Band of Changes at Grand Central Station and CB's

Chris Harford brought his Band of Changes to Grand Central Station in midtown New York on Wednesday (09.27.06), warming up for the following evening's gig at CB's Gallery on the Lower East Side. Harford fronts a band made up of guitarist Scott Metzger, Ween's Dave Driewitz, and School of Rock product Eric Slick. They performed outdoors for an eclectic crowd of suits, tourists, and spinning children. You can view the highlights here:



The next day saw Metzger doing double duty on the lower east side, doing an opening set for Fishbone with the Rodney Speed Experience and then at midnight rejoining the Band of Changes next door.



The Rodney Speed Experience was a lighthearted set of covers aimed at paying tribute to the soon-to-be-closed CBGB's, with songs from The Clash to the Rolling Stones. Rodney, a current staffer at CB's (and former Wetlands employee) made for a delightful front-man, and was backed by some pretty serious downtown talent with Metzger on guitar and Joe Russo on drums. Highlights include a "Should I Stay or Should I Go", where Joe and Scott chimed in on the backups "Rodney, Rodney, Rodney, Rodney!" Metzger and Russo later traded gear for a stab at "Wild Thing", and while Russo didn't conjure up a guitar face to rival Metzger's, there were plenty of smiles onstage to bid farewell to the club.



You can catch Metzger and Russo on tour together in October, as Joe picks up drumming duties in the Band of Changes while they open for the Benevento/Russo Duo throughout the midwest and the south. With all four "Bustle In Your Hedgerow" members on that trip, be sure to stay for the entire show (consider yourselves warned...)

Trey joins Los Lobos at Irving Plaza

Trey Anastasio popped in to Irving Plaza last night (09.28.06) to join Los Lobos. He sat in on "Road for Gila Bend", "Mas y Mas", a lively "I Got Loaded", "Not Fade Away", and finally "Bertha". Trey has sat in with the band on previous occasions, and invited them to open for him in 2002 at Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas, NV.



Los Lobos is touring in support of their new album "The Town and the City".



Trey has announced a few more dates on his fall tour, including a run through California in early December, which recalls last year's tour wrap-up from the Warfield down to the Wiltern.

Earl Greyhound Rocks Tonic

Don't believe everything you've read. But if you happened upon a recent copy of The New Yorker that suggested that Earl Greyhound just might be the second coming of Led Zeppelin, you probably wouldn't believe it until you witnessed the trio live. The hype this band is generating isn't unfounded: this is rock n' roll in its truest form.



The multi-talented duo of Kamara Thomas and Matt Whyte are certainly easy on the eyes up there, and now that they've joined forces with drummer Ricc Sheridan, the Earl Greyhound unit now finally seems complete and ready to dominate the rock scene here in New York.

It speaks volumes about the drawing power of a band to say that on a recent night at Tonic (09.06.06), it was well past 1 a.m. and the band had yet to begin, but the room grew more packed as the night slipped away and people eagerly awaited the buzzed-about band. Despite the fact that the monstrous sound that these three produce would perhaps be more suited to arena-rock stages than this intimate room on the Lower East Side, the crowd happily lapped up every loud note.



They began the set with two new tunes, including the stellar "The Ghost and The Witness" where Thomas trades up her bass for a Fender Rhodes. Both new songs show potential for the album which will follow up their critically-acclaimed current release, Soft Targets. There are indeed moments onstage which channel mighty Zepp, like the face-melting solo in "Monkey", but Earl Greyhound has crafted their own gritty sound, with searing guitar riffs from Whyte and a thunderous energy from Sheridan. That's not to say it's all hard-rock riffs, because the trio have their share of undeniably catchy tunes like "Like A Doggy" that will stick in your head for days.



A don't be deceived by the presence of a lady on the bass: while her vocals occasionally add a soothing touch (as they do to introduce "Yeah, I Love You"), Thomas' lungs will just as quickly launch an unfathomably fierce banshee wail that will knock your socks off. And she was recently featured in Bass Player magazine, to boot.



Gigs are piling up fast and furiously across the nation for the trio, and you won't want to miss their free show at The Hook in Brooklyn this weekend (09.16.06). They play as part of the "Freedom Festival", a day of free music in festival format conceived by Kamara Thomas which showcases many incarnations of her incredible talented musical posse. The day kicks off at 2 p.m. with the Honky Tonk Happy Hour, where you can witness the folkier side of Thomas (who in this lineup sings and plays guitar) and Whyte (who will man the keys). The talent will be overflowing at the Freedom Festival, and it is a chance to catch some rising rock n' roll stars for free... I think Page and Plant would approve.