Elliott Brood

WHO: Elliott Brood
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: July 4/07
(www.myspace.com/elliottbrood)

This is a band whose eccentricities make them interesting.

A kick drum made of a suitcase, a banjo, a painting of Chief Joseph on the back of a guitar and a set of Roland PK-5 pedals (a take on the Moog Pedal, which the Rock Snob's Dictionary describes as a "squelching old school synthesizer" invented in 1965 and favoured by Beck).

But don't ask them to analyze themselves.

"It's just the way we do it," said Mark Sasso, lead singer, banjo player and guitarist.

The Ontario-based group started out as a twosome in 2002 but later added a drummer. Their lack of bass and a three-piece simplicity adds a raucous old-time country element to their sound.

The show itself was fantastic fun and the dance floor far too small. In the long set they showcased their own unique songwriting and sound (which at times drew comparisons by my friends to everyone from Modest Mouse to the best of the country old-timers ), and an encore of rocking countrified covers of Neil Young, Johnny Cash and the White Stripe's Hotel Yorba.

Any band true enough to their roots to write Saskatchewan into one of their songs — Oh, Alberta — gets my respect. By the crowd clustered around the trio after the show it's apparent that their style is drawing a solid following and will continue to do so for some time to come. Tour on Elliott Brood.

For more great music, check out their label Weewerk Records. Elliott Brood are label-mates with the Great Lake Swimmers and United Steel Workers of Montreal, two more great bands doing exciting alt-country things.