It’s not too often that you hear Grand Funk Railroad cited as a major influence on a younger band. But Auburn locals, AlphaState takes a different direction with their musical philosophy, incorporating songs that you may not have heard in a while by some major bands into their set list and then amping them up.

You can hear this raw power in AlphaState’s cover of “We’re An American Band,” a classic Grand Funk tune about the excesses of American touring bands.
Formed in August of 2009, the guys from AlphaState had been jamming together for a few years before grouping to play some house parties around the Auburn area. The group’s bassist, Adam Ledger, says that the group specializes in “high energy” songs, which they hope will leave an impression with their audiences. Given their penchant for selecting a pretty eclectic set list, it isn’t unusual to hear everything from Jimi Hendrix to Kings of Leon at an AlphaState show.

In late February the guys from AlphaState took a trip to Jay’s Place, a Nashville recording studio, where they walked away with a few original recordings. The group plans on returning to Nashville over the summer to compile enough original material for an EP.

AlphaState will be playing the SAE fraternity for their annual “Quicksand” party on Saturday, May 1st. The group will go on at 4 p.m. following a performance by Rollin’ In the Hay. This is an open event.

Check out myspace.com/alphastateauburnal for more info. about the group and to hear their take on some classics and an original tracks.