By Amanda E.H. Pritchard
Photos by Lacey Barnwell
Making moves on the music scene, local Leeds musicians Mandi Rae Trott and Warren Amos, otherwise known as Love Rat, radiate joy when discussing their love of music, artistry and one another. Officially formed in 2016, the name Love Rat came about after a night of frivolity.
“I wanted a band name with the word love in it, and my bandmates thought love was too squishy,” Trott said. “So, we decided to put an animal with it, and rat seemed to be the dirtiest thing we could think of. Love raccoon doesn’t have quite the same ring.”
“Southern Shaman,” Love Rat’s sophomore album and single by the same name hit air waves in August.
“[The album] is about a guy on a journey tearing himself up and along the way he meets a shaman,” Amos said.
Trott elaborated on what the album means to her.
“‘Southern Shaman’ is about how everyone appropriates the South and denigrates it. Warren started the song, and I finished the chorus. We’re so happy that it just meshed very well,” she said.
Garnering inspiration from life in general and philosophy, Amos defines the Love Rat sound as psychedelic funk and “an amalgamation of my mom and dad’s record collection,” which ranged from the Beach Boys to the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac and all bands and genres in between. Trott characterized their musical stylings as modern throwback.
Throwing it back to the first time they met, during a gig on Lake Martin, Trott and Amos recalled the first song they wrote together, titled, “Devil.”
“For me, that first song encompasses what we both believe very strongly, which is we are the creators of our own destiny and our own hell,” Trott said. Amos added, “To me, ‘Devil,’ is a way to have an outside source to explain man’s capabilities that we deem dark, evil, mean and stuff like that.”
The pair carefully craft lyrics that create true connection and authenticity for listeners. Trott proudly quoted lyrics from the title track of their debut album, “Howl at the Moon.”
“There ain’t no use in avoiding the change. Move it on up to higher ground, and pray that you stay sane.”
Distinct lyrics detailing a story or some kind of fantasy with metaphorical political undertones and a dash of real-world happenings is what Amos said differentiates Love Rat from other bands. He also referenced their ability to not be beholden to a particular sound or genre.
“We have a lot of connections in a grassroots way,” he said. “People want to connect with you—the person.”
Both began making connection to music at early ages.
Amos’ mom started driving him to gigs all over Birmingham when he was 15.
“Driving to those early gigs, my mom sang harmony to everything,” he said. “Music was just in my culture.”
Trott immersed herself in the rich culture of living in New Orleans as a young girl, but her love of music began with the strum of the guitar chord A. Thanks to her grandfather, she became a musician.
“I was 13 years old and visiting Papa when he said to me, ‘Get in the car. You’re going to learn guitar today.”
They started learning music young, but their love of music began even earlier.
Amos owes his early musical discoveries to Santa, who left cassette singles of Def Leppard and Tom Petty in his stocking, while Trott will never forget her dad buying her a No Doubt CD he thought she’d like.
While Amos loves to infuse his fondness for the Grateful Dead’s “Skeletons in the Closet” and Metallica’s “Ride the Lighting” into the Love Rat sound, Trott said she would love to sit down and write a song with one of her musical heroes—John Fogerty, front man for Creedence Clearwater Revival. Both agree they would love to collaborate with fellow free spirit, Aaron Lee Tasjan, who they recently saw in concert.
Their love of live music was established years ago when they embarked on their musical discovery journeys attending their first concerts. For Amos, it was a Lynyrd Skynyrd show in 1995 with his parents. Later on, he attended City Stages, a former music festival in Birmingham, and saw Collective Soul, his first concert without his parents
“I was a military brat,” said Trott. “I saw Alabama in California and when I was 16, I saw my first concert by myself. I waited in line in the rain to see Third Eye Blind.”
Not only do they enjoy hearing live music, but they also love taking the stage themselves. They are particularly fans of venues that are good to them, such as local watering holes Rails & Ales, Van’s and The Central Club in Leeds, The Nick in downtown Birmingham, Busted Oak Bourbon Society in Albertville and Valentine Texas Bar in Valentine, Texas.
As for the momentum propelling Love Rat onto airwaves and in nearby venues, Amos called it blissful chaos while Trott summoned her inner Penny Lane as portrayed by Kate Hudson in the movie “Almost Famous,” when she said, “It’s all happening.”
Amos and Trott sometimes perform as the Love Rat duo, while at other times have the full-fledged band, consisting of Jonathan Breland on bass, Derek Nolin tickling the ivories, Brant Benefield on drums and Matthew Monk on harmonica. Regardless of the number of people performing, once they storm the stage, expect humor and theatrics to ensue.
“At a Love Rat show, a song will never be the same. Variety is the spice of life,” Amos exclaimed while Trott added, “We want our shows to be an immersive experience. Our audience is not just sitting there; they are a part of the Love Rat show!”
After developing the Love Rat sound for almost a decade, Amos still identifies with that young man who was rocking out to Def Leppard and falling in love with the musical brilliance of Tom Petty. Trott looks back fondly on their humble beginnings remembering one of her and his initial connections, right out of the gate–their love of music!
Summing up what music means to them, Amos said, “Music is nothing if it’s not shared with people you love.” While Trott exclaimed, “Music is everything! My whole life revolves around it. Music is the heartbeat of humanity.”
For more information and to keep up with Love Rat, visit loveratmusic.com., and find them on Facebook (Love Rat), Instagram (@loveratmusic) and X (@mandiraemusic). Log onto bandcamp.com to buy Howl at the Moon or Southern Shaman directly.
Catch Love Rat Live
Oct. 3: Party on the Porch, Alabama Outdoors in Homewood, Alabama
Oct. 10: Back Forty in Gadsden, where Love Rat performs monthly at each Second Friday event
Oct. 18: With The Alabama Heathens, The Nick
Nov. 14: With Suburban Love Junkies, Iron City
