SXSW Thursday Record Reviews
Eastside Kings
Eastside Kings (Dialtone)
Reviewed by Alejandra Ramirez, Fri., March 17, 2017
Like a fine-tuned Fifties Chevy, Eastside Kings rev up Austin's remaining Eastside blues joints with 12-bar blues improv and greased-up hollers. A veteran crew grounded by Dialtone Records owner Eddie Stout on bass, seasoned pianist Nick Connolly, and Fort Worth guitarist Bobby Gilmore, the album recalls Lightnin' Hopkins, B.B. King, and T-Bone Walker serving up hot licks on the Chitlin Circuit. From the coy "Whisper in Your Ear," prodding "Evil in the Morning," and distorted scuzz "Boogie Chillen," Eastside Kings glimpses Austin's cultural legacy of the blues. (Thu. 16, 18th Floor at Hilton Garden Inn, 8pm)