The Grammy-winning gospel/R&B powerhouse drops his first album in seven years with a full-band performance at 3rd & Lindsley
Surrounded by Fame Studios royalty and inside walls that have absorbed so much seminal music in American culture, Mike Farris swung for the fence, making The Sound of Muscle Shoals, his ferocious first record in seven years. If you missed that mention in the headline, you can hear the fruits of his labor live Saturday night at 3rd & Lindsley.
The Sound of Muscle Shoals is a record so good that if anyone else wants to make the best Gospel Rock R&B Soul record of 2025, they must outdo Mike Farris first.
What seemed like a holding pattern in recent years turned out to be more of a rejuvenation, and maybe some rest and reflection were just what he needed. “It’s been a long, long journey from where we’ve been,” he sings on “Ease On,” the first single. That journey has indeed been a long one for a guy who, thirty years ago, wore ruts in the interstates as the dynamic frontman of The Screaming Cheetah Wheelies—until he spun out, pulled himself together, sharpened the needle on his spiritual compass, and re-emerged as one of the signature singers in a musical world that straddles the sacred and the secular without pandering to either side.
The Sound of Muscle Shoals demonstrates Farris’s broad appeal
“Heavy on the Humble” shows how, in one song, Farris can appeal to fans of the Staple Singers, the Allman Brothers, John Hiatt, Keb’ Mo, Otis Redding, Bob Seger, Aretha Franklin, the McCrary Sisters, and Eric Burdon—without sounding like he’s trying to be anything but himself. He chews up and spits out Tom Petty’s “Swingin’,” elevating it to a vocal stratosphere that Petty, a smart guy, never thought of attempting. He breathes fire into the Staples’ classic, “Slow Train.”
Initially, Farris imagined recording a track here and a track there at the deep Southern studios that birthed the music he embodies. That changed when he spoke with Rodney Hall (son of Muscle Shoals legend Rick Hall) at Fame Studios, and Rodney said, “Why don’t we do the whole record here?” No-brainer. “When can we start?” Mike asked. Rodney’s reply: “Is next Monday good?” God does work in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
Hall pulled together a powerhouse lineup—Clayton Ivey on keys, Justin Holder on drums, Jimbo Hart on bass, plus Will McFarlane, Kevin Holly, and Wes Sheffield on guitars. The result? The Sound of Muscle Shoals is so good that if anyone else wants to make the best Gospel Rock R&B Soul record of 2025, they must outdo Mike Farris first.
The Sound of Muscle Shoals is available on Vinyl & CD at mikefarrismerch.com
Mike Farris Full-Band Album Release Show
Saturday, March 8 | 8 p.m.
3rd & Lindsley
818 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37210
(615) 259-9891 | TICKETS
Mike Farris On Tour
(Tickets via bandsintown)
Sunday, March 16 | 7:30 p.m.
The Ludlow Garage
Cincinnati, OH
TICKETS
Monday, March 17 | 8 p.m.
Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Cleveland, OH
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Tuesday, March 18 | 8 p.m.
The Ark
Ann Arbor, MI
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Wednesday, March 19 | 7:30 p.m.
Evanston Space
Evanston, IL
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Friday, March 21 | 7 p.m.
Knuckleheads
Kansas City, MO
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Saturday, March 22 | 7:30 p.m.
City Winery
St. Louis, MO
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Sunday, March 23 | 7:30 p.m.
The Bur Oak
Madison, WI
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Monday, March 24 | 8 p.m.
Shank Hall
Milwaukee, WI
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Wednesday, March 26 | 8 p.m.
Zanzabar
Louisville, KY
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Friday, March 28 | 7 p.m.
Eddie’s Attic
Decatur, GA
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Friday, April 4 | 7 p.m.
Grand Ole Opry House
Nashville, TN
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Saturday, April 12 | 7 p.m.
Recovery Jam
The Refinery
Charleston, SC
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Friday, April 25 | 7:30 p.m.
Pure Life Studios
Lagrange, GA
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Saturday, April 26 | 7 p.m.
48 West Live
Wedowee, AL
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