IV And The Strange Band Southern Circus (LP)

((BCR) 12 tracks

The fourth generation of the Hank Williams line will be officially crowned when IV and the Strange Band featuring Coleman Williams release their debut album Southern Circus on June 17 via Shooter Jennings' Black Country Rock label. It is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated releases of 2022.

The great-grandson of Hank Williams, grandson of Hank Jr. and son of Hank Williams III, Coleman Williams decided to enter the family business at age 30. After initially planning to release an EP on 4/20/2021, keen interest in the fourth-generation musician prompted him to scrap those plans, go on tour to hone his skills, and get back in the studio for a more substantial body of work that resulted in Southern Circus.

"Before I even knew who I was, people were expecting things from me," Coleman says in a statement. "It felt like there was no freedom of expression for someone with the last name 'Williams.' Singing about a bloodline didn't appeal to me, though. I wasn't interested in fitting into a shadow that already existed. What appealed to me was the underground scene in Nashville."

And that's what we've heard so far from IV and the Strange Band - a gritty brew of dark roots mixed with a DIY punk and metal attitude, lots of music more similar to his father Hank3's musical style than their predecessors, but still with those deep country roots woven into the sound. That may sound strange to some, but that's exactly what Coleman and the Strange Band strive for.

"I like to say, 'What doesn't kill you makes you weirder,'" Williams says. "I love weird, and I love my Strange Band. The most genuine people in this world are the ones who allow themselves to be the weirdos they really are, because when you suppress yourself, you become someone you're not."