Alamantra Live Band from Birmingham, AL

Alamantra is a musical and artistic phenomenon that represents the assimilation of over fifteen years of songwriting and performance. It has manifested, mostly in the area of Birmingham, Alabama, under various guises sometimes calling itself: Poor Richard's Almanack, Every Little Flower, ON, Professor Marvel, Grand Orient etc... Musical diversity is not confined to any one genre or style and neither is Alamantra. This musical experience has embraced: Old School Punk, Jazz, Alternative, Groove, Psychedelia, Progressive Rock and Folk all with equal enthusiasm. It has been seen as controversial as well as sublime. It is equally comfortable manifesting as musical improvisation and is currently being embodied in the live show as: Alamantra (Bobby Shiflett):Gtr, Vocals, Keyboards; Phoebus (Drew Reid): Bass, Vocals; Space the Final Frontier (Kenny Shiflett): Drums. In addition to this fairly consistant core, Alamantra features a host of other area musicians which guarantees a diverse listening experience for the musical enthusiast. Alamantra is primarily based on the songwriting of Bobby Shiflett, who first began his musical explorations at the age of thirteen when he 'discovered' The Beatles. His education included the formal study of classical guitar at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and then later at the University of Montevallo. He first began playing original music in the Birmingham local scene in 1983 in a band calling itself Subject II Change. In 1986, Bobby branched out on his own with his accomplice Kratos (Trace Nailen). They billed themselves as 'Poor Richard's Almanack' and played frequently opening for bands that were touring through town such as Throwing Muses. Over the years they underwent various name changes and found themselves in 1993 working under the name 'Every Little Flower,' which followed the trend established by the emerging 'alternative' market as illustrated by such bands as REM, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam. This was the first occasion for the current touring lineup to play together. In 1996, they dropped the five piece 'generic alternative' lineup and began playing as a three-piece power trio playing out under the name of 'ON' which was a name the ancients accorded the sun. This sound combined the angst of bands such as Nirvana with the raw freshness of the early 80's punk bands (Minutemen, X, Husker Du). However this was modified by an interest in the precision of bands like Rush and King Crimson, as well as the pop experimentation of Sonic Youth. Alamantra and Space extended beyond that format in 1998 with 'Professor Marvel', a five piece psychedelic/groove/jam band that expressed Bobby's interest in the psychedelic counterculture, best exemplified by bands such as Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic. The current ensemble is an amalgamation of these interests and features everything from the 3-piece power trio set to the six piece jam set. This assures freshness and a surprise for the listeners.