El Perro at Bootleg Hill Honey Meads -- September 14.
Wednesday, September 14, 9 p.m.
Bootleg Hill Honey Meads, 321 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Delivering what Glide magazine calls a "heady combination of psych rock, funk, Latin rock, and soul," the musicians of El Perro play a September 14 concert at Davenport's Bootleg Hill Honey Meads, this recently formed outfit the latest project fronted by Radio Moscow guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Parker Griggs.
As a fledgling musician, Griggs – a native of Story City, Iowa – was a fan of Cream, Blue Cheer, and Led Zeppelin. He was known under the stage name Garbage Composal and completed an album's worth of material before befriending bassist Serana Andersen and forming the psychedelic-rock ensemble Radio Moscow in 2003. When recording, Griggs would play both guitar and drums, yet the band was known as a trio due to various drummers routinely joining as tour members. After the duo relocated to Colorado, Griggs managed to hand a demo to The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, who was instrumental in getting Radio Moscow signed to Alive Naturalsound Records. The band then returned to Iowa with new bassist Luke McDuff brought aboard, and he and Griggs recorded the band's self-titled debut album, which was released in 2007.
Reviewing Radio Moscow for AllMusic.com, Greg Prato described Griggs' voice as "powerful, but stylish," and the group's sound as "a throwback to the classic rock of the '70s," comparing the group to artists such as Ram Jam, the Allman Brothers Band, and The Jeff Beck Group. In 2009, the band self-produced their second studio album Brain Cycles, and two years later, Griggs self-produced The Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz. Additional albums 3 & 3 Quarters, Magical Dirt, and New Beginnings followed, and alongside Radio Moscow's Paul Marrone and Mario Rubalcaba of Earthless, Griggs founded Alpine Fuzz Society, a side project designed to showcase a more garage-rock-oriented sound.
With El Perro, Griggs leans into rock, funk, and psychedelia, his new five-piece ensemble boasting the talents of Jaron Yancey on second guitar, Shawn Davis on bass guitar, Tawny Harrington on percussion, and former Radio Moscow member Lonnie Blanton on drums (ex Radio Moscow). The group is currently touring in support of their debut album Hair Of that was released this past June, and that has earned Griggs and his bandmates significant critical support. Rolling Stone recently named El Perro's first recording "Album of the Month," and Glide raved of Griggs, "This may be a new direction for the Radio Moscow musician, but it is still 100-percent cranked guitar rock at the core."
El Perro plays its Davenport engagement on September 14, admission to the 9 p.m. concert is $10, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)345-4400 and visiting BootlegHill.com.
