Band Of The Week: Alberta Cross

Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band Members: Petter Ericson Stakee (vocals, guitar), Terry Wolfers (bass), Sam Kearney (guitar), Austin Beede (drums), Alec Higgins (keyboards)
Album: Broken Side of Time
For Fans Of: Kings of Leon, Neil Young, The Band

Alberta Cross frontman Petter Ericson Stakee is the leavened product of a trans-national upbringing: He was born in Sweden, raised in England and now leads a New York-based band that mirrors his eclecticism. Alberta Cross' first release, 2008's self-produced The Thief and the Heartbreaker, found inspirations in the cornerstones of '70s rock, the hand-in-hand accord of blues and country. "I think this first mini album we did was more folk because it was like the baby, the starter," Stakee says. "I love folk and blues because it's honest music." But the band travels a darker path of chomping guitars and electric landscapes with their latest release, Broken Side of Time (out Sept. 22). Here, the band trades its nostalgic Americana inflections for a dusky, voltaic revamp, with a sound that ranks them solidly in the realm of rock 'n roll.

Stakee and bassist Terry Wolfers both attribute this evolution to their uprooting from London, where they met during one of many nightly outings to a pub owned by a friend. Amidst a barrage of free drinks, the two discovered a mutual affection for folk and blues and soon began playing and writing music together. But with a change of scenery—a move across the pond after signing with ATO Records—came a change in sound. "Living in New York has sort of inspired us with sounds a bit heavier," Stakee says. "We've got new members that joined us about a year and a half ago, and I think this album now is a bit heavier, you know? It's a bit more like a darker rock album, really."

But Stakee's soaring vocals—which belie the European roots thick in his speaking voice—are one element that remain unchanged. "All the reviews we've gotten so far in England have said that I sounded something in between Neil Young and Liam Gallagher, which I thought was pretty hilarious,” Stakee says. “A lot of English people think I sound English. Maybe in America they think I sound American. I really don't plan to sound any way. I just sing and follow my heart.”

Listen to "Song 3Three Blues" from Alberta Cross' Broken Side of Time: