You never know what you’ll get at an Eamon McGrath show. It could be laid back acoustic guitar, or high energy Neil Young and Crazy Horse inspired , grunge tinged rock and roll, which was the case at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Friday, May 27.
I was on stage with Hatrix Theatre’s production of the Gazebo, so I just missed Willy Big Bull’s opening set, but was just in time for an energetic set with Eamon McGrath and his trio.
They mostly focussed on McGrath’s latest record “Bells of Hope.”
The band eased into their set at 10:20 p.m., McGrath gave one of his two malfunctioning amps a smack and turned things up for a song from the new record called “Age of Unease.” He admitted he was losing his voice but sounded pretty good in spite of it.
He thrashed away on his Epiphone SG and was singing into two different microphones, one for the weirder, more alternative indie rock sounds and the other
more more straight ahead rock and roll for an enthusiastic audience.
A couple of more Wilco styled alt country rockers highlights from the record were “Cannonball” and “ Sparkle and Bleed” which featured Neil Young style guitar solos.
He switched to acoustic guitar for a couple slower, more countryish songs including a Daniel Johnson cover, “ True Love Will Find You in The End,” before switching back to the SG.
He dug back into his back catalogue for the Foo Fighters styled rocker “ Exile” and ended his intense set with “ I Am The Deer.”
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
