Earl Greyhound announce the first release of new material in over 2 years with “Besides Seasides”, due out on December 18th on their label, Hawk Race Records. The EP is the very first recording the band ever made, back in 2003, when Christopher Bear (Grizzly Bear) was the band’s drummer, and has up until now remained unreleased. The four songs feature the band at its most raw, and contain the seeds they’d sow to later become one of the most lauded hard rock bands to emerge from Brooklyn since Anthrax released “Persistence of Time”. The album cover artwork is a painting by Railroad Jerk founder and New Yorker magazine artist, Marcellus Hall, a close friend of the band’s.
The album is available for download and on limited edition vinyl, directly from the band:http://earlgreyhound.bandcamp.com/
The band has been on indefinite hiatus for a spell now, with the exception of being roasted briefly last winter on Beavis and Butthead, and each member continues to work and record with other projects. Drummer Ricc Sheridan plays with The Dust Rays, a band formed with longtime collaborator and Earl Greyhound friend, Kirk Douglas of The Roots. Kamara Thomas just released her first solo album last month, “Earth Hero” with her band Kamara Thomas and The Ghost Gamblers. Matt Whyte has been in the studio working on a new album with former Earl Greyhound member Christopher Bear on drums and producer Noah Murphy, and performs under his own name on acoustic 12 string with a cellist and bassoonist.
A brief history of Earl Greyhound:
Earl Greyhound formed in 2002 with the collaboration of songwriters Matt Whyte and Kamara Thomas, who began performing regularly as a duo in NYC. All the while, they were crafting the unique sound and songs that would form the foundation for a colossal rock band. Their influences swept from the strident English three- and four-pieces of the 70’s, to the dark pop and heavy grunge of the 90’s, to the transcendental, noisy acid sounds of modern rock.
In 2005, EG recorded their first album, Soft Targets, but they also hit their first snag when drummer Christopher Bear left to pursue his fortunes with the band Grizzly Bear. Reluctant to release the album without a permanent drummer, Matt and Kamara vowed to play relentlessly until their dream drummer found them. Guitar player Kirk Douglass (The Roots) witnessed a show and brought his friend and Gold Crowns band mate Ricc Sheridan to the next few gigs. Ricc says, “I awoke from a dream one night, and I knew this was my band.” A few weeks later, a rockneck-inducing jam confirmed that the band had found its soul mate, and they hit the ground running. Soft Targets and EG’s wrecking ball of a live show earned them oodles of fans and critical acclaim from The New Yorker, SPIN, Rolling Stone, Brooklyn Vegan and Pitchfork, among others. The next three years were spent touring the US, Canada and Japan as well as opening for Gov’t Mule, Chris Cornell and Saul Williams.
Suspicious Package was Earl Greyhound’s sophomore release, let sail in April of 2010. The album marked a turning point in the band’s maturation with the added benefit of Ricc Sheridan’s full creative collaboration. The album brought them new fans and into new territory, as they promoted the album relentlessly, touring with Coheed and Cambria, OK Go, and a headlining run ending with a packed Bowery Ballroom show in New York. Suspicious Package brought the band to Europe for the first time, with enormous praise and press coverage carving a path for an extensive tour of Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Poland, Austria, and Belgium in the last months of 2010.