Public Assembly
Brooklyn
Words & Photos by Tucker Hughes

Leaning against the ageless brick walls of Public Assembly in Williamsburg with vintage equipment and vintage threads Earl Greyhound seem impossibly rock and roll. Matt Whyte is one hundred vertical feet of chill and all legs, arms and razor straight blond hair. Kamara Thomas is the literal definition of foxy in high top moccasins, a barely there dress, pouting funk lips and an afro with her bass slung low on her hips.

Behind a bass drum with more square feet than any New York apartment and gripping two tree branch sized drum sticks is Ricc Sheridan whose massive arms and chest pummel each beat from behind dark aviators with a bouncers visage. Assembled from the coolest stereotypes from the pages of rock and roll history Earl Greyhound are unafraid to tread where the greats have treaded before.

It seems impossible in this age of proto-post-neo-electro-rock-pop-core-ism’s that a real rock band still exists until you witness the swagger and the fury of Earl Greyhound. Like seeing Zeppelin in Gladsaxe or Hendrix at Yesler Terrance you can almost hear the stadiums full of fans echoing from the near future, but you can still feel the sweat and steam if you stand close enough. Earl Greyhound knows there is no need to reinvent this music.

Being born thirty years to late to create their sound has given them the chance to create the kind of Frankenstein rock sound you dream of when you have to switch records to hear a heartbreaking soul singer, a Rolling Stones verse or a Zeppelin riff. Waves of swarming bees distortion, melting amp fuzz and the pummeling bass combo of Kamara’s strings and Ricc’s right foot are overlain with classical rock vocal aerobatics.

You have heard the sounds of Earl Greyhound before, they are not groundbreaking. They are not cutting edge. They have not combined two seemingly irreconcilable genres. They don’t need to do anything to their music. Next time you need a good band to drink to, don’t go see the band that dresses in spacesuits and play only circuit-bend speak-and-spells. Go see some real rock and roll.

Earl Greyhound are currently in the throes of a mega-tour across North America. Be sure to keep track of their upcoming dates *here* Looks like they’ll be back in NYC for a Halloween show at Bowery Ballroom with Portugal the Man and Wintersleep. Hijinx will ensue!