Artists on the Verge Canal Room 285 West Broadway New York City December 18, 2006 Written by Eve Hyman

Stephanie McKay Photo Credit Michael Weintrob

Stephanie McKay and Martin Luther shared a bill Monday night at Canal Room. Not a surprising combination, both have shared NYC bills with Cody Chesnutt this year, both play the guitar, both have powerful voices and both perform with a dynamic live band. But the opening act was listed as Gray Kid.

Gray Kid Photo Credit Al McCotter	Gray Kid Photo Credit Al McCotter

Gray Kid billed with NYC’s best soul-rock bands? And somehow, Earl Greyhound was also booked for the same show. Earl Greyhound? The last time I saw them play was during their residency at Pianos. Their brand of classic, Zeppelin-esque, indie rock was a far cry from Martin Luther’s SOBs and Southpaw shows. Similarly, Earl Greyhound's sound differs from Stephanie McKay and her label Astralwerks. Earl Greyhound plays to hipster crowds - Martin Luther plays to soul purists. This was an eclectic bill to say the least in my mind, a stretch that might not quite fit. I was interested to see how it would pan out.

I arrived at the Canal Room early, determined not to miss the Kid’s stage entrance. Gray Kid is ridiculously entertaining, so I figured he’d be the “must have” of the night. Of course, I underestimated the stellar competition.

Gray Kid shvitzed his way through a great set of original music, alone with a mic and a backing track. He dove into his material, fully committed to working the crowd into a similar frenzy. That's not an easy task in NYC where audiences are regularly treated to knock-out performances. But Gray Kid is an impressive performer who relates super well to the audience. He danced around the stage and sang/screamed into a rotary phone. He was the only one sweating, but the crowd was full of smiling faces and most people seemed to relate to his brand of humorous, new wave, hiphop.

Stehanie Mckay Photo Credit Michael Weintrob	Stehanie Mckay Photo Credit Michael Weintrob

After the Kid, Stephanie McKay took the stage with a heavy funk sound that I didn't expect. I remembered the acoustic sweetness of her set when I saw her at the Canal Room in October. Monday night she brought the heat with heavy funk bass lines and powerful vocals. The woman has pipes. And her band was rock solid – a highpoint was “ Jackson Avenue” – her homage to growing up in the Bronx in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. She dedicated the song to old-school pioneers with a shout out to the Sugar Hill Gang. She also dedicated it to her mother who was in the audience. She removed her blazer to show off a Jackson Avenue t-shirt with ‘80’s lettering and launched into what I thought was the best song of an impressive set.

Martin Luther
Photo Credit Michael Weintrob

Martin Luther performed after McKay. Dressed in a pancho and oversized mod sunglasses, he performed his guitar-rooted soul and did not disappoint. Martin Luther is a film actor as well as guitar impresario. He has rockstar good looks and stage presence. His voice is gorgeous, his songs are a consistent brand of rock and soul.

My only complaint Monday night was his consistency, in fact. I’d mentioned to a friend that his songs sometimes don’t stick with me the way I hope they would, seeing how he's one of my favorite performers. The last song in his set shut my mouth. It was distinct, drew my attention, and had unusual changes and intense dynamics. It immediately reminded me of a Nirvana song, but delivered by Martin Luther - rocked a bit cleaner and just as compelling. It was the kind of song that pulls you in then hits you with thick sound then pulls back and makes you breathe it in only to push you back up on the rollercoaster again. It was anything but predictable and suited Martin Luther like his outfit – wild, unexpected and rich.

Kamara Thomas of Earl Greyhound
Photo Credit Michael Weintrob

As Kamara Thomas from Earl Greyhound took the stage I had to ask again how their sound would mesh with the show overall. Visually there was definitely no problem so far. Kamara is beautiful, tall and sports a massive afro. Monday night her model good-looks were complimented by a Native American motif – short hippie shift and belt, and large feathers in her hair. Kamara plays bass and is one half of the original Earl Greyhound.

Matt Whyte of Earl Greyhound
Photo Credit Michael Weintrob

Her voice and style are wicked good. The other half is long-haired, similarly tall and model-esque Matt Whyte. Visually he's the quintissential guitar pimp with low-slung guitar and groupie-attracting stage vamps. Both are talented and have that rock star chemistry many an amateur musician longs for. They play well and play even better together. But the secret weapon of the new and improved Earl Greyhound is drummer Ricc Sheridan. Intimidating is a word that comes to mind – the man was a machine with feelings. What he played redefined EG’s sound into a hipper, hotter version of the classic rock guitar band with powerful beats and rhythm choices. The way he played put many a drummer to shame – the man was an 808 gone organic. I’d found a new band to love - where guitar necks complimented drum heads in one body of sound. Earl Greyhound was that good on Monday and I was so glad I was there to see it all. It was an intense line up of the next best things to come out of NYC.

For more great shows with artists on the verge visit
www.meanredproductions.com (and get on their email list). To listen
to these artists check out graykid.com, earlgreyhound.com,
rebelsoulmusic.com, and stephaniemckay.com. To see great live shots
of NYC bands and more, visit www.groovetography.com.