"ATP possess the kind of punk rock edge that most of their reefer-toting peers would die for. Monster Magnet may be slicker and Unida may be classier, but truckstop rock doesn't come any finer than this. An extended forefinger to the face of fashion" - Kerrang!

1996, Richmond, Virginia. On a dirt floor basement, Bryan Cox, Erik Larson and Asechiah Bogdan founded ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY (ATP). Fueled by a desire to play dirty, kick ass rock and roll, they honed their skills and began assaulting the local circuit, sans singer. Shortly thereafter, bassist Bill Storms joined ATP and after several failed attempts to find the right vocalist, the band discovered Johhny Throckmorton and the line-up was complete.

With a full band intact, ATP entered the studio and recorded a six-song demo. One of these tapes landed in the hands of Frank Kozik of Man’s Ruin Records and an offer was made to release the demo tape as a CD EP. ATP was already in the habit of constantly writing songs, and in the fall of 1997 the band’s first full length 'Rise Again' was recorded and released in the summer of 1998. Between the recording and release of 'Rise Again,' Bill Storms was asked to leave the band and Sam Krivanec quickly filled the void. Inspired and invigorated by the new line-up, ATp returned to the studio and recorded the 'River City Revival' LP (just prior to the release of 'Rise Again' and it's subsequent southern U.S. tour), which was released in the winter of 1999. Within a month of 'River City’s...' release, ATP was on tour supporting the album, which featured a stop at the prestigious SXSW Festival where the band met with rave reviews. ATP then headed back into the studio once again in August of 1999 to record again and embarked on their first tour of Europe alongside High On Fire - 28 shows, 29 days and over 50 bottles of whiskey!

Summer 2000 heralded yet another return to the road in the form of full U.S. and UK tours. ATP then delivered split EPs with HALFWAY TO GONE and ORANGE GOBLIN and completed another full U.S tour with support provided by SUPLECS and DIXIE WITCH. A final line-up change brought guitarist Ryan Lake and bassist John Peter to the fold, adding an entirely new dimension to the band, enriching and filling out their sound with dual guitar leads and utterly rocking harmonies.

In May 2002, ATP delivered ten ass-kickin' shots of "moonshine metal" on their Relapse debut 'Staring at the Divine.' With the one-two punch of low-end rumble and twin-guitar harmonies inspired by THIN LIZZY and JUDAS PRIEST, and the do-it-yourself work ethic of their punk rock roots, ATP's songs run roughshod over their contemporaries and straight through your head. 'Staring at the Divine' served up the soundtrack to a whiskey-soaked rumble and showcased ATP's outrageous blend of volume, distortion and blazing hard rock. Continual touring commenced immediately upon the release of 'Staring...' including high-profile appearances as part of the legendary Wacken Festival (August, 2002), the 2002 Relapse CMJ Showcase in NYC and the 2003 Relapse SXSW Showcase in Austin, TX.

Not long after this Johnny Throckmorton left the band, but ATP quickly found a replacement in Columbus, OH native Johnny Weils.

Weils’ previous outfit BARBED WIRE DOLLS released two singles on Sympathy For the Record Industry (ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, TURBONEGRO, HOT SNAKES, etc.). Wiles earned the coveted position on the strength and variation of his vocal ability as well as his impressive rehearsals with ATP.

On the addition of Weils into the ATP family, guitarist Erik Larson commented, "ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY has found a new singer. Enter Johnny Weils to the ATP family. We were inundated with emails from all over the world from prospective singers, who were instructed to send examples of their voice to us. Pretty soon we had CDs coming from all over. We four-tracked three songs -- two old and one new -- which we recorded onto CDRs, and folks were expected to put their voice down on the tunes and send it back along with a copy of the lyrics they had written for the new song. Those who did send them back were asked to make the terk to Richmond, providing that they sounded good or fit right with what it is we do. Once here, a proper ATP hazing ensued. Johnny Weils took it all in stride and did a bang-up job, even taking a shot at all the new songs we had after only hearing them once."

Larson continues, "Mr. Weils has his work cut out for him, but I'm sure he's going to amaze us all."

rececently kyle thomas from exhorder took control of vocal duties
ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY:

Kyle Thomas: Vocals
Erik Larson: Guitar
Ryan Lake: Guitar
John Peters: Bass
Bryan Cox: Drums