: You've had some comparisons to certain English bands like Radiohead, Swervedriver, Pink Floyd and Oasis. Do you think that comparison is appropriate? Do you consider any of those bands an influence?

ML: We may smoke the same brand as those groups but, I wouldn't cite any of them as main influences.  But we draw from everything whether it's music, movies, books, media or whatever.  It all gets meshed together in the basement and comes out All the Saintsy.  It may remind you of a garbage disposal, but we're happy with the finished songs.  People will always hear different aspects of our music that may or may not mimic others' styles, but now everything reminds us all of something.  It's 2008; someone please show me uncharted territory in today's music.

PM: Do your Alabama roots play into your sound? I've read before that you were raised as a hardcore Christian. Do you ever think that sort of upbringing influences your style at all, if only as a polar reaction? Or does it not play a role at all?
 
ML:  I wouldn't say our religious upbringing influences our style, but a lot of our earlier songs reflected the Alabama life and the negatives of our religious upbringings.  But I'm kinda over it now.  I have been in Atlanta for almost five years.  People here seem far more interested in the "spiritual" way more than the "religious."  So I don't have the negative vibes toward that subject as I once did.

PM: What prompted the move to Atlanta?
 
ML:  Atlanta is the happening place in the Southeast. That's that.  For me it had more commotion and opportunity than anywhere in Alabama and was exponentially more artistic than where we were from.  Atlantans are far more open minded and way more likely to get take notice to three bumpkins that bang around on a couple of dingy notes.