Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are having a moment. After the soul sensations’ Aug. 5 performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon went viral, the band’s foot-stomping drinking song “S.O.B.” ignited at radio, becoming the No. 1 add to alternative and the No. 1 viral track slot globally on Spotify. Questlove praised the act’s TV debut on Twitter, as did Stephen King. And then, Sir Paul called to rave. “That guy the other night -- son of a bitch,” Fallon recalled to Billboard, doing his best McCartney impression. “They set the place on fire.”
After seeing a YouTube clip of the Denver group, the late-night host forwarded it to music booker Julie Gurovitsch, insisting she lock the band in “the sooner, the better.” As Gurovitsch tells Billboard, “Once Jimmy saw the video, he was such a fan, it was electric.” During the taping, Fallon even played a clip of the song during his opening monologue -- a genuine enthusiasm reserved for his personal favorites. “I swear he would be so good in A&R,” adds Gurovitsch. “Man, oh man, [they] hit a homer,” says Fallon. “Standing ovation.”