Earl Greyhound Kick Out the Underground Jams

One of the most talked about underground rock bands this past year has been Earl Greyhound. The New York power trio combines the muscle of Led Zeppelin with the soul of Sly Stone. With passionate lyrics, an ear for sweet melodies and a bold heavy rock sound, Earl Greyhound seem to have all the right ingredients when it comes to taking heavy rock, to bold new places. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Whyte graciously sat down with me to chat about his band as the group gets ready to hit Los Angeles California for the second annual Sunset Strip Music Festival. The festival takes place September 10th -12th.

Associated Content: Matt, how long has Earl Greyhound been together and how did the band first get together?

Matt Whyte: We have been together for seven years. Kamar (bassist/vocalist) and I met through a mutual friend. Once I started working with her I really began to admire her as a songwriter. We struck up a unique songwriting partnership. We had a few different drummers before we hooked up with Ricc Sheridan. He has been with us for three years. Ricc checked us out after being steered our way by Kirk Douglass, The Roots guitar player.

AC: Where does the name come from? Are you paying homage to British rock royalty?

MW: Well we just wanted to have something that sounded regal. It is a tribute of sorts.

AC: Your sound seems very much steeped in 70's rock. Can I assume you are a big Zeppelin fan?

MW: Yeah most definitely. I grew up listening to Zeppelin so their influence comes out in our music and on our last disc "Soft Targets"

AC: You mentioned your writing partnership with Kamar. Would you say when it comes to the song writing process, it's been a collaborative effort within the band?

MW: Well with the last record I came to the table with the bulk of the ideas and the band members fleshed them out. With the new disc we have been working on, all three of us have been in on the songwriting process. It's a bit different for me to be working from scratch with other people but the results have been great.

AC: You all have played some interesting festivals/events and you are about to do another one real soon. What was it like playing the Afro-Punk Festival in Brooklyn?

MW: The Afro-Punk Festival was great! It's not everyday you get to perform in front of a historical building! I mean, we were outside right in front of the Brooklyn Academy of Music!

AC: Are you excited about playing the Sunset Strip Music Festival in September?

MW: We love coming to LA! The festival itself sounds like a great time plus we will use any excuse to get to LA! When "Soft Targets" came out it seemed like we were always playing LA. Los Angeles has been good to us.

AC: When can we expect to hear a new disc from Earl Greyhound?

MW: Our new disc will be out in January but we will have new music for our fans at the shows we do now.

Be sure to catch Earl Greyhound at the second annual Sunset Strip Music Festival, happening September 10-12th. Tickets are on sale now.