Normally I’m not a fan of band names that may (or may not) be glorifying presidential assassins, but I’ll make an exception in this case - John Wilkes Booth out of Long Island, NY.  Found these guys online, or more accurately they found ME, and have been jamming out on their Myspace tunes all afternoon (which loads intermittently, so be forewarned).

They sound (to my demented ear) in the vein of Garage or Grunge with more than a smattering of Punk thrown in for good measure, but call themselves ‘Dirt Rock’ so what do I know.  Ok, ignore categorization and listen to them yourself – you decide.  Each song on their Myspace page stretches slightly into a different musical direction like a parasitic tentacle, drawing from the past yet melting it into something all its own.  On their homepage, guitarist Jason Beickert lists ‘None’ under influences – we’re not being entirely honest now, are we Jason? There are elements of Jam band, the aforementioned Punk & Grunge, Hardcore, Metal and even good old fashioned Rock.  Hardly a ‘NON - influenced’ band.

But in all honesty, they have the makings of a group that thrives on live performance.  Nothing wrong with that, but I can only guess if I’m accurate since I’ve yet to see them.  Regardless, give’em a listen and see if you’re not like me – wishing they were outside, jamming in your garage so you could crack a cold one and listen in.