Back Door Slam @ Warehouse Live

On Thursday, September 25, the night before we left for ACL, Eggs and I stopped in at Warehouse Live in Houston to absorb blues band Back Door Slam.

Read a recap of the night and view videos and photos after the jump

Back Door Slam have been generating positive buzz ever since they released their debut album, Roll Away, last summer. This blues-rock trio from the Isle of Man may be young, but their influences reach several decades into the past. Listen to their album or attend one of their shows, and your ear will pick up on Mark Knopfler here, Eric Clapton there, and a whole host of classic greats in between. Guitarist/singer/songwriter Davy Knowles emits big, soulful vocals that belie his twenty-one years - it can be a bit jarring initially to hear his been-around-the-block voice wailing out of such a fresh-scrubbed face.

A modest audience gathered inside Warehouse Live's Studio space to take in the deliciously bluesy set offered up by Back Door Slam's talented personnel. All three musicians exhibited impressive technical ability, but Knowles in particular was a delight to watch. Fingers flying over strings, he demonstrated exactly why he keeps garnering comparisons to the likes of Clapton and Hendrix. Rounded out by the robust backing of drummer Ross Doyle and bassist Adam Jones, Knowles' original compositions filled the venue with the kind of soul-stirring classic blues-rock that your dad probably claims died in the '60s.

The trio's set included much of Roll Away, but they also used the time to showcase a few of the covers in their repertoire. Of particular note were excellent versions of Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man," Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Almost Cut My Hair" and John Hiatt's "Riding with the King." The band also offered up a new original song, "Tear Down the Walls."

The crowd wasn't terribly large, but those who were in attendance were enthusiastic. One Warehouse employee became almost permanently fixed near the stage - he was so into the show that he surely spent way more time grinning and bobbing his head along than he did working that night. It seems that many of those present for Back Door Slam's ACL performance a few days later were equally impressed: the band's festival set was only forty minutes long, but they still managed to come in third in CD sales at the Waterloo booth.

Back Door Slam will be touring the US with Gov't Mule through the end of November.

More photos can be found on our Flickr page.

--Cereal