Music
Press
By Mary Jane Farmer
Herald Democrat
Music has taken many faces in the Shiner Rising Star competitions, but so far it's the Texas rock bands who are coming out on top.
Twenty-four bands are competing in three rounds for a recording contract, CD distribution, and professional management. They are allowed 30 minutes on stage, which includes their plug-in and tear-down times. They must cover at least one song, and most are performing their originals around the one cover song.
Round 1 Week 3, held at City Tavern in downtown Dallas Thursday night, saw two bands which are primarily from Fannin County, with a couple of the guys on stage from western Lamar County completing the band rosters.
Pearl Street Riot took top honors and will advance on to Round 2, which begins Sept. 17. Note to remember, that may not be when Pearl Street Riot performs, as the completed line-up will be announced after all eight Round 1 competitions are completed.
The mutual agreement between audience and judges Joshua Jones and Brett Dillon, both from KHYI radio station, and musician Deryl Dodd, was that it was a tight contest. Whiskey Roadshow and the Chris Miller group each also delivered strong performances.
It was also a friendly competition, especially between Whiskey Roadshow and Pearl Street Riot, since both of them are locals and friends. Two, Joe Jordan and Wesley Joe Malone, are former members of 2006 Rising Star winning band Miles From Nowhere, and another familiar face was Zack Jones, formerly with Level Route.
The judges critiqued each band following their sets, and it was the critique of Pearl Street Riot that showed why the judges picked it to move on.
"Rockin' harmonies," "killer energy," and "Guy Clark (cover song) had depth," were some of the comments from the judges' table.
About the cover, Dillon said, "I loved the Guy Clark song. You made it your own."
The trio of judges also commented on the unusual originals Pearl Street Riot performed, based on historical events including the Louisiana Purchase. - Sherman Herald Democrat
Discography
Acoustic demo streaming on MySpace; currently recording full band EP
Photos
Bio
Named to the finals of the 2009 Shiner Rising Star competition, Pearl Street Riot is one of the hottest bands in the Northeast Texas music scene. Armed with rugged riffs, honest lyrics, and solid musicianship, the band takes a bare-assed, gritty approach to alt-country and rock n roll that likens to a hybrid between the Old 97's and Drive-By Truckers, coupled with the old school sensibility of Gram Parsons, Guy Clark, and Fred Eaglesmith.
"A Todd Snider-esque voice with a band that's got a lot of energy, and comes out and kicks ass ..." —Joshua Jones, General Manager, KHYI 95.3 FM
"If I had a record label, I'd sign you right now and pay money to buy your CD ..." —Brett Dillon, KHYI 95.3 FM
"You're the kind of group that I would want to go out with and get really really drunk and maybe get into a fight ..." —Mike Talley of Somebody's Darling
Media:
Music—www.myspace.com/pearlstreetriot
Video—www.youtube.com/pearlstreetriot
Twitter—www.twitter.com/pearlstreetriot
Links
