Four guys with long brown hair walked across the Casbah stage looking for a protected cubbie hole for their beers and bourbon. They were dirty looking, with their grisly breads and torn clothes, but at second glance – as they tuned their instruments, smiling and joking with the audience, flipping their long hair and squatting to greet their groupies –  they oozed a sweet, masculine sexuality. These weren’t bums at all, these were modern day rock stars.

Without a moment’s notice the band immediately began to play. The lead guitarist took flight fueling the 747 that is Dirty Sweet. He began tearing away at melodies that lay on a fine line between classic and bluesy rock. He ripped at the strings, completely shredding the instrument while producing some of the nastiest electric solos I’ve ever experienced.

The lead singer was incredible. His low voice was amazingly flexible and he pretty much hit every note in the book dead on. He was rock and roll all the way, so shrill screeching and high pitched whines were intermingled with low runs and full bellied crooning.

The band was extremely polished. Every move seemed choreographed. The drummer’s hair fell over his eye in perfect timing, the lead singer’s would randomly undress and redress without the slightest fumble, and the guitarists swayed , rocked and grooved as the played obscenely complex chords – all with relaxed and cool faces Yet I knew that these guys were the real deal, and what I assumed was choreography was a mixture of experience and raw talent.

Every single song seemed to get better and better. Some songs were up-tempo and raged on with pounding beats and screaming chords. Others were slow, dark, and encapsulated all the elements of classic blues – where blistering sorrow meets indifferent nonchalance. Some songs were on the verge of country, but they kept them from falling over the edge by lacing the twangs with alternative-sounding facets – the rhythms weren’t too homey but more contemporary, the singing wasn’t too hillbilly, but more rockabilly.

Edgy and mysterious these guys have everything going for them – their handsome, cool, talented and capable of putting on a rock performance. They recycle the genuinely great rock we’ve all grown up on and cherish, adding their own musical genius to deliver a great sounding, quality product. I guarantee one night spent with the boys of Dirty Sweet, and you’ll fall back in love with the wonderful music that is rock.