So last night at the Bowery Ballroom I went to check out Earl Greyhound, a self-proclaimed rock/blues band compromised of Matt Whyte, Kamara Thomas, and Ricc Sheridan. I arrived at the venue at 9pm, biding my time until their appearance at 11pm. Typically the, “show-before-the-show” doesn’t really capture my attention, but last night, both opening bands, Cavalier Rose, and Knights On Earth held the stage on their own terms and really turned the night into a mythical three-tier show extravaganza.

The night began with Knights On Earth opening, and I was able to witness the rock /blues fusion in a more traditional light. Previously, when I heard the Atypicals at Crash Mansion the jazz component threw me, but it was smoothed into the music with synth beats and a masterful sax performance. Knights On Earth however are a bands’ band. They create the blues feel by actually incorporating the twelve-bar blues chord progression into their music, so the sound is sincerely bluesy without the pretention. A rhythm guitar blew in a whisper of a reggae-tone, and it was awesome. Who knew the Bob Marley would mesh with Bob Dylan?

Next came Cavalier Rose, which takes stretches the taunt vocals of Heather Christian from traditional American to a haunting cry wailed on by drummer Jesse Wallace. Cavalier Rose was the frosting, but I prefer the actual cake. . .Earl Greyhound.

Earl Greyhound — Ghost And The Witness by BestNewBandscom

Earl Greyhound effortlessly poured out songs from their currently released EP Suspicious Package (now on iTunes), and their second song of the set, “The Ghost and The Witness” sets us back twenty-years when bands used to begin their songs with a one-man epilogue to set the tone for their music. Earl Greyhound brings back the story-telling in music and although I wouldn’t quite call it Blues it is definitely Soul.

All three acts complemented each other beautifully. My favorite were Knights On Earth. You need to watch the last minute of the video clip of them performing when the drummer RIPS into a stellar one-man show. Now that is a main-stage performance.

BestNewBands.com