Staking their claim as the new heavyweights of rock & roll’s modern-day renaissance, the Tennessee quartet Naked Gypsy Queens have just released Georgiana, their debut EP, out now via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. Rooted in amplified blues, hard-charging grooves, and dual lead guitars, the band builds upon the larger-than-life sound of their heroes from the 1960s and ’70s, keeping the flame burning for old-school hard rock while using their own 21st century fuel.
“Georgiana is our first introduction into the world and it was important to us to recreate a raw live experience with this record,” commented drummer Landon Herring. “We feel these songs say everything you need to know about NGQ and we’re so excited to share them with the fans.”
Formed while all four members were still in high school, Naked Gypsy Queens built their audience the blue-collar way: by plugging in, turning up, and playing out. They cut their teeth on the classics — the Rolling Stones, MC5, the Allman Brothers, and Pink Floyd — and funneled those influences into their own songs, creating an original sound that was loud, aggressive, and filled with supersized hooks. After developing a loyal following in their hometown of Franklin, TN, they set their sights on Nashville, quickly becoming one of the city’s premiere rock acts before any of the bandmates had turned 20 years old.
“Our goal was to become the baddest live band around,” says frontman Chris Attigliato, who shares guitar duties with Cade Pickering. “We were loud. We were a band you had to see onstage. It started to become a cult thing, with lines forming around the block at some venues. We weren’t trying to achieve the highest number of digital streams; we were just doing what we wanted to do, and making the music we wanted to make. As it turned out, we were pushing some buttons, too.”
With Georgiana, the band confidently steps into the international spotlight. These songs mix southern-fried swagger, electrified stomp, and sharp songwriting into five unique anthems, showcasing the chemistry between Attigliato, Pickering, bassist Bo Howard, and drummer Landon Herring. “Georgiana,” released earlier this year, is a barn-burning anthem punctuated by slide guitar and thundering drums. Rounded out by the dynamic power ballad, “If Your Name is New York (Then Mine’s Amsterdam),” the riff-based single “Down to the Devil,” and the thumping “Strawberry Blonde #24,” Georgiana shows the full range of Naked Gypsy Queens’ reach. It’s a snapshot of a band on the rise.
“We’ve got an older sound, mixed with something new,” says Howard, who remembers stumbling across Attigliato and Herring in the basement of the boys’ Tennessee high school, bashing their way through Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” with beyond-their-years skill. “From the first time I met these guys, I knew I had to play with them. I knew we could make music that drew in other people our age, while still appealing to those who grew up with this kind of music.”
Watch the visualizer for the latest single “Wolves,” a guitar-driven blast of minor-key bombast.
With a sound that reaches across generations, Naked Gypsy Queens bridge the divide between the genre’s past and future, creating timeless rock & roll for the modern world. Led not only by Chris’ soulful howl, but also the sonic punch of a taught rhythm section and the interlocked riffs of two lead guitarists, Naked Gypsy Queens are royalty in the making.
Georgiana is available in LP and digital formats. The digital version includes a live bonus performance of the title track.
