Good New Band Alert: Tent Revival

Last month I received a six-song demo by the South Carolina five-piece Tent Revival, and I continue to be incredibly impressed with what I've heard. Comprised of former members of I-Nine, a once promising band that experienced a major label nightmare among the worst I've ever heard, and Owen Beverly, the Mississippi based singer who has gone through his own major-label purgatory, the band is just beginning to tour down south.

Their material is intense - a twisted sort of folk/rock that is passionate with an apocalyptic edge. There is nothing casual about their attack. But even in their first demos, they have carved out their own sound and identity; uniquely southern in the old Gothic sense. It burns, howls and rocks and resonates with an unapologetically eclectic edge - there aren't many (if any) bands that bring to mind Faulkner and Hendrix (the bassline is straight out of "Hey Joe") in the same song. And with the accrued wisdom of their experience, I can't wait to see how they grow, and what they come up with next. This is powerful stuff.

Download: "Lake Of Fire"