Wednesday 16 November 2011

Rival Sons Want To Take Europe



Rival Sons are a band from LA who play a combination of rock, blues and soul. Led Zeppelin clearly is never far away but they do developed their own style. Their latest album Pressure And Time is a true delight to listen to and they blew me away on Rock Werchter this year. Now they are serious about taking Europe and Amsterdam fortunately was part of their club tour over here.

Rival Sons at Melkweg Amsterdam, November 14 2011 (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
At Rock Werchter they had to work hard to win the people over. This isn't any different tonight. The crowd is quite calm in the beginning but this also the band's own fault. Singer Jay Buchanan admits they partied hard and long the day before and it's showing. His eyes look tiny and he seems a bit absent. They probably couldn't resist to all the temptations Amsterdam has to offer, and had a good taste of those offerings. The band really has to warm up. But after a while they get into it and Buchanan says he's feeling it too. From that moment on the crowd gets really excited.



And which rock lover can resist great rock and blues songs like 'Burn Down Los Angeles'? Guitarist Scott Holiday is getting plenty of space to show off his skills and with a big smile he's firing off one great solo after another. Hard hitter Michael Miley is laughing most of the set and like in Belgium is enjoying a Duvel. The man sure knows his beers.



Bass player Robin Everhart is quietly laying down his bass grooves in the background. The four musicians are clearly having fun and seem like a solid group. Buchanan, who looks like the reincarnation of Jim Morrison and sounds like Robert Plant, has a great voice. He's showing that mostly in a slow blues song like 'On My Way', where he can use his full spectrum.



Of course they play many songs off their latest album that has great songs like 'All Over The Road' and title track 'Pressure And Time'. These go down great with the crowd. But the band cannot get everyone to go completely wild, therefore the fire isn't high enough. Hopefully this band is like a good young wine: its potential is clear but it just needs a few more years to reach its full strength. I'd love to see them back soon and blow everyone away.





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