El Perro at Dunajam 2023 (by DenpaFuzz on YouTube)
Bootleg Hill Honey Meads
321 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Friday, October 20
9 p.m.
$10 donation
Ages 21 +
After a powerhouse tour opener in February, followed by many trials and tribulations, major lineup changes, and a successful European tour, El Perro are returning to Bootleg Hill Honey Meads in Davenport for the penultimate date on a fall run through middle America. Los Perros del Camino might be a more fitting name, given the band's tireless (dogged?) touring schedule. This is their third show at Bootleg Hill Honey Meads in 14 months, and they were so well received in 2022 that they chose Bootleg Hill as the site of the opening date for their most recent U.S. tour back in February. I've never seen the place so full, nor have I ever heard any band sound so good in that room.
This dog has a pedigree: frontman and Iowa native Parker Griggs is the main man in Radio Moscow, a globe-trotting power trio whose fiery take on bluesy late '60s/early-'70s heavy rock brought them worldwide acclaim and major notoriety as the retro/“stoner rock” style took off in the last decade. El Perro tour with the same intensity as Radio Moscow, with a similar approach – groovy old-school rock and roll played with energy and enthusiasm. The power trio format can be limiting, and Griggs sought a new sound and style: two guitars and additional hand percussion, rounding out a larger band that made funk and Latin rhythm a key part of its approach.
That sound is well captured on the group's first record Hair of El Perro, which Rolling Stone's French division named as its album of the month in June of 2022. But just like Radio Moscow, El Perro are best witnessed in their live element. I saw Radio Moscow twice in years past, two blistering opening sets that firmly established them as one of the best live bands I'd ever seen, and while I was impressed at the new direction on the El Perro album, I had doubts that they could live up to the Moscow shows of years past.
I was wrong, of course. The expanded lineup provided new launching pads for Griggs' explosive lead guitar work, the ensemble playing was tight and full, and the constant rhythms of the large array of hand percussion kept much of Bootleg Hill moving for the entirety of the night. They put out an energy that was fun and infectious, and it appealed to a surprisingly wide audience – men and women, rockers in their twenties, and old heads who might've seen Hendrix at the Col Ballroom in 1968. It was a joy not only to catch such an excellent and dynamic live band, but also to see them playing for a densely packed audience whose every member was obviously having a great time.
Unfortunately, that lineup of El Perro disintegrated several weeks later in the middle of a U.S. tour. Griggs assembled a new European lineup for a continental tour last summer, which included well-received sets at festivals including Freak Valley in Germany and Dunajam in Italy, which saw them playing outdoors on a Sardinian beach with a beautiful sunlit Mediterranean backdrop. That lineup, plus new bass player Chuck Elder, is heading out on a short October run. Those who enjoyed the past El Perro shows are advised to roll down to Bootleg Hill on the 20th to witness the power of this new incarnation.
Support for the show will be provided by Daykeeper, returning to the Quad Cities for their first show in the area since early 2020. With roots in doom metal, Daykeeper incorporate elements of heavy rock with an increased emphasis on psychedelic improvisation; in contrast to the frenetic, danceable, percussion-heavy rhythms of El Perro, their jams borrow heavily from drone, noise, and the tension and menace of mid-70s King Crimson. They provide an uneasy yang to El Perro's upbeat yin, though the addition of flute for the October 20 show should offer some relief for the faint of heart.
Daykeeper hits the first chord at 9 p.m. Admission is a mere $10 donation. More information can be found on the Bootleg Hill Honey Meads Facebook page.
