Eve & the Exiles

Blow Your Mind (Serpent)

The next generation of Austin blues has already been inaugurated with Eve Monsees and Gary Clark Jr. at the helm, both guitarists having expanded the local sound with their impressive styles. If Monsees has been somewhat pigeonholed by the blues, however, Blow Your Mind blows those conceptions away. Monsees can still unload blues with the best, evidenced by “Go for a Drive” and the blistering “Key to My Door,” but her sophomore LP gears more toward 1960s garage rock. Propelled by Mike Buck’s hard-lined percussion, “Honey I Need” delivers like a revved-up Holly Golightly, and Donna Pearl’s lead vocals on “Starvation” are as bruising as Monsees’ killer riffs. Homer Henderson’s Levon Helm-like drawl on “Night of the Phantom” fits uncomfortably in the set, but the classic R&B grooves of “Got My Head Spinnin'” and “Don’t Take My Baby” are a perfect complement. It might not blow your mind, but it certainly shakes the dance floor.

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This article appears in September 19 • 2008.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.