Everlast and Lordz Hiro Ballroom 371 W. 16th St. September 30, 2008 Written by Wendy R. Williams Photographed by Amy Davidson Opposite Photo: Erik Schrody / Everlast

"Just how many working class Brooklyn Irish men and women can you put in one bull pen," I asked myself as I attended the Everlast Show (with opening by Brooklyn's Lordz) on the night of Rosh Hoshanah? The place was packed with hard core Irish, sporting lots of tattoos and punk duds (I am Irish myself and I work so I can say this [no tattoos, however]).

The crowd was totally revved up as the Lordz took to the stage. The Lordz are a quasi punk/hip hop band that has been touring and playing since 1992. And they have their act down; they dominated the stage and gave the crowd exactly what they wanted - loud, loud punky rock with lots of crotch grabbing (each grabbing his personal crotch, that is). Lead singer Ad Money (aka DJ ADM), wearing what must be his signature hat, danced across the stage, stoking the audience into a head-banging frenzy. Their performance was fresh meat for this raised fist crowd.

Lordz	Lordz

Ad Money (aka DJ ADM) The Lordz of Brooklyn

Then it was time for Everlast and his rapping acoustic rock. Everlast (Erik Schrody) is best known for his two blues CD's: Whitey Ford Sings the Blues and Dinner at Whitey's. He also won a Grammy for Grammy for best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for his collaborative performance of "Put Your Lights On" on Santana's 1999 album Supernatural.

Many in the crowd were there simply because Everlast was playing. One of the women in the audience had driven in from Florida to see him. Schrody took to the stage and told the crowd that he had not toured in four years because he was "a lazy bastard and just like to stay home and smoke dope."

So what's was the problem with that, you might say? Well, Schrody had won his fame because his albums are filled with beautifully produced music. But when Schrody to the stage at Hiro, he immediately started blasting his music like he was in a contest with Lordz to see who could deliver the loudest performance. This was fine with numbers like "Jump Around" but it sure would have been nice to hear "Endz" with a little more balance. This is one band that sure could use a band director.

Everlast has a new CD out, Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford. Click on his Myspace page to hear tracks from the CD. The tracks on Myspace have the great sound that rightfully made Everlast a rock nova. The Everlast on Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford is the Everlast that had me hanging around the Hiro Ballroom late at night on a Tuesday. The actual act I heard that night, well, not so much.

Erik Schrody / Everlast

Erik Schrody/Everlast

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