Eggy, the jam rock quartet from Connecticut, crushed two sets at Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore, PA on Friday, March 22, 2024. They warmed up by recording an episode of The Drop, which is a live podcast with Osiris' RJ Bee. Disco Biscuit bassist Marc Brownstein sat in for a tune as well.
The evening began at the storied Ardmore Music Hall, located in the Philadelphia metro area, where Eggy sat down with Bee for a candid chat about their recent success as musicians, pre-show routines, creative merchandise drops, and most importantly, the covers draft. Bee handed the band a list of bands they had recently covered in the spirit of the concurrently happening NCAA Tournament. Each person chose three bands via snake draft, and the audience voted on the band member with the best list. The full interview is available via this link.
The foursome returned to the stage for the first of two electrifying sets, and kicked off the music with newer tune "Atomic Age." This flowed nicely into the blues-rock "Northern Lights," and ended squarely in "Way Of The Stone." The band harmonized well during the last tune, and guitarist Jake Brownstein unearthed some magic on his guitar.
"Gretchen" was up next. The edgier tune felt reminiscent of Umphrey's McGee and included funky nuggets from keyboardist Dani Battat on the clav. The band then presented the first cover of the night, "Skin It Back" by Little Feat. Drummer Alex Bailey contributed his vocals to this tune. The jam evolved into a layered blues funk tapestry that resonated well with the crowd.
"Evergreen" followed, and the set closed out with a raging "12 Pounds of Pain." This included stellar bass work by bassist Michael Goodman as well as "Skin It Back" teases.
After a short break, the band returned, and delivered what can only be described as an exploratory jam during a twenty-three-minute "Finding and Losing." This unfinished tune segued masterfully into another tune that went deep, "Backyard Bear." One man's trash is a tasty treasure, indeed. This twenty-four-minute jam saw Brownstein and Battat in lockstep once again, before a flaming hot transition back into "Finding and Losing," which ended this fiery sequence.
Another musically talented Brownstein joined the band on stage for the next tune. Marc Brownstein, also known as the Disco Biscuit's bass player, ushered the heat during the classic Chuck Berry cover "Let It Rock." Brownstein brought the spirit of the Biscuits with him, as they proceeded to tease "Home Again" and "Portal To An Empty Head" by the Disco Biscuits, as well as "The Windup" by Keith Jarrett. Afterward, Marc Brownstein took the opportunity to promote an upcoming, albeit unannounced, side project gig for The Brownstein Family Band with Jake Brownstein and Battat at Ardmore Hall on June 27th.
This stellar set closed out with the prog rock-fueled "Ricky Gervais." Battat dialed up the funk before Brownstein brought the jam home. The band returned to encore with "Burritos El Chavo 2," which included a face-melting jam to send the fans off with.
This band is certainly firing on all cylinders right now, as evidenced by their outstanding musicianship, adventurous jams, and exciting set lists. They are up next on April 5th at the Crawfish For A Cause Presents Mental Awakening Festival in Atlanta, GA. Tickets are available via this link. A number of dates remain on their spring tour. Head on over to their tour page for more details, and don't snooze past this rising band.
Check out more photos from the show!
Set 1: Atomic Age-> Northern Lights > Way Of The Stone, Gretchen > Skin It Back1, Evergreen > 12 Pounds of Pain2
Set 2: Finding and Losing3 > Backyard Bear > Finding and Losing, Let It Rock4, Ricky Gervais
Encore: Burritos El Chavo 2
Notes:
[1] Little Feat
[2] With Skin It Back (Little Feat) teases
[3] Unfinished
[4] Chuck Berry cover, with Marc Brownstein on bass, with Portal To An Empty Head and Home Again (Disco Biscuits) and The Windup (Keith Jarrett) teases
