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best band you ain't heard of...yet
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2324 Reads
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Finding a somewhat decent band among the legion of terrifyingly self-important and musically challenged ensembles that clog the arteries of Los Angeles' music scene is nearly as hard as finding a decent movie, play or $3 beer.
But they are out there. You just have to shut your ears to the deafening din of trendy hype--and shut your eyes to anything that passes as local music writing in the two major print media players du jour: the timid times and the ossified Weekly. The people who write about music for these two publications are either out-of-touch dinosaurs who still think Tom Petty was really punk back in the day or are so hiply elitist that they wouldn't know good songwriting, passionate singinng and a kick-ass rock show if it knocked them inthe nuts and spat a loggie in their face.
So thank the Gods of Rock for the Eugene Edwards Band ...
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No, this band isn't going to be hailed as the next big thing by those who view pop music as the prescription for the world's ills. Nor is it some heavy metal power rock quartet, some emo ensemble in touch with their inner moody child or some adventurous trip-hop, ambient, counter-revolutionary, scratch-and-return, acoustic roots cyber pop whatever.
It's a band, pure and simple, that delivers some of the catchiest, poppiest, most sincerely enthusiastic power-pop this side of Nick Lowe. Frontman Edwards, who also writes the songd and plays lead guitar, is a terrific singer, performer and musician and while you may wonder if he rehearses his head shakes, hip-wiggles and face-melting guitar solos night and day, it's hard to doubt the guy's joyous exuberance. Whether he's playing for a handful of friends on a Monday night or a jam-packed club on a weekend, he gives it his all every single performance.
It's gleefully authentic, and wonderfully non-cynical but, more than anything, it's ass-kicking and tuneful in the same way as early Elvis Costello and the aforementioned Lowe.
His band roates members depending on availability, but most nights you're bound to hear one of Los Angeles' best working class drummers, Mike "Soupy" Sessa, the multi-talented John Hoskinson on rhythm guitar and harmonies and the equally adept Brian Whelan on bass. He's also added a keyboardist into the mix, which further rounds out the sound.
Edwards has been doing this band thing for at least three years and what's stunning is how neither the Times nor the Weekly has mentioned him. The very respected All Music Guide recently added Edwards' debut album, "My Favorite Revolution," to its voluminous catalogue and gave it very high praise. (Visit www.eugenedwards.com for the link).
But, locally, it's been Orange County Weekly that has given Edwards the most press, which is interesting since he only plays in that county a few times a year: check out this link for his first mainstream story: http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/26/music-beers.php
For the full scoop on Edwards, go to www.eugeneedwards.com.
He also plays a fanatical schedule of lcoal gigs including three this week, including Monday, Nov. 28 at Taix in Echo Park at 10 p.m.; the Mint, Dec. 1 at 9 p.m. and, later that night, at Room 5 at 10:30 p.m.
This guy, and his band, is real, skilled, passionate, fun and a great time. If they're not big someday it's because this slice of the universe just isn't fair.l
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| Posted by: Joel_Beers on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 02:28 PM
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