Black Stone Cherry

Black Stone Cherry performs Tuesday and Wednesday, December 26 and 27, at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, 713-225-5483. Hinder and the Burden Brothers also perform.

Comments (0) By Bob Ruggiero Thursday, Dec 21 2006

Like Wolfmother, this year's other new-band-with-a-classic-sound breakthrough, Black Stone Cherry aims to roll modern rock back a couple of decades (let's just hope they leave big hair and platform shoes on VH1 Classic, where they belong). But while the 'Mothers sing fantastical high-pitched numbers about white unicorns, pyramids and witches, this quartet from rural Edmonton, Kentucky sing about more earthy concerns, such as moonshine, Civil War battlefields and offbeat Southern characters worthy of Flannery O'Connor.

Black Stone Cherry: A new band with a classic rock sound

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Chris Robertson (vocals, guitar), Ben Wells (guitar), Jon Lawhon (bass) and John Fred Young (drums) are returning to Houston for a two-night stand in support of their self-titled debut, shortly after a well-received set opening for Zakk Wylde and the Black Label Society. Despite the aggressive sound of their music, the members of BSC are legitimately down-home Kentucky boys made good, as an utterly endearing ten-minute DVD that comes with the record shows. In it, the band gives a tour of their rural digs and practice shed (shades of Skynyrd's nefarious "Hell House"); visits Young's grandmother, who proudly displays newspaper clippings on the group; and drops by their old junior high school, where their former principal (in shirt and tie) offers to carry amps when they make it big.

At least they've got good sources for advice on the music biz -- Young's dad Rich and uncle Fred are two of the Kentucky Headhunters. This is good-time, no-frills, beer-chuggin' and bong-suckin' rock and roll. It's what the world really needs more of now -- not that "love, sweet love" crap.