Alabama Power’s musical employees band together
Christian Gann belts out a tune with Road Trip Jones. The Alabama Power employee has three musical acts that play clubs around the region. (Ted Tucker/Alabama NewsCenter)
Alabama Power workers have many talents. Some of them involve electricity — the kind you plug into guitars.
Employees can be found on stages across the state, rocking out, crooning country tunes or singing the blues. Some are in bands and others go solo.
What they all share is a passion for music and a commitment to excellence.
We caught up with a few of these musicians on a 48-hour road trip that spanned five cities and two states. Here’s a taste.
Zarinah & the Zaratans on the Alabama music scene from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Thursday, March 3, @ Los Reyes Grill, Jasper
Downtown Jasper at dusk appears nearly deserted. But every table is filled at this brightly lit Mexican restaurant.
A young-looking crowd is there to hear Alabama Power’s Christian Gann and Adam Stacks. By day, Gann is a Jasper distribution specialist and Stacks is a Patton Chapel Power Delivery lineman. By night they turn into a close-harmony guitar duo.
“They’re awesome,” said Carlos Pedraza, co-owner of Los Reyes. “They’re well-known and well-respected. You can tell by the crowd they bring in.”
Gann and Stacks play an eclectic set including “Take it Easy” by the Eagles and “Man of Constant Sorrow.” A feisty rendition of Alabama’s “Mountain Music” has hands clapping and feet stomping. Prince’s “Kiss” elicits smiles from the females. They even country-fry Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.”
“Adam can play pretty much anything,” said Mark Stacks, Adam’s father and Gann’s distribution manager. “I bought him a set of drums to begin with, and then he moved to the bass guitar. He came up in the church and played in a Christian band.”
As Gann sings lead and Stacks churns out guitar solos, their natural chemistry shines.
“That was a treat for me,” said Mark, smiling. “First time I’d seen them play together.”
Friday, March 4, @ Pub 261, Pelham
The man checking IDs outside the club who looks like he should be nicknamed “Tiny” lets us in the door as Crossroads Junction takes the stage.
The group features, once again, Christian Gann, joined by another Alabama Power employee, Michael J. Reid.
“I started playing when I was 13,” said Reid, a database administrator at Corporate Headquarters. “Back in the ’80s, I toured the country, spending about three years on the road living the rock’n’roll lifestyle. Then I got smart, came home and got a real job. Thank you, Southern Company!”
Gann explained how he got his start.
“I had a wonderful music director in church who really pushed me,” he said. “I fought it at first, but he kept pushing me and encouraging me. And what pushes me now is to express myself.”
The band has no trouble expressing itself in this honky-tonk atmosphere. The audience sings and dances to old favorites like Hank Williams Jr.’s “Family Tradition,” Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” (side note: Folsom was the first prison in the U.S. to use electricity).
“We’ve all been playing for a really long time, and we just get up there and wing it sometimes,” said Reid, the band’s bassist.
“Alabama Power stresses teamwork, and that’s exactly what it takes here,” added Gann. “At Jasper Engineering, if I help my fellow co-workers to be successful, then in turn I’m successful. Same thing here.”
Friday, March 4, @ The Nick, Birmingham
Some bands are legendary. Some clubs are equally legendary.
The Nick has played host to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Crowes, Black Flag and other national acts. Tonight they welcome Zarinah and the Zaratans.
Zarinah Shahid works in Digital Strategy & Engagement providing behind-the-scenes support. But she belts out the songs as frontwoman for the Zaratans.
“We do rock’n’roll, we do blues, we do soul,” she said. “We put our own surf twang to each thing that we do.”
The band boasts a songbook that’s among the deepest around. “Be My Baby” (the Ronettes), “Fallin’” (Connie Francis), “For Your Love” (the Yardbirds), “Valerie” (Amy Winehouse) and “Jet” (Paul McCartney) are not typical bar band fare.
The Nick owners clearly appreciate it, having invited the Zaratans back several times.
“There’s always a really good crowd,” said Shahid.
Her bandmates appreciate the power and poise she brings to the stage.
“She’s got a good positive vibe about everything,” said bassist Jeff Waites. “She really digs in. She sings like the girl groups of the ’60s. We’re grizzly and growly and she’s sweet.”
Z&Z, as the band’s growing following affectionately refers to them, will be playing shows this May. You can catch them Friday, May 13, at Egan’s in Tuscaloosa and Sunday, May 15, at Daniel Day Gallery in Lakeview.
Saturday, March 5, @ Acme Feed & Seed, Nashville
The musical center of the universe may just be Lower Broadway in Nashville. This riverfront patch has scores of tourists who come to see some of the best live acts in the country.
Tonight the Goat Hill String Band is playing Acme Feed & Seed, a cavernous barn of a bar. Not a seat is empty as the foursome gets ready to play.
Corporate Real Estate Specialist James Patrick Reed fronts the band, singing and playing guitar. He’s joined by a fiddler, a mandolin player and a standup bassist. Their “funky bluegrass” sound is crowd-pleasing. Their musical chops are undeniable.
“The set went great,” said Reed the next day. “We’ve played Acme four or five times now. They like to have us there because we’re pretty easy to deal with and we always get the crowd dancing.”
Formed in 2008 in Montgomery (aka “Goat Hill”), the group covers “Amie” by Pure Prairie League, then throws a curveball with “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley. They intersperse country, rock and pop all night long, closing their three-hour set with a sing-along to the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way.”
Reed began working for Alabama Power in 2006 as a contract employee, becoming full-time in 2012. He has written a handful of songs and plans to record an extended play CD at a friend’s studio soon.
“This is just for fun,” he said. “I appreciate that I have a full-time job I do well at. But playing is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ll do it until I can’t do it anymore.”
Saturday, March 5, @ Golddiggers, Double Springs
A three-hour drive later, we’re in Double Springs at the Lakeshore Inn and Marina on Smith Lake. Christian Gann is on stage at Golddiggers bar with his third act of the weekend, Road Trip Jones.
The band was started 16 years ago by Barry and Larry Key. Larry, the original drummer, is a retired Alabama Power employee (Miller Steam Plant, Smith Dam). Despite a heart attack last spring, he still sings a few songs with the group.
“I love this bunch,” he said.
Their classic rock set ranges from “Mustang Sally” to “Don’t Stop Believing.” Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” brings all the slow-dancers onto the floor. Two of them are Kevin and Paula Smith.
“I love ’em,” said Kevin, a 40-year employee of Alabama Power who worked with Key at Miller.
“They’re the greatest,” added Paula. “When I retired, my husband threw a retirement party at our house, and he had the band play at our party.”
Road Trip Jones closes the place down, playing well after last call.
“If you’ve got four pieces, five pieces, six pieces, it’s still all about teamwork,” said Gann. “There’s no one person better than the other. Everybody is important.”
This story originally appeared in the May/June 2016 Issue of PowerGrams, the magazine for employees and retirees of Alabama Power Company.
