Earl Greyhound

What has six legs, a big Afro, and is forever compared to Led Zeppelin?

If you guessed Wolfmother, you're right. In this instance, though, we're talking about the other six-legged, Afroed Zep disciples, New York's Earl Greyhound. The trio's debut album, Soft Targets, has been building up a head of steam of late, with raves coming from all the big media anointers.

In contrast to Wolfmother, Earl Greyhound is making its name through an independent label, Some Records. The biggest difference between the two bands, though, is that EG is a coed band, with bassist Kamara Thomas in charge of the sacred Afro. Guitarist/singer Matt Whyte is the quintessential Seventies rock god, a six-foot-plus string bean with Rapunzel-like hair and a fiery Les Paul. Drummer "Big" Ricc Sheridan is the newest member, and it wasn't until his addition that the band sounded ready to shoot the moon.

Like any good indie band, the Greyhounds have been relentless road dogs, most recently touring with Apollo Sunshine and Brooklyn-based alt-rockers Dirty On Purpose. Recently they took an ultra-rare day off to relax in Florida, namely at St. Augustine Beach. "There was an amazing, misty sunrise over the Atlantic," Kamara says. "As always, Mama Earth gives the best show in town."

A little business did intrude on that day off, as you'd expect — they were at last able to attend a show by Big Sleep, also from Brooklyn, something Kamara has been dying to see. "They played with Dirty On Purpose and the Thermals from Portland, who rocked my Afro off as well. It's funny that I had to come all the way to Florida to see a couple bands from Brooklyn."